Category: Royal Family

James Wild – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by James Wild, the Conservative MP for North West Norfolk, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

It is only three months since I stood here to join the wonderful tributes to mark Her Majesty the Queen’s platinum jubilee. Today the House and the country feels immense sadness at her passing, but that is tempered by the opportunity to recognise her extraordinary life of service, and by knowing that she witnessed the heartfelt displays of affection towards her in the 70th year of her reign.

That unprecedented occasion was celebrated passionately in North West Norfolk, which is unsurprising as my constituency is home to Sandringham, the much-loved private retreat of the late Queen and her family for generations. The continuity that the estate has provided to her family means that her Norfolk home occupied a unique place in her affections. She loved the time she spent there.

Having ascended to the throne at such a young age, Sandringham offered the Queen an escape from the public eye. It was a place where she could relax with family. She was often spotted behind the wheel of a Land Rover, and she enjoyed walking her dogs, country pursuits and her prized horse stud. People living in the villages around the Sandringham estate had great affection for the Queen, and she was a very special part of those close-knit communities. They have happy memories of encounters with the Queen because, as well as the private time she spent there, she chose to undertake many visits over the years. Whether as a member of the Sandringham women’s institute since 1943, and then as its president, taking tea and cake with the ladies, presenting local children with awards or visiting charities and businesses, she was a constant and cherished part of life in west Norfolk.

Perhaps surprisingly, she was even able to go about her life there without fuss. Famously, when out shopping one day, a woman remarked to her, “You look just like the Queen.” To which the Queen is said to have replied, “How reassuring”—presumably with a twinkle in her eye.

Her affection for Sandringham was matched only by that of the Duke of Edinburgh, who gave such love, support and service to Her Majesty. It was from the long library at Sandringham that the Queen delivered the first televised Christmas message in 1957. And perhaps one of the most profound comments in recent times was made during her pandemic broadcast, to which others have referred: “We will meet again.” That simple phrase expressed the hope that we all needed, and the immediate response to her passing yesterday was people coming together at Windsor, Buckingham Palace, Sandringham, Balmoral and elsewhere to share their grief and to give thanks for an amazing life.

On behalf of my North West Norfolk constituents, I offer the deepest condolences to the entire royal family. God save the King.

September 10, 2022
Ian Paisley – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Ian Paisley jr, the DUP MP for North Antrim, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

“Forgetting the things which are behind us, and reaching for the things that are before us, pressing on to the mark, to the high calling of God through Jesus Christ.” The words of the apostle are not only the religious philosophy of our former monarch, but they indicate her style of leadership. She did not allow the past to be a burden. She did not allow the past to hold her back. She stretched forward constantly to the mark, shooing this country forward to a better place, to an ideal, to get over the line. Indeed, her Christmas speech each year summed that up, as she witnessed for her Lord and Saviour, for her God. I was deeply impressed and struck by the King’s speech this evening, in which he powerfully and singularly dedicated himself to his mother’s God. It should encourage us all that he learned from that example of urging this kingdom forward in all its strands and steps.

My constituents are broken-hearted, as I am sure are yours, Mr Deputy Speaker, about what has happened to our kingdom over the last few hours, but they will be emboldened by the memories of Her Majesty’s visits. On her last visit to North Antrim, she visited Bushmills. It looked like a box of Quality Street, with a contingent of the Irish Guards decked out in red tunics and Séamus the dog walking through the village. When the Queen arrived to unveil the statue of the war hero Robert Quigg, she said to me as I welcomed her, “Is this all yours?” I hesitated and said, “No, Ma’am, this is yours.” With a twinkle in her eye, she said, “Quite.” [Laughter.] I will never forget it; it was a lovely moment.

King Charles also visited the constituency when he was Prince Charles. He was way down at Gracehill in Ballymena, but for some reason he too made it to Bushmills. I do not know what it is, but there is something about a liquid that sits in a barrel for 12 years that he seems to like. I know that my constituents are delighted by his patronage of Bushmills.

Our kingdom is a lesser place, and we have lost a wonderful sovereign, but I want to repeat what the King said this evening:

“Let us…draw strength from the light of her example.”

God save the King.

September 10, 2022
John Howell – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by John Howell, the Conservative MP for Henley, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

I recall my first encounter with the Queen on a visit to a foreign country: her 1994 visit to Russia. She went to Moscow and St Petersburg at the request of Boris Yeltsin, and I had been invited along to conduct economic negotiations with Russia. It was based in St Petersburg on board Britannia, a ship that thoroughly impressed all the Russian visitors. The press made much of the trip’s difficulties for the Queen. They were obsessed with the details of which jewels she had brought, and whether any of them had once belonged to Russian duchesses. She was not interested in the slightest in that, and she took Boris Yeltsin fully in her stride—quite remarkable, when we remember what he was like. The trip was a great success for UK plc, and the Queen took a great interest in what we were doing and the results of the visit.

As His Majesty said earlier, we remember a life well lived. We celebrate that life for all the human qualities, as well as the duty and service that so many Members have spoken about. God save the King.

September 10, 2022
Janet Daby – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Janet Daby, the Labour MP for Lewisham East, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

I rise to pay tribute on behalf of my constituents of Lewisham East and to express my own sadness.

Our late Queen Elizabeth II was the nation’s longest-serving monarch, who reigned for seven decades. She was for so many of us a constant, enduring and reliable figure for our great nation. I was deeply saddened by the news that our beloved Queen had passed away. She served her country with dignity and grace. One of the finest quotes I have recently heard about her is

“neither did she explain herself and neither did she complain”.

She rose to each challenge with grace, and she dedicated her life to her nation. She was a Queen who loved and who in return was loved.

One of my earliest memories of the Queen was meeting her when I was seven years old during her visit to south-east London. Strangely enough, my mother’s earliest memory of seeing the Queen dates from when she was around the same age, many years earlier in the Caribbean. My mother said that

“in Jamaica children used to run to her”.

Nothing really changed there. She was adored by many across the Commonwealth and, indeed, the globe.

I remember that as a child, my greatest street party was in 1977—the silver jubilee. I fear that many of us are giving away our age, as we all seem to remember the silver jubilee. She gave us all much cause for joy and celebration, and I am grateful that she was able to mark her platinum jubilee earlier this year. It brought together thousands of people across Lewisham, where over 100 street parties were held to celebrate her many achievements. Her departure reminds me that there is a time to live and, indeed, a time to die. Let us in this place do our very best to do what we can while we live to make a difference to the lives of others.

In the meantime, my thoughts are with her family, our nation, and all those who mourn our beloved Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, across the Commonwealth and across the globe. May she rest in peace. Long live the King.

September 10, 2022
Amanda Solloway – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Amanda Solloway, the Conservative MP for Derby North, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

It is the greatest honour to be here today to pay tribute on behalf of my constituents in Derby North and of course to make my own tribute.

Since the heartbreaking news yesterday that simply took my breath away, I have been reflecting on the influence that the Queen had on me and many people across the world. All my life, I have known the legacy that she has given us. All of my life, I have admired this amazing woman, and today my heart is so sad to say goodbye to her. She was universally our Queen, she cared passionately for us all and truly embodied what it means to serve. She promised to devote her whole life to serving her people, and her generous heart never missed a beat. It was a heart of compassion, love and kindness. Through joyous and turbulent times—so difficult that I can hardly imagine it—she carried herself with grace and dignity, a role model for future generations, just like the generation of my wonderful grand-daughter. She was the very best of all of us—the very best of humanity: strong, yet compassionate; loving and steadfast. She laughed with us as a country, her fantastic smile lighting up our lives. She mourned with us, and led us through the darkest of times: a great diplomat, leader, mother, wife, grandmother and great-grandmother and, like me, an animal lover.

The Queen carried us through the very worst of times, and held our hand through the very best. My constituents of Derby North thank her from the bottom of their hearts for a lifetime of service, for her guidance and her never-faltering service. To quote King Charles III, it was

“a life well lived”.

Thank you, your Majesty. Rest in peace.

September 10, 2022
Munira Wilson – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Munira Wilson, the Liberal Democrat MP for Twickenham, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

As we mourn the loss of Her late Majesty and celebrate her extraordinary legacy, I wish to convey condolences on behalf of my constituents to the King and the entire royal family. We feel her loss deeply.

Twickenham is home to a royal palace, a royal park, more platinum jubilee street parties than any other English borough, and a rugby stadium whose rousing renditions of “God Save the Queen” have now been heard for the final time. I will share three quick stories of how the Queen’s kindness and humility touched the lives of my constituents.

Last year, Park Lane stables, a riding centre for disabled people in Teddington, was facing eviction. Campaigners were desperate to keep it open, so as the Queen’s love of horses is well known, they went straight to the top. Natalie O’Rourke describes the letter they received back from the palace as like a “modern day fairy tale”. It was an invitation to the Royal Mews to visit Her Majesty’s horses. One campaigner Caitlin said of the visit:

“we were drawn in to their community, we mattered, we were cared for.”

The Queen could make everyone feel at home.

Her late Majesty visited Twickenham many times during her reign, most often, of course, for the rugby, as she was patron of the Rugby Football Union for 64 years. Tom Gaymor remembers the Queen opening Twickenham stadium’s east stand in 1994. While he was a 13-year-old ball boy waiting in the players’ tunnel, the Queen stopped, greeted them and asked questions of them all. He told me that

“her grace and genuine interest in each and every one said everything about her human side and love for her role.”

My constituent the Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London, Sir Kenneth Olisa, accompanied the Queen to Grenfell Tower in the days following the fire. Despite the unbelievable tragedy, when the Queen arrived, the crowd broke into spontaneous applause. He said that she showed then, as she has so many times, her ability to unite, console and bring her hope to her people in their times of need.

I want to finish with what I personally most admired about Her Majesty: her deep Christian faith, which underpinned her commitment to devote her whole life to public service, to her country and her Commonwealth. During the platinum jubilee, the vicar of St Mary with St Alban in Teddington reminded us of the words of the Queen’s 2016 Christmas message.

“Christ’s example,”

she said,

“helps me to see the value of doing small things with great love, whoever does them and whatever they themselves believe.”

Queen Elizabeth II did many things with great love. Few of them were small. May she rest in peace. God save the King.

September 10, 2022
Caroline Ansell – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Caroline Ansell, the Conservative MP for Eastbourne, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

I rise to extend the love and heartfelt condolences being expressed in Eastbourne and Willingdon today to His Majesty the King, the royal family and the royal household—how mightily our sovereign lady will be missed. Her legacy, of course, will be global in its reach, but will find form in very local ways too. In my constituency, one such way will be in the shape of the Queen’s green canopy.

This 10-year community jubilee project has a goal of planting 5,000 trees from the foot of the South Downs at Bede’s all the way to the highest point in Eastbourne at Butts Brow. The project will regenerate and reimagine this beautiful and inspiring landscape for generations yet to come. It is special, too, that it was Her late Majesty’s father, King George VI, who formally opened the town’s downland in 1929, and it is perhaps rather poignant that it was Her late Majesty who planted the first jubilee tree at Balmoral. The project is a fitting tribute, as Her late Majesty’s love of the great outdoors is well known.

Well known, too, is the Queen’s deep Christian faith. One of the first messages of love and appreciation in Eastbourne’s book of condolence today reads, “In her wisdom, charm, devotion to duty and warmth, she was a guiding light for our country”, and so she was. In her humble and gracious way, however, the late Queen would have testified to the guiding light of Christ in her life. In the very last devotion she used to prepare for her coronation, she prayed:

“God be in my head, and in my understanding. God be in mine eyes, and in my looking. God be in my mouth, and in my speaking. God be in my heart, and in my thinking. God be at my end, and at my departing.”

Elizabeth Windsor has run her race quite majestically. May she now rest in peace and rise in glory. God save the King.

September 10, 2022
Anna McMorrin – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Anna McMorrin, the Labour MP for Cardiff North, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

It is an honour to rise, on behalf of the people of Cardiff North, to pay tribute and offer my deepest condolences to His Majesty the King, and to the whole royal family as they mourn the loss of their mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth—our longest-serving, greatest monarch, who devoted so much to our country throughout her long and exceptional life. Communities across Cardiff North share in their grief, as we all share in their grief.

The magnitude of this loss should not be understated. Through our lifetimes, through difficult times and upheaval—whether at home or abroad—the Queen has been our constant for 70 years. Her life of service and dedication, and her love for all of us, demonstrate her values, and these we must hold on to as we move into a new era, keeping her memory alive in our hearts through this historic moment of change. As a loyal public servant, her bond with all four nations of the UK was unmatched. Of course she loved Scotland, but I know that she had a special place in her heart for Wales. She was gifted a playhouse, Y Bwthyn Bach, from the people of Wales when she was six years old—apparently it is still in the grounds of Windsor Great Park—and when the Senedd was established, she insisted on being there in person for every royal opening, which is where I met her. She surprised us all with her encyclopaedic knowledge of Welsh politics and of devolution, taking pride in the fact that she knew every single detail. She understood the role that devolution had—and has—within our constitution.

Her connection to Cardiff was strong. She visited many times, and not just to cheer in the rugby and enjoy our music. Footage from 1971 shows her opening Wales’s largest hospital, our University Hospital of Wales, spending time chatting with patients, never holding back and always taking as much time with people as possible, her compassion shining through. We have also seen her passion: her speech at COP26 last year was one of the most powerful, calling on world leaders to act with urgency on climate change. Her determination is only surpassed by that of our new King. He is a passionate environmentalist and conservationist, and I am confident that his passion for combating climate change will shine through his reign.

Queen Elizabeth was our symbol, our leader for so long, but more than that, she was an incredible woman. Unassuming, principled, kind and loving, she was able to lead when times were difficult, but she also showed a constant love for all of us—something that we all felt. We will miss that, and as we mourn, we think of the loved ones we have lost, and of loved ones we may not see. Today is a reminder to hold them close, to reach out, to mend scars and wounds and to move forward with love. Life is short, and if nothing else, we must remember what is most important.

I want to remember someone close to me, and to end with one of my late father’s favourite quotations from Dylan Thomas:

“Do not go gentle into that good night…Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

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

The tribute made by Andrew Percy, the Conservative MP for Brigg and Goole, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

I rise to associate my constituents with the tributes made today to Her late Majesty and, on behalf of the people of Brigg and Goole and the Isle of Axholme, to swear our loyalty and commit ourselves to our new King.

We have heard some fine tributes in this Chamber today and from leaders around the world. One that resonated the most with me was that of Her late Majesty’s 12th Canadian Prime Minister, who yesterday said of her that she was one of his favourite people in the world. That resonated with me. I did not know Her late Majesty as Mr Trudeau did, but it resonated with me because we all felt that she was somebody we knew. She was one of my favourite people.

When I think about why, of course it is due to her constitutional role, her role in this country and all her dedicated service to this country, but for my generation I think it is also because she represents our grandparents’ generation. I was born in the year of her silver jubilee—although I look a lot younger—and my grandparents were the generation who were coming of age in world war two, as she was. Yesterday was the anniversary of the very day, some years earlier, when we rushed to my grandfather’s bed to say goodbye to him. My grandfather Donald Theakstone and my grandma Betty so loved the Queen that they collected everything there was to do with her. For my generation, she links us to our grandparents.

Unlike others in this place—perhaps this speaks to my failures or lack of achievement as a politician—I have not knelt before Her late Majesty, had a sword put on my shoulders, or been made a KBE or a member of the Privy Council. However, this year, for work outside this place I received the Queen’s platinum jubilee medal, and it was one of the things I am proudest to have received. I did not get it at a castle—we had to drive to Rotherham and pick it up from an NHS office—but I was so proud to receive that medal, and I will cherish it for evermore, with the image of Her Majesty on it.

I did meet her just once, here, in 2012. I have no great story to tell of that, because I am afraid I rather let myself down. We met her as new Members when she came to address both Houses, and I was so flustered, as a working-class lad from Hull meeting the Queen, that I did not know what to do. We had been given some protocol information beforehand, but all I remember is that Her Majesty came up to our group and, before she could say anything, I, in my Humber tones, shouted out “Brigg and Goole!” She just looked at me, smiled and said “Oh!” and then moved on to the next Member. So I do not have a great story of our interaction. But it was a privilege and an honour of my life to have met Her late Majesty, and on behalf of my constituents, I just want to thank her for her service. As we say in the Jewish faith, “May her memory be a blessing.” God save the King.

September 10, 2022
Mohammad Yasin – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Mohammad Yasin, the Labour MP for Bedford, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

Watching the family rushing to the bedside of the gravely ill Queen yesterday will have brought back traumatic memories for many of us who have received the heart-stopping call with news of the imminent death of a loved one. As we remember the Queen’s 70 years of dedication and loyal service, we first pay our respects to a grieving family; they have lost a mother, a grandmother, a great-grandmother and a friend who was very special—and so has our country.

This is a profoundly sad moment for the UK, the Commonwealth and the world. Our Queen Elizabeth II is an icon throughout the world, who makes our nation proud. She earned our respect and embodied all that is good about public service, duty, fortitude and diligence. Her reassuring presence, her dignity and constancy, especially in times of discord, bound us in a way that we may only be about to understand. She has been a role model for the ages. I pay tribute to her remarkable life’s work; the legacy she leaves and the lives she has touched will echo through the ages.

It was a delight to see our community come together for the jubilee celebrations. The outpouring of love was heartfelt and enduring. The days and months ahead will be very difficult. May we come together in peace, kindness and respect as we remember our Queen and prepare for the next chapter in our nation’s history. On behalf of the people of Bedford and Kempston, thank you, Ma’am, and long live the King.

September 10, 2022