King Charles Expresses ‘Great Sadness’ Over the Death of U.S. President Jimmy Carter: ‘An Inspiration to Many’

Mar. 15, 2025

King Charles III is seen during the recording of his first Christmas broadcast in the Quire of St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, on December 13, 2022 in Windsor, England and Former United States President Jimmy Carter attends the 25th anniversary MusiCares 2015 Person Of The Year Gala honoring Bob Dylan at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Feb. 6, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.Photo:Victoria Jones - Pool/Getty; Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Victoria Jones - Pool/Getty; Kevin Mazur/WireImage

King Charlesis one of many world leaders to send condolences upon learning of the death of former U.S. PresidentJimmy Carter.

Carter, the longest-living U.S. president and a Nobel Peace Prize winner, died at age 100 on Dec. 29 at his home in Plains, Georgia. His final public appearance was over a year prior, when he mourned the death of his wife,Rosalynn Carter, in November 2023. She was 96.

“It was with great sadness that I learned of the death of President Carter,” King Charleswrote Dec. 29. “He was a committed public servant, and devoted his life to promoting peace and human rights. His dedication and humility served as an inspiration to many, and I remember with great fondness his visit to the United Kingdom in 1977.”

National leaders and royalty in London, 1977, left to right: Pierre Trudeau, (Prince Charles far background), Princess Margaret, Takeo Fukuda, James Callaghan, Valery Giscard d’Estaing, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Jimmy Carter, Giulio Andreotti, Helmut Schmidt, as part of the 1977 G7 meeting.Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty

Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty

“My thoughts and prayers are with President Carter’s family and the American people at this time,” added the King, 76. The message concluded with “Charles R.,” indicating that the message came from the King himself.

King Charles and Jimmy Carter met only once — at the G7 Summit in London in 1977. That same year, Carter visited Buckingham Palace to meet withQueen ElizabethandPrince Philip— and had a now-infamous interaction with the Queen Mother.

The Queen Mother and U.S. President Jimmy Carter in 1977.PA Images via Getty

PA Images via Getty

“He is the only man since my dear husband died to have had the effrontery to kiss me on the lips,” the Queen Mother reportedly told her biographer, according toTown & Country. Her husband, King George VI, had died unexpectedly 25 years prior in 1952 at just 56 years old.

“I took a sharp step backwards — not quite far enough,” the Queen Mother also reportedly said of the encounter.

Carter addressed the moment in his autobiographyA Full Life: Reflections at 90, calling the British media’s description of the kiss upsetting, writing that he only gave her a kiss “lightly on the cheek” following dinner.

President Jimmy Carter stands with Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace, at a dinner for summit leaders.Bettmann/Getty

Bettmann/Getty

Carter maintained a friendly relationship with the royal family, and when Queen Elizabeth died at age 96 on Sept. 8, 2022, Carter expressed his own condolences, writing that “Rosalynn and I extend our condolences to the family of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the citizens of the United Kingdom. Her dignity, graciousness and sense of duty have been an inspiration, and we join the millions around the world in mourning a remarkable leader.”

When Carter turned 100 years old on Oct. 1, PEOPLE understands that the King “expressed warm personal greetings and great admiration” for Carter’s lifetime of duty and public service, according to a spokesperson for the monarch. In a private message, the King congratulated Carter on becoming the first former president to become a centenarian.

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Former US President Jimmy Carter departs following a funeral service for former US First Lady Rosalynn Carter, at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, on Nov. 29, 2023.ALEX BRANDON/POOL/AFP via Getty

ALEX BRANDON/POOL/AFP via Getty

Carter entered hospice care nearly two years ago, in February 2023, and leaves behind four children, 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

“He has had a very full, wonderful, productive life,” his cousin Betty Pope told PEOPLE. “He wanted to make sure every day of his life he was able to do what he was charged to do personally — which, he felt, was to try to make peace and improve the world.”

source: people.com