Category: Royal Family

Catherine McKinnell – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Catherine McKinnell, the Labour MP for Newcastle upon Tyne North, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

My thoughts, prayers and condolences, and those of communities across Newcastle North, are with His Majesty the King, the royal family and the country as we mourn, remember and celebrate the incredible life of Her late Majesty.

On learning the news of her passing yesterday, as I am sure was the case for many, I shed a tear. I was asked by one of my children what the Queen meant to me, and it was only when I thought about how I would answer that question that I realised the profound impact her ever-presence had had: a strong, steadfast matriarch, unwavering in her calm, measured, dignified approach, no matter the challenges thrown at her or at our nation—and there have been many.

So often she captured the mood of her country, shared our joys and provided comfort. Her intervention during the pandemic, a time of such anxiety and unease, was pitch-perfect and soothed the nation. The tributes have been global—as was her reach—and, at the same time, so deeply personal; a unique, unrivalled and personal connection to millions of people across the globe. As I am sure is the case for many Members across the House, on every school visit I make, I am asked whether I know the Queen. Although Newcastle can seem a long way from Buckingham Palace, Her late Majesty is felt very closely.

We in Newcastle have been privileged to have had many visits from Her late Majesty over the years. Images of her visits show the sheer joy that she brought every time she came, whether to open Newcastle’s Eldon Square, to visit the Millennium bridge, or to visit the city library. Indeed, I was only recently in Eldon Square buying new school shoes for my children, and we stopped and remarked upon the prominent plaque marking her visit to open it in 1977. Her legacy will live on for many years to come.

Her late Majesty had a particular connection with our Metro service. She opened the Tyne and Wear Metro in 1981, naming the Queen Elizabeth II metro bridge over the Tyne and travelling on the 4020 metrocar. The original 1981 metrocar received a makeover for this year’s platinum jubilee and for the golden jubilee, when she got to travel in a golden metrocar.

Her late Majesty’s love and knowledge of horses is, of course, legendary. We were honoured to have her visit Newcastle Gosforth Park racecourse in my constituency for the famous Northumberland Plate race day. The photos from that day show her beaming from ear to ear in the way that only racing can bring about.

There is such a rich life of duty, service and deep faith to reflect on; there is so much to learn from her life and her example; and there is so much to do to ensure that her legacy endures. May perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. God save the King.

September 9, 2022
Theresa Villiers – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Theresa Villiers, the Conservative MP for Chipping Barnet, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

I feel I cannot match the eloquence of the many wonderful speeches we have heard today, but I want to share for a few moments my personal sadness at this terrible loss. I am sure that sense of sadness is shared also by my constituents in Chipping Barnet.

Her late Majesty was a woman of remarkable charm, warmth and kindness, typified by the lovely smile that adorned so many hundreds of millions of images of her published during her 70-year reign. She could come out with rather unnervingly direct comments sometimes on matters in the news, often with a twinkle in her eye, deploying that mischievous sense of humour about which so many have spoken today.

When I met Her late Majesty, I was so star-struck in her presence that I scarcely felt able to string a sentence together. If she noticed, she was far too kind and polite to mention it. Her enthusiasm for Northern Ireland featured in many of our conversations during my time as Secretary of State. At an audience she kindly granted me at Hillsborough Castle, she remarked gleefully that she always felt a sense of such excitement flying into Belfast and catching sight of the Harland & Wolff cranes. She said, “You know there is only one place in the world you can be when you see those landmark cranes.”

As Northern Ireland Secretary, my team and I had provided some suggestions on the itinerary for the 2014 royal visit. I felt they might be a little more daring than previous plans for the visit, so it was with some nervousness that I arrived at the first stage of the programme at St George’s Market, which saw Her late Majesty mingle among the crowds in a way that would have been inconceivable in Belfast just a few years previously. Later, a walk by Her late Majesty around the set of “Game of Thrones” in the Paint Hall Studios was a social media phenomenon, but politely—and probably wisely—she declined the invitation to sit on the Iron Throne.

History, I am confident, will record her role in promoting peace and reconciliation on the island of Ireland as one of the greatest achievements of Queen Elizabeth II. As we have heard and as we all know, she suffered personal tragedy at the hands of the Provisional IRA, yet she was willing to shake hands with the late Martin McGuinness and even welcome him to her home in Windsor. Her visit to the Republic of Ireland in 2011 was truly a landmark moment. Britain and Ireland share hundreds of years of contested and often violent history, and for centuries to come I am sure people will recall that 2011 state visit as a turning point that played a significant role in moving us on from a conflicted past towards a better future.

Her late Majesty was the last Head of State anywhere in the world to have donned a uniform in world war two. As our new Prime Minister said, Queen Elizabeth was the rock upon which we built the modern nation we are today. She has been an unchanging constant in all our lives, there for us in good times and bad. As we move on from the Elizabethan to a new Carolingian age, this loss truly marks the end of an era. Without her presence, life in this country will never be the same again. God save the King.

September 9, 2022
Ian Murray – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Ian Murray, the Labour MP for Edinburgh South, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

It is a great pleasure to follow the “buttocks” of the right hon. Member for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale (David Mundell)—it will be the first time he has heard that, as well.

I am very grateful for the opportunity to pass on my condolences to the royal family and also to pay tribute to Her late Majesty the Queen on behalf of my own family, constituents in Edinburgh South and people all over her beloved Scotland. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth was a mother, a grandmother and a great-grandmother to her own family, but she was also a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother to the nation. We will all remember where we were when we learned of her death yesterday. We will always remember that it was in Scotland that she spent her last weeks and days and, as we have heard already, she loved being in Scotland and particularly on the Balmoral estate—the tranquillity, the great outdoors and the complete absence of any speed limits.

The Queen loved Scotland and Scotland loved the Queen. The ties between Scotland and our longest-reigning monarch are plentiful, from her very first public speech as a young princess in Aberdeen at the opening of the British Sailors Society, to the yarn of her wedding dress being woven in Scotland, Royal Yacht Britannia being built on the Clyde and retired to the Forth, as well as the opening of the first Forth bridge and the second one 53 years later. She always looked forward to the royal week in Edinburgh each year. Scotland was, as she described it, her “special place”. She said at the opening of the Scottish Parliament in 1999 that,

“if I may make a personal point”

Scotland occupies

“such a special place in my own and my family’s affections.”

I remember my own childhood and the traditions that revolved around Her late Majesty. Every Christmas, she was as much a part of our family as the rituals of the tree and the turkey as every generation of our family crowded around the television for her 3 o’clock Christmas address. She transcended every generation all the way to my two-year-old daughter, who now knows who that was drinking tea with Paddington. I have yet to explain to Zola that Paddington’s friend has passed away.

Over the past 24 hours, I have tried and struggled to find the language to describe her, but the one word that a constituent said to me late last night was “iconic”. She was the very definition of iconic. She was on every pound I ever spent—admittedly fewer than many others because I am a Scot—and on every letter that I ever sent. Her name is on dozens of plaques and buildings all over my constituency and tens of thousands all over the country. She embodied what it means to be British and epitomised public duty, decency and dignity. She picked us up when we were down and when our children and grandchildren look back at this time, it will be Elizabeth II above all else who they will remember as the thread through every part of our post-war history. She was truly our greatest monarch.

I would love to tell a humorous anecdote—I hope that somebody else will tell it—about the visit to Balmoral that she had with Dick Griffin, one of her former protection officers, but there is no time to do that. Somebody else might do so shortly. I never met Her Majesty but we all think we did because she was such an integral part of and influence on our lives. Everyone thinks they did meet her, because anyone who did never stops telling the story. That is the impact she had on each of their lives.

I can only imagine the pain and grief the royal family feel today and that pain and grief is compounded by the duty that King Charles III now has to lead this nation. I, the people of Edinburgh South and the people of Scotland simply say thank you for everything, Ma’am, rest in peace, and God save the King.

September 9, 2022
David Mundell – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by David Mundell, the Conservative MP for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II had a lifelong and deep-felt love for Scotland, which we have already heard about. That was reciprocated by the people of Scotland, who held her, and indeed still hold her, in deep affection. I had the opportunity myself to see that close up, both as a Member of the Scottish Parliament when it reconvened in 1999, and subsequently as Secretary of State for Scotland. At the opening of the Scottish Parliament, the Queen declared:

“I have trust in the good judgement of the Scottish people, I have faith in your commitment to their service and I am confident in the future of Scotland.”

She reaffirmed that belief in, and commitment to, Scotland on each subsequent opening of the Scottish Parliament, although she told me she always found it amusing that, as soon as the Scottish Parliament was formally opened, it went on recess, or on holiday, as she referred to it.

As we have heard, the Queen was also extremely well informed about everything that was going on in politics. At the time of my first substantive conversation with her as Secretary of State, there had been a major incident in Parliament. In 2015, rather more members of the Scottish National party had been elected than might have been anticipated, and there was a little conflict about who should sit on one of the Opposition Benches—the then Member for Bolsover and some other Labour Members were not so keen on SNP members occupying it. The Queen was very familiar with the situation and sought to interrogate me on the rights and wrongs of the issue, but I found myself blurting out, “Oh, your Majesty, that’s buttockgate.” I thought, “In my first meeting with the Queen, I’ve said the word ‘buttock’. What is to happen?” But rather than me being taken off to the Tower or some other place, the Queen just laughed. She found it all very amusing. She was interested in what was happening in Parliament and in the day-to-day events.

The Queen had many connections with my constituency, from opening the Dumfries & Galloway Royal Infirmary, to visiting the town of Lockerbie after the devastating air disaster. Most tellingly, I found a clipping from a 1956 edition of The Glasgow Herald. It stated:

