Category: Royal Family

Julie Marson – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Julie Marson, the Conservative MP for Hertford and Stortford, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

It is a solemn honour to rise in this debate to pay tribute to Her late Majesty the Queen, both personally and on behalf of my constituents in Hertford and Stortford. It is humbling to follow so many wonderful and fine tributes.

The King himself, in his moving address, made reference to a speech that many in the Chamber have mentioned, in which his mother the late Queen, on her 21st birthday, made a declaration that her whole life, whether long or short, would be devoted to our service. We know now that her life was long and that for every day of her 70-year reign she magnificently honoured that solemn vow.

In that same speech, the Queen said:

“I am thinking especially today of all the young men and women who were born about the same time as myself and have grown up like me in terrible and glorious years of the second world war.”

It is that, alongside her vow of devotion to duty, that resonates with me today. Perhaps it is because she was speaking about those like my own parents, now themselves in their 90s and children of the east end and the blitz.

I am struck more than ever that Her late Majesty, both as a person and as a monarch, represents a link between our generations. She is a tangible human link to our nation’s past—to its struggles, but most of all to its finest hour. She is also a link to our own individual pasts—our personal histories and those of our families. We have heard many of those stories here today.

The Queen, with her ability to evoke the spirit of what we rightly call the greatest generation, gave what in my view was the finest speech of the covid crisis. She said that she hoped

“those who come after us will say that the Britons of this generation were as strong as any,”

and of course she said that “we will meet again”. Her late Majesty personified that link with our past and with the greatest generation. We shall not see her like again.

Arthur Balfour was Prime Minister in 1901 and addressed this Chamber on the death of Queen Victoria. He said then that

“the end of a great epoch has come upon us”.—[Official Report, 25 January 1901; Vol. 89, c. 20.]

With the passing of our Queen, the end of a great historical epoch has indeed passed, but we are all privileged to have lived at least some of our lives in the great second Elizabethan age. We mourn her but we cherish her memory and her lifetime of service. God bless Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. God save the King.

September 10, 2022
Jerome Mayhew – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Jerome Mayhew, the Conservative MP for Broadland, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

I add my remarks to the outpouring of love, affection and gratitude for the life of Her late Majesty on behalf of the people of Broadland. It is a sombre day as we grieve, so who would have thought that we would have laughed so much as we remembered her extraordinary life? I have loved listening to colleagues’ speeches as they have recalled their mishaps with Her Majesty.

Through those stories, I have learned much about her deep graciousness. I was never lucky enough to meet her, but I still grew up with her as part of my family, for that was the impact of her life on all of us. Through her service, she reached into our homes and our hearts. Whatever else was going on in our lives or in the country, the Queen was always there—a steadfast anchor of rightness. She did not represent the people; she embodied them through her steady selfless service, year after year, decade after decade. By her life, and how she lived it, she pointed out to all of us the real values by which life should be lived: integrity, devout faithfulness, duty.

We in return have demanded constant attention, constant attendance and constant access, irrespective of any difficulties in the Queen’s own life. We have often demanded the most at the hardest times, yet she never faltered or stepped back. She stayed true to her young oath. What a wonderful woman. What a wonderful monarch. Her heavy burden, which she somehow managed to wear so lightly, has now passed to the King. His wonderful speech to his peoples today shows how he has shouldered it. May the Queen rest in peace. God save the King.

September 10, 2022
Andrew Lewer – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Andrew Lewer, the Conservative MP for Northampton South, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

Her late Majesty was always warmly welcomed to Northampton, so the town mourns her passing most sincerely. Looking over some of the old coverage of royal visits to Northampton, since the sad news yesterday, it is clear how much joy she brought on every occasion. Many Members from both sides of the House have succeeded in communicating the almost magical combination of majesty and personable friendliness, and yet within that, one was always aware of her sheer presence—even when stood as an infant in a lay-by in 1977 with my dear mother, Mrs Sandra Lewer, waving a dock leaf and getting a wave from the limousine in return.

Two of the occasions on which I met Her Majesty illustrate that duality. On the 800th anniversary of the Maundy service in 2010, she presented the ceremonial money to another inspirational woman, the late Sister Merle Wilde, one of the last of the Methodist Order of Deaconesses. There was tradition, dignity, majesty.

At the diamond jubilee two years later, I met Her Majesty at a much less formal event. When introduced, I found myself, for reasons too obscure to detain the House with tonight, talking to her about doughnuts. Her Majesty took it in typically good part, thankfully, but I sensed rather than saw a certain look pass between the then lord-lieutenant, who was also thankfully a friend of mine, and my wife, who had much to say about it afterwards. Her Majesty was personable, cheerful and filled with humanity. Blending that with her dignity and bearing was brilliantly described as “alchemy” by the right hon. and learned Member for Camberwell and Peckham (Ms Harman) earlier.

