It was with shock and great sadness that I heard of the passing of our sovereign, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Although she was 96 years old and somewhat frail, I never thought the day would come when she would not be with us.
It is so typical and fitting that The Queen carried out one of her most important tasks, that of accepting the resignation of one Prime Minister and of asking another person to become Prime Minister and form a government, just two days before she died at Balmoral Castle. Dedication to service right to the end.
It is this very dedication to service by which the Queen will be best remembered. She was the embodiment of our nation and will be missed by millions of people in this country, but also by countless millions across the world who thought of the Queen when they thought of the United Kingdom.
It was the permanence of Monarchy, but also the radiance of the Queen, which drew so many visitors to the UK. While people certainly enjoy visiting all parts of the UK, a visit to our country would not be complete without seeing Buckingham Palace, because that was where the Queen lived. An incalculable benefit to our country.
We will all have personal memories of the Queen. I was lucky enough to meet her on several occasions, most notably in 2008 when Annie and I were privileged to be able to talk to her for quite a time at a reception at Buckingham Palace. We were very conscious that we were speaking to someone of world fame and prominence, but she also made us feel very relaxed in her company. We talked about the time she visited Tewkesbury Abbey in 1971, when she distributed the Royal Maundy Money, and so much more. She had great charm and a sense of humour. No matter who you were, she made you feel special.
We were also privileged to be included in some of the events when the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited Ireland in 2012, which was the first visit by a UK Monarch to what became the Republic of Ireland since 1911. We were at the closing concert in Dublin when, at the end, the Queen went onto the stage to meet the performers. She was cheered by the audience and then turned and waved to us. A simple act to perform, but it meant so much in those wonderful circumstances.
And people of a certain age will remember when the Queen handed the Jules Rimet trophy to captain Bobby Moore as England won the World Cup in 1966. Famously, Bobby Moore, noticing that the Queen was wearing white gloves, cleaned his hands on the velvet in the Royal Box before shaking hands with her - what presence of mind!
The Queen is the only Monarch that I and most other people have ever known. This is why her passing is so hard to understand or to come to terms with. And for her family, the loss will be even greater. I’m sure I can speak for all my constituents when I send the Royal Family our deepest condolences and sympathies on what will be a devastating loss. To us, it’s our Queen we’ve lost, but to them it’s their mother, grandmother and great grandmother.
Now, we have King Charles III as our Monarch. Not many people take on such onerous duties at the age of 73, but I am convinced that he has the enduring and charismatic qualities to serve us very well indeed. I feel he will be able to comfort a grieving nation, even though he will, as the Queen’s son, be grieving himself. I was pleased to welcome him and the Duchess of Cornwall to Priors Park when we suffered from the terrible flooding in 2007. They both showed great concern for us and what we were going through. Their visit was greatly appreciated.
I should like to pay great tribute to Queen Elizabeth II for her amazing service and dedication to our country. May she rest in peace. Long live King Charles III.