LONDON, Oct 8 (AFP) - Queen Elizabeth II sent a private message of condolence Friday to the family of Briton Kenneth Bigley, the hostage executed three weeks after his capture in Iraq, Buckingham Palace said.
The queen's message was adressed to Bigley's mother Lily, 86, who has been hospitalized twice under the strain of the ordeal since her son, 62, was captured on September 16.
"The family will receive the message in due course," a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said, adding that the sovereign's words to the family were not being made public.
Bigley's brother earlier Friday confirmed the murder, shown in a gruesome video sent to Abu Dhabi television in the Gulf.
Bigley, an engineer, was abducted in Baghdad 22 days earlier along with two US colleagues who were subsequently beheaded.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair expressed his "utter revulsion" at the killing and several world leaders offered sympathy to his family, including his mother in Liverpool and his Thai wife, thought to be with her family near Bangkok.