I thank you, Mr Speaker, and Mr Deputy Speaker for your indulgence tonight, and for that of the House staff as well. It is really appreciated and it has meant a lot to us to be able to do speak this evening. May God bless Her late Majesty the Queen and keep her safe. God save the King.

September 10, 2022
Alexander Stafford – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Alexander Stafford, the Conservative MP for Rother Valley, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

This day is a day many of us wished would never come, but many of us also believed that it would never happen. I need not remind Members of Her late Majesty’s unwavering service as Britain’s longest-serving monarch; her calmness and stoicism during difficult times; and the continuity and stability she offered our country and our people. She personified the virtues of loyalty and humility, never complaining and setting a towering example for world leaders, future monarchs and ordinary people alike. Her Majesty was the embodiment of our nation’s identity, and for many people she was the United Kingdom, with her uncanny ability to appear unchanging yet also move with the times. She epitomised the concept of a constitutional monarch and took this responsibility incredibly seriously, thus cementing the role of the constitutional monarchy in this country, remaining above politics yet imparting profound wisdom to unnumerable Prime Ministers and parliamentarians over seven decades.

It was not her constitutional link to the lawmakers of this land that made her one of the greatest monarchs in our history, but her affinity with every single man, woman and child in Britain and the Commonwealth. Nowhere was this better exemplified than during her visits, for it was in places such as Rother Valley that Her Majesty excelled. Her visit to Rother Valley in 1977 was an unrivalled success. She was greeted at Maltby Comprehensive School by over 7,000 children from across Rother Valley, and on Maltby fields more than 20 schools and youth organisations put on displays. Countless Rother Valley children would cherish the memories of that visit, but my favourite story is about a 10-year-old girl from Letwell, who was dressed in a purple velvet cloak, holding a plea for the Queen printed on a cardboard sign. It read:

“Dear Queen of England, please crown me Queen of Aston Fence School. Love Allison”.

As the Queen passed by, she duly obliged. Taking the sign, Her Majesty asked Allison, “So, you want to be crowned, do you?” Then, carefully picking up the home-made crown, held on a velvet cushion by Allison’s page boy, seven-year-old Mathew Orton, of Woodhouse Mill, Her Majesty regally placed it on Allison’s head, thus crowning her the queen of Aston Fence School. That anecdote, like many from across the country, encapsulates what Her Majesty meant to Rother Valley, the United Kingdom and the world.

Despite all the grandeur, the pomp and ceremony, and the serious constitutional role that she played, Her Majesty’s most winning qualities were humour, kindness and the famous mischievous twinkle in her eye. She was a cultural icon, but beneath it all, she was the nation’s grandmother. She loved all of us, and was beloved by all of us in return. I send my deepest condolences to the royal family on behalf of my own family—Natalie, Persephone and Charlotte—and all the people of Rother Valley.

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon her.

May she rest in peace. I offer my humble allegiance and loyalty to His Majesty King Charles III. God save the King.

September 10, 2022
Jane Stevenson – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Jane Stevenson, the Conservative MP for Wolverhampton North East, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

I rise in deep sadness but with immense gratitude for the life and service of our beloved late sovereign, Queen Elizabeth. First, I want to place on record the love and respect of my constituents in Wolverhampton North East for Her Majesty. Many have already contacted me about the devastating sense of loss and grief that they feel at Her Majesty’s passing, and I thank them for sharing their thoughts with me. It is an honour to pass them on in this place.

It is extraordinary that so many of us who never met Queen Elizabeth can be so affected by her death, but for everyone in Wolverhampton, the United Kingdom and across the Commonwealth, she was a huge presence in our lives. The Queen visited Wolverhampton several times, including our schools and factories. I think that my favourite story is from a visit in 1962, before I was born. It was a visit to Molineux and she was presenting colours to the North and South Staffordshire Regiments and the Staffordshire Yeomanry. She apologised to Wolverhampton Wanderers for her high heels making marks on our hallowed turf at Molineux. Thirty-thousand Wulfrunians cheered her that day, and I know that the strength of feeling for our monarch remains as deep today as it was then.

For millions of us, Her Majesty was a constant presence at so many events in our lives. Every Christmas, I, like millions of people, felt like the Queen was in my living room. Surrounded by my family, we waited every year for her words of wisdom and comfort. Last year, during her last Christmas address, she spoke about her upcoming platinum jubilee and how she hoped it would be

“an opportunity for people everywhere to enjoy a sense of togetherness”.

At so many jubilee events for Her Majesty, my neighbours became my friends, and in all the platinum jubilee events that I attended in Wolverhampton this year she certainly succeeded at bringing us all together.

Because of Her Majesty’s age, and because we knew that she was struggling with some ill health, the celebrations this year were poignant as well as joyful. I am sure that I am not the only person who, through a smile, also shed a tear when Paddington Bear thanked Her Majesty for everything.

She has united our nation once again. On this sad occasion, she now unites us in national mourning. Our thoughts must be for her beloved family, the royal family and especially our new King Charles III as he takes on such responsibility. I hope that the outpouring of love for Her late Majesty will bring the royal family some comfort over the coming days and weeks. I want to express gratitude for her life and many qualities. She was a shining example of strength and of selflessness in public service. May our beloved Queen Elizabeth rest in peace and rise in glory. God save the King.

September 10, 2022
Christian Wakeford – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Christian Wakeford, the Labour MP for Bury South, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

I am both proud and sorrowful, although I am delighted to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Hyndburn (Sara Britcliffe)—I emphasise the word friend, because grief does bring people together.

I imagine that I speak for many when I say that I have taken some solace in hearing some of the tributes today from those who got to meet or know Her Majesty. I was never fortunate enough to have met her, but it almost feels like I had—just like everyone else in this Chamber—because there was something familiar to all of us. We will all take a bit of her with us; I like to think that the bit I will take is the humility and the kindness that everyone speaks about.

This great and proud country went through many trials and tribulations during the Elizabethan age, but she was one of the constants, providing stability through wartime as much as in peace. As many have mentioned, regardless of our political views, her sense of service to the country that she loved is to be admired and treasured, and it is something that we should all be proud of. I know what I was doing when I was 25 years of age, and I would not have been able to take on the responsibility of a country, let alone a whole host of them in the Commonwealth. I certainly could not have helped to strip an engine either.

I put on record the condolences of those in my constituency of Bury South, in the townships of Radcliffe, Whitefield and Prestwich, along with my condolences and those of my family. I think particularly of this year’s jubilee celebrations, when my daughter, who was in nursery at the time, came back home from nursery so proud that she had learned the national anthem. She did her rendition for daddy and sang, “God save our normal Queen”. Unfortunately, Lavinia, the words were not quite right, but the sentiment was there.

Her Majesty was no stranger to Bury either, visiting as a young girl in 1938 and a further six times after that. Her most recent visit was in 1992, when she opened St Peter’s Square Metrolink station and took a ride to visit Bury town hall, which she had opened 38 years prior.

What stood out for me most about the Queen’s service was not just the length, but the fact that she seemed to genuinely enjoy every single moment of it—from historic meetings with world leaders right down to visiting primary schoolchildren, she made everyone feel like they were the only person meeting her. She was a mother, a grandmother, a great-grandmother, a wife and a sister. She was a rock to the nation, but more importantly, a grandmother to the nation. She was all sorts to everyone, but she was always a Queen. The saddest thing is that there are children born today who will never know a Queen, let alone the Queen.

Finally, I think all my constituents will agree with one simple message: thank you, Ma’am. May our Queen rest in peace, and long live the King.

September 10, 2022
Sara Britcliffe – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Sara Britcliffe, the Conservative MP for Hyndburn, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

I want to join colleagues in expressing my deepest sorrow at the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and the sorrow of my constituents in Hyndburn and Haslingden. Our condolences are with the King and the royal family.

It is difficult to put into words the grief and profound sense loss that are felt, but after the rainbow that has been mentioned, as I paid my own tribute last night at the gates of Buckingham Palace in the darkness, the heavens opened and the rain poured. It felt as though the weather portrayed our grief. The nation’s heart was broken.

For many of us, the Queen is the only monarch we have known. It is hard to overstate the value of the stability that she gave this country and the nations around the world for which she was head of state. When our politics or our society seemed so fraught, the Queen was a constant in our lives—a reminder of strength, dignity and stability, and a reminder of what unites us.

In 2012, we had the privilege of a royal visit from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh during her diamond jubilee. My personal memory of that day is that I stood on the balcony of Accrington market hall at the age of 17 outside my dad’s café, Milly’s, as she came to greet us. Her eyes twinkled and her warmth shone through. The crowds gathered in their thousands. They smiled, they sang and—one feeling that could be felt within the crowd—they loved.

During her 1957 Christmas address, the Queen said that while she could not lead us into battle, give us laws or administer justice, she could give us her heart and her devotion. All these years later, we can surely all agree that she did just that. She was our greatest public servant, our greatest diplomat and our stability. She has been the true light in our lives that none of us really believed would ever go out. May she now rest in peace. Thank you, Ma’am, and God save the King.

September 10, 2022
Helen Morgan – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Helen Morgan, the Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

As one of the most recent MPs to swear allegiance to the Queen, I am saddened and humbled to have the honour of paying tribute to her now on behalf of my constituents, and on their behalf I offer my condolences to the King and to the rest of the royal family for their sad loss. Many constituents have been in touch over the last 24 hours to share their feelings of love, their sense of loss, but most of all their gratitude for the Queen’s devotion, her leadership and her warmth during her 70 years of public service.

