UK, EU to enjoy shared values-based partnership after Brexit: Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II said in her first ever public comment on the United Kingdom looming withdrawal from the European Union that the UK and the European Union would maintain their cooperation, based on mutual commitment and common values, after Brexit.

In her speech at a state banquet held in the Buckingham Palace on Tuesday night for the Dutch royal family, the queen voiced the importance of "close understanding" for the sake of future cooperation.

"As we look toward a new partnership with Europe, it is our shared values and commitment to each other, that are our greatest asset, and demonstrate that even through change, our enduring alliance remains strong, and as innovators, traders and internationalists we look with confidence to the future," the queen said, as quoted on the official website of the UK royal family.

The queen added that the United Kingdom and the European Union were cooperating for the sake of peace, prosperity and security.

"I am confident that this friendship between The United Kingdom and The Netherlands, which we greatly treasure, will continue to deepen, and to prosper," the queen told the Dutch royal family.

While the United Kingdom will leave the European Union on March 29, 2019, London and Brussels still have not reached an agreement on a number of issues, such as the Irish border and the post-Brexit economic relations.