Category: Royal Family

Alicia Kearns – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Alicia Kearns, the Conservative MP for Rutland and Melton, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

I rise to express the admiration and deep love of the people of Rutland and Melton, the Vale and Harborough villages for Her Majesty and our heartfelt sympathy for the royal family. Since her death, our communities have been sharing their stories of her and their love.

We have been blessed with three visits. The first was in 1967, when she travelled on the royal train with her beloved Philip, and 3,000 children awaited her. She visited our Oakham castle and presented a ceremonial horseshoe, because our tradition is that the first time a peer of the realm, their Majesty or any member of the royal family visits our county, they must present a horseshoe. She gave us an enormous horseshoe, and in the heart of it was a small horseshoe from one of her race horses, which was very touching. It now hangs upside down—some say that that is unlucky, although in Rutland we say it will stop the devil from bedding in—on display in our castle.

Her Majesty’s second visit was in 1984, when she came to Uppingham and Oakham Schools, and the Hospital of St John and St Anne. Finally in 1996, to enormous crowds, she visited Melton Mowbray, walking up Nottingham Street and of course stopping at Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe. She finished her visit by going to RAF Cottesmore. These visits remain in the hearts of our communities.

I have to confess that, over the last few days—it was only yesterday, but it feels a lot longer, doesn’t it?—my tears have fallen when stories of joy have been shared, because it is then that we see the great love that we feel for her. My tears also fell when His Majesty said the word “mama”, which I think touched so many of us. I believe that this Christmas we will all shed tears again, because no Christmas will ever be the same again. I hope we will all raise a drink for her at Christmas. Finally, my overriding memory of yesterday, and one that will stay with me for life, is the double rainbow that we saw. I see it as a sign of Her Majesty returning to her love, to Philip—to the side of her beloved husband—and him showing her the way. As with all ages of history, the end of an era brings a new dawn. On behalf of all the people of Rutland and Melton, I say simply: thank you, Ma’am, and God save the King.

September 10, 2022
Bambos Charalambous – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Bambos Charalambous, the Labour MP for Enfield Southgate, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

I pay tribute to Her late Majesty the Queen on behalf of myself and my constituents in Enfield, Southgate. In our grief, we remember a lifetime dedicated to extraordinary public service. Her steadfast commitment to the values of duty, public service and family provided comfort to so many here and around the world. My thoughts and condolences, and those of my constituents, are with the King and the royal family at this most difficult time.

As we all know, the Queen was the one constant in our lives. At times of incredible change, at times of crises and in good times too, she was Britain’s reassuring and constant presence. In 1953, the whole country joined in celebration to mark the Queen’s coronation. I am reliably informed that in Enfield, Southgate there were many local events to mark the occasion, including a parade and procession and athletics games in Broomfield Park. Footage from the time is incredibly poignant after Thursday’s news, but also after this summer’s platinum jubilee, where communities were once again able to come together to celebrate the Queen.

In 1953, the Queen’s coronation speech was broadcast over loudspeakers in Broomfield Park, but because of the rain many listened at home on the radio. This summer we had no such problems. We had street parties across the borough, with bake-offs and crown competitions, and it was wonderful to bring the community together in that way 70 years later. Today, those events are all the more moving as we pay tribute to the Queen’s life and her service to our country. I am sure we will see the same sense of togetherness again as the nation mourns over the coming days.

She was our longest-ever serving monarch; like most of us I do not remember a time before Queen Elizabeth II. In that time, she saw 15 Prime Ministers, but somehow managed to stay above party politics. As we know in this House, that is no mean feat. For 70 years, she embodied and represented the nation with unwavering duty on the international stage, a symbol of stability when things were changing.

The outpouring of emotion internationally that we have seen since the news is testament to Her late Majesty’s success in achieving that. She was not only well regarded, but loved around the world, something I witnessed again and again when meeting foreign representatives from other nations, who without fail would always pay tribute to the Queen. Those who had had the pleasure of meeting her would always share stories of her kindness, her warmth and her sense of humour.

As we remember Her late Majesty, I personally will remember how she continued to serve the country with duty and kindness until the very end. The Queen was an example for us all. May she rest in peace. God save the King.

September 10, 2022
David Johnston – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by David Johnston, the Conservative MP for Wantage, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

When the announcement was made yesterday of Her Majesty’s passing, my tears started immediately. There have been a lot of euphemisms for that in the House this afternoon, but I cried in the way that I would for someone I was close to. Of course, I had never met her. I wish I had met her. I had once been in the same room. That was as close as I got, but it was too big a room and there were too many people. She entered at the opposite end to where I was and everybody swarmed and I did not stand a chance, but I did have the privilege of meeting two members of her family, including our new King who spoke so movingly earlier this evening. In them we saw what she had inculcated in her family and in the nation, and the example that she set. It is no surprise that the same words are used over and over again in the tributes: duty, sacrifice, dedication and selflessness. She personified those. However, we have also heard about her passion for her family, for her country, for horse-racing and for her dogs, and about her humour and mischief, which we saw at the Olympics and quite recently at the platinum jubilee celebrations with Paddington Bear.

Of course we all rise to speak on behalf of our constituents, and in those celebrations, just a few weeks ago, my constituents in Wantage and Didcot showed the great love and devotion they had for her, with street parties all across the four towns and 64 villages I represent. There were far too many for me to get to all of them, although I tried my best. It is a constituency with a long rural history, the birthplace of Alfred the Great, and, like every other part of the country, we have been blessed with visits—to Wallingford and to Harwell, to open the Diamond Light Source.

However good any of us think we are at visiting things in our constituencies, none of us is anything like Her late Majesty with 70 years of day after day visiting things and attending opening ceremonies. At the peak, she was patron and supported more than 600 charities. We have lost the most impressive servant to our nation that we will ever see, and we should be forever thankful for what she has given us.

Winston Churchill—that should give an indication of how early it was in her reign—said that,

“all the film people in the world, had they scoured the globe, could not have found anyone so suited to the part.”

How true that was. May she rest in peace, and God save the King.

September 10, 2022
Chris Law – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Chris Law, the SNP MP for Dundee West, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

It is a pleasure to follow the delightful tribute to the Queen by the hon. Member for Meriden (Saqib Bhatti). On behalf of myself, my constituents in Dundee West and all peoples of the ancient royal burgh of Dundee, I would like to pay tribute to Her Majesty the Queen and send my deepest condolences to the royal family at this difficult time.

Her Majesty dedicated her life to public service and, having acceded to the throne at an unexpectedly young age, she reshaped the monarchy in the changing generations she has reigned. She will be remembered in history as Britain’s longest-serving monarch. Throughout her reign she served with dignity and compassion. Everyone I know personally who met her has spoken of her real and genuine warmth.

The Queen, of course, had a strong Scottish heritage. The Queen Mother’s home was Glamis Castle in Angus, not far from my city of Dundee. As a result, Her Majesty frequently visited her maternal grandparents there as a child. Indeed, one of the earliest photographs of the Queen visiting Dundee is as a child shopping in Webster’s Toy Shop in Whitehall Crescent with her grandmother, the Countess of Strathmore. Throughout her lifetime she continued to visit my city, and many of Dundee’s parks and public spaces were officially opened by Her Majesty. As then-Princess, she officially opened Camperdown Park in 1946. Seven decades later—70 years later—she unveiled a plaque to officially open Slessor Gardens at our city’s redeveloped waterfront in 2016.

Buckingham Palace was, of course, not the only balcony that the Queen waved from. In 1969, she arrived by train into Dundee and visited Dudhope Court, one of the city’s 44 multistorey blocks. While there, she was welcomed by a local Dundee family and waved from their balcony to the crowds gathered below. I am also told that she stayed back for a cup of tea. Thousands of people gathered to watch the royal yacht Britannia berth in the city when she made her first royal visit to Dundee as Queen in 1955, with the Duke of Edinburgh.

I know that thousands will now wish to sign the book of condolence that has been opened at Dundee city chambers to allow members of the public the chance to express their feelings at the death of Her Majesty. She will always be remembered in Dundee, Scotland, the Commonwealth and the world for her unwavering service that never ceased until the end. Thank you, Ma’am, and may you rest in peace.

September 10, 2022
Saqib Bhatti – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Saqib Bhatti, the Conservative MP for Meriden, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

That was an excellent tribute, like so many tributes today; it just goes to show that we are all united in our grief. The heartfelt speeches from across the House have echoed the pain and sorrow that have been felt across the country and the Commonwealth since the devastating news yesterday. On behalf of my constituents in Meriden, I express our heartfelt condolences to the royal family as they mourn the loss of a beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Our nation weeps with them and for them.

Her Majesty holds a special place in the hearts of my constituents, because it was on a spring morning in 1971 when she opened Chelmsley Wood shopping centre, and most of the village of Chelmsley Wood turned out to greet her. The royal party was running behind schedule that day, but the Queen was undeterred and took time to speak to local residents. That same day, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were shown the proposed site of the National Exhibition Centre. They would return five years later, in 1976, to open the NEC, where excited members of staff stood in line to greet Her Majesty. This is particularly apt, because the NEC was a major venue for the Commonwealth games.

Her Majesty always demonstrated kindness, generosity and dedication. I have my own experience of this, because in March 2007, when I was finishing my degree at the London School of Economics, I was invited to meet Her Majesty on Commonwealth Day. I was nervous and excited, and she was very gracious with her time. It was only later when I asked a friend, “How did I do?” that he said, “You said a lot, but none of it made any sense.” [Laughter.] I hope my tribute is better today, but Her Majesty never let on and she wished me all the best in my endeavours.

For decades, Her Majesty has been a cool-headed constant steward of our great nation. She was always there when we needed her. She showed us what it meant to keep calm and carry on. I will never forget how, in the pandemic, she gave reassurance to the whole nation and told us that we would meet again. We were blessed to have her and she really was the best of us. She lived a dedicated life of service and devotion to her husband, her family, her country and the Commonwealth. Every single one of us in this House would do well to emulate her lifetime of selflessness and public service.

Today, we mourn a monarch and we pray for her. As we reflect on her legacy and we look to the future, I say only this: may she rest in peace. May we always be grateful to have experienced her reign. To God we belong and to God we return. God save the King.

September 10, 2022
Gerald Jones – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Gerald Jones, the Labour MP for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

On behalf of myself, my family, and my constituents in the county borough of Merthyr Tydfil and the upper Rhymney valley, I send our sincere condolences to His Majesty the King and all members of the royal family.

As we know and have heard, most of our fellow citizens have known no other monarch. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has been an ever-present rock of stability throughout our country and the Commonwealth, and around the world. Her presence has indeed been the glue holding our country together for so long. It is so difficult to think of our country without her. There is no greater example of unstinting and exemplary public service anywhere. We have been so lucky to have lived during these times, and to have witnessed her service, grace and dignity, which were an example to us all. We will undoubtedly never see her like again.

From an early age, Her Majesty followed her parents’ example of duty, which was so important in holding the country together during world war two. For over 70 years, she has been a constant, and has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to the service of the nation and the Commonwealth. She was the longest reigning monarch in British history, and the longest reigning female monarch and second longest serving monarch in world history. She served right to the very end, as she declared she would do on her 21st birthday in 1947. Just a few short weeks ago, communities across all four nations of the United Kingdom and across her other realms, the Commonwealth and the world were all celebrating the first ever platinum jubilee. As she appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony for the last time and witnessed the outpouring on the Mall, I hope that she was in no doubt as to just how much she was loved.

We all have examples of Her Majesty’s links to our communities. In my constituency, the most poignant is the community of Aberfan. Her late Majesty visited following the tragedy in 1966 and a number of times during her reign, which was a comfort to many in the village and beyond. Her last visit to the community was as part of her diamond jubilee tour in 2012, when she opened the brand new Ynysowen Community Primary School.

On behalf of the people across my constituency, I say thank you for your life of service, Ma’am. May you rest in eternal peace and rising glory. God save the King, and God bless the new Prince and Princess of Wales.

September 10, 2022
Chris Loder – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Chris Loder, the Conservative MP for West Dorset, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

I rise to speak on behalf of my constituents in West Dorset to pay tribute to our late Queen, whom we have loved and admired for our entire lives, to share in the deepest sorrow of the nation and to send our deepest sympathy to King Charles and the royal family. Queen Elizabeth was one of the few constants in our transitory life. The past 24 hours have truly brought home to us not only the life and service of our Queen but our own service to our community and nation.

Queen Elizabeth was a woman of great kindness and faith, incredible inspiration and steadfast leadership, and was a family role model for all of us. The Queen was of my grandparents’ generation, whose sense of selfless service and duty, particularly during times of difficulty, has allowed us to lead the lives of freedom and democracy that we enjoy today. Her late Majesty’s generation is one of selflessness, not of entitlement. Her generation is one of tenacity, of character and of wisdom that we must look to continue in our own lives.

Since my own grandparents passed away, I, like so many, have looked upon our Queen as the grandmother of the nation. That is why the loss that we feel is so sad and so difficult to describe. I am not able to put it better than Martin Lee, the rector of Sherborne, who said this morning:

“Our country has been held in her hands. With gentleness and firmness, she has never let go, always putting the needs of the nation before herself.”

In West Dorset, we have the fondest memories of many occasions that the late Queen Elizabeth visited us—first, in 1952, in our county town of Dorchester. The Queen visited my home town of Sherborne twice: once in 1998 when she unveiled the great west window at Sherborne Abbey, and again as part of her diamond jubilee tour in 2012. She returned to Dorchester in 2016 to open Queen Mother Square in Poundbury. Those fond memories have endured with us for many years and will continue to do so.

We, the people of West Dorset and the citizens of the United Kingdom mourn our Queen, but our new King and his family are mourning his mother. It is therefore with profound affection and the greatest sympathy from West Dorset that I wish His Majesty the King to know that he, the royal family and the late Queen Elizabeth remain steadfastly in our thoughts and prayers at this very sad time. God save the King.

September 10, 2022
Daisy Cooper – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Daisy Cooper, the Liberal Democrat MP for St Albans, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

Throughout her extraordinary reign, Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was a beacon of stability, duty and selflessness. Many of my constituents in St Albans will find it impossible to imagine Britain’s public life without her. On a personal level, I met the Queen a number of times when I worked in Commonwealth affairs trying to advance democracy and human rights. The Queen was not just a constant; a few times a year, for Commonwealth Heads Of Government meetings, Commonwealth youth meetings and the annual multi-faith, interfaith Commonwealth Day service and reception, she was literally part of the day job. The Queen and the Commonwealth—the only modern intergovernmental organisation like it—were inseparable.

Each year, we Commonwealth Secretariat staffers loved celebrating the diversity of the Commonwealth on Commonwealth Day, but it was sometimes slightly surreal. The annual Commonwealth Day reception at the secretariat was rumoured to be the only event in the Queen’s diary where she did not know who she was going to meet. There was no official line-up—it was all organic and not organised—and there was no protocol on ordering people and guests by rank or into different rooms. As a result, it was not unusual to see the Queen greeting a disorganised throng of diplomats and high commissioners—often with their husbands and wives—who were jostling to a backdrop of Fijian dancers in coconut bras, Ghanian acrobats and British pop stars from the 1980s all jockeying for position to get a glimpse of the Queen or to shake her hand.

On one day, I was tasked with taking a group of dignitaries to Buckingham Palace for an audience with Her Majesty. One such dignitary had just got a new smartphone and was particularly keen on telling all the other group members about its merits in spectacular detail. When we arrived at the Palace, we were all told, quite rightly, to turn our phones to silent and to put them away, but, during our polite conversation with the Queen, this person tried to persuade Her Majesty that she should get a phone just like his. He proceeded to take it out of his pocket and started to press buttons. He thrust it under her nose and plucked up the courage to say, “Your Majesty, I think you should get a phone like mine.” We all stood in stunned silence. She just said, “Who do you expect me to text?” It was fantastic—he blushed like a schoolboy. That one-liner was wildly refreshing, and the rest of the group were incredibly grateful.

So many people who met the Queen have many memories and stories to share, including many of my constituents. Many of them will remember the three occasions when the Queen visited St Albans cathedral and abbey, where a book of condolence is now open. The Queen’s passing feels like the end of an era, but on behalf of myself and my constituents in St Albans, I extend my thoughts and prayers to the royal family. Rest in peace, Your Majesty, and thank you.

September 10, 2022
Ruth Edwards – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Ruth Edwards, the Conservative MP for Rushcliffe, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

Mr Deputy Speaker,

“Grief is the price we pay for love”,

as the Queen herself so memorably said. As I laid flowers outside Buckingham Palace this morning, I was struck by the scale of the grief felt at her passing, for as my hon. Friend the Member for Loughborough (Jane Hunt) said, the greater the love, the greater the grief.

In some ways, the Queen was an ordinary woman—a person like us. She loved dogs, marching about in wellies, horseracing, a gin and Dubonnet, a good wind-up and sporting the ultimate rainbow-hued wardrobe.

“If I wore beige, no one would know who I was”,

she is reported to have said. Like us she suffered grief, loss and family troubles, but she had to endure their being played out in the pages of the world’s press. She did so with great dignity. We felt we could relate to her and that we knew her. Even though many of us may never have met her, she held a special place in our hearts.

In many ways, of course, the Queen was also an extraordinary woman. There cannot be many who can pull off walking in a 1 kg crown, but also claim to know their way around a car engine, or who have let Brian May serenade them from the roof of their house. Few could have provided such stability and reassurance through seven decades of the greatest social, economic and technological change, adapting to that change without letting it change her. Her reign saw the first man on the moon and the invention of the internet. When she ascended the throne, Great Britain had an empire; when she passed away, she was the head of a family of nations.

The Queen was the head of our national family. Constituents in Rushcliffe have told me that her loss feels personal, more perhaps than they imagined. Whatever our politics or creed, from the youngest to the oldest and from the most remote corners of our islands to the bustle and clatter of our biggest cities, the Queen bound us together—the thread through our national story. In triumph she was our anthem, and through trials our strength. Her courage and steadfastness were an example to us all. Who will ever forget her message to the nation at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, with her reassurance that we would meet again?

We meet here today to remember a woman who lit people’s faces with joy, a sovereign whose reign is one of the greatest in history and a public servant who gave her whole life to us—her people, her country and her Commonwealth—right until the very end.

September 10, 2022
Alex Davies-Jones – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Alex Davies-Jones, the Labour MP for Pontypridd, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

I am saddened, but truly grateful and humbled, to have the opportunity on behalf of my constituents and my community in Pontypridd and Taff Ely to add to the tributes here today commemorating the extraordinary life of Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II. May I first echo the sentiments of colleagues across these Benches in offering my sincere condolences to the royal family and to all who knew and loved the Queen? While we all may know what it feels like to lose someone close, it is difficult to comprehend the loss of such a central figure, knowing full well the whole world outside is watching.

I share the sentiments of the huge number of local residents who have been in touch to share their sorrow at the news of Her Majesty’s passing—mainly my mam, but then she did name me Alexandra Mary. Many of my constituents have great pride in working at the Royal Mint in Llantrisant, and they have spent their working lives ensuring that the Queen’s portrait is nothing short of picture-perfect on all the coins in our pockets. They have expressed their admiration for Her Majesty’s lifetime of dedicated public service, and her commitment and devotion to this great nation.

As history’s longest-serving monarch, Her Majesty played an incredibly important role in uniting the nation through turbulent times. Her Majesty loved this country, she loved Wales and we all loved her in return, which is why we all grieve today and for what I imagine will be some time to come. All of us here in the UK and across the Commonwealth are indebted to Her Majesty. We have so much to be grateful to her for, and for that I say thank you—diolch yn fawr, Ma’am.

Her Majesty was committed to the demands of duty and the sacrifices of service, and she understood the responsibility bestowed on her. Listening to colleagues across the House recount stories and tales of meeting Her Majesty in person, I too would like to share with them all my most cherished memory of my encounter with the late Queen. As a little girl who always dreamed, like so many, of one day becoming a princess, having the privilege of singing for Her Majesty as part of her golden jubilee tour in Trehafod was a day I shall never forget. Waving my paper flag, y ddraig goch, belting out “Calon Lân” with hwyl, and getting to see with my own eyes the actual real-life Queen was nothing short of magical.

The Queen had a natural sparkle, a wicked sense of humour and the ability to make everyone she spoke to, waved at or simply smiled at feel as though they had had the most treasured interaction. We may never see another monarch like her. As a nation, we will miss Her Majesty enormously. May she rest in peace and rise in glory. God save the King, and God bless the new Prince and Princess of Wales.

September 10, 2022