While the nation is united in sorrow, the anecdotes shared here today—and by my constituents—have shown me that we can celebrate the Queen’s life with joy as well as sorrow as we remember her on this occasion. I have smiled as some of my more senior neighbours have shared memories of the coronation back in 1953. Those memories are vivid, and are still fondly thought of seven decades on. Every television was wheeled out so that neighbours, friends and family members could huddle together for a glimpse of the gracious young Queen, and there was a whole programme of celebrations in the town of Wem. I was recently shown an original programme, in perfect condition.

I am thankful that the platinum jubilee provided the chance for those communities to unite once again, and to show the Queen just how much she was still loved after 70 years. She was celebrated across North Shropshire, by the soldiers of the Royal Irish Regiment based at Tern Hill and by the helicopter pilots being trained at RAF Shawbury—who included her grandsons, the new Prince of Wales, and Prince Harry a decade ago. We were very grateful for the opportunity to welcome her to both sites. From Wem to Whitchurch and from Ellesmere to Oswestry and Market Drayton, we lit beacons across the countryside as a symbol of gratitude to our longest-serving monarch—and how appropriate that was, for Queen Elizabeth was a beacon of stability to us all throughout those seven decades. But now a new era begins. Christmas this year will be very different. We will gather round our televisions again, but this time it will be to hear a speech from King Charles III rather than our Queen. In North Shropshire, we will raise a glass to both of them.

In 1957, the 31-year-old Queen promised to give “these old islands” her heart and devotion. She stayed true to her word for every minute of her 96 years, and for this we are all grateful. We hope that she rests in peace. God Save the King.

September 10, 2022
Marco Longhi – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Marco Longhi, the Conservative MP for Dudley North, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

Her Majesty the Queen has been a given in our lives, an anchor as certain as the sun setting each day. But her star has set for one final time, and there is no worldly scale big enough to show the weight of our loss. I, like many, felt that she would always be there. On behalf of my Dudley North constituents, I wish to express my sincere and deepest sympathies to His Majesty, the royal family and indeed the entirety of the royal household.

Her Majesty embodied everything we all aspire to stand for in this place: dedication to public service, dedication to family and dedication to people. The magnitude of what Her Majesty delivered in her time for us all is impossible to measure. While I never had the privilege of meeting her, I felt a presence there, a guiding hand, one that was available to us all—including Paddington Bear.

In Dudley North, I mourn alongside my constituents, a community united in grief. Her Majesty first visited Dudley in 1957, as a relatively new monarch, to view the beautiful Coronation Gardens dedicated to her. Coincidentally, my constituency office overlooks them, so I will always have a physical reminder to follow her example of dedication and public service.

Fast-forward some decades to the 1970s, but ultimately the 1990s, and Her Majesty found herself in Dudley once again, although a little higher in altitude, at Dudley castle and zoo—which made her the first monarch to visit the castle since her namesake Elizabeth I in 1575. Her Majesty was given a tour of the centre before unveiling a piece of commemorative glass and receiving a crystal key to the castle as a gift from the borough. Many of the messages that I have received are from constituents reminiscing about her visit. It is clear that she left a lasting impression; what is also clear is that when God made our Queen, He broke the mould.

We will all take comfort in coming together to remember the guiding light Her Majesty has been to us all. Long live the King.

September 10, 2022
Stephen Kinnock – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Stephen Kinnock, the Labour MP for Aberavon, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

I rise today on behalf of the people of Aberavon to pay tribute to our late Queen and to send my deepest sympathy and condolences to the royal family at this time of loss and grief.

The Queen will always be remembered by our nation and by the world as the epitome of loyalty, humility and grace. She always put service to her country above all else, and we shall never forget her duty-first, no-nonsense approach to everything that she did. Her unique talent lay in her ability to connect with the nation and to reflect our thoughts, our hopes and our fears. She inspired affection and respect, and she was a source of comfort to us all.

The last seven decades have been times of seismic political, economic and social change, and throughout these turbulent years Her Majesty was a beacon of consistency and stability. She never failed to steady the ship. She was the personification of keeping calm and carrying on. Indeed, her leadership during the pandemic was testament to this. In echoing the immortal words made famous by Dame Vera Lynn, “We will meet again”, she evoked in her typically understated manner the stoic spirit and measured optimism that guided us through that period of crisis and hardship.

On behalf of my Aberavon constituents, I thank the Queen for all that she gave to our country and I convey my very best wishes to King Charles as he assumes his new responsibilities and begins writing the next chapter in our national story. Long live the King and long live the Prince and Princess of Wales.

September 10, 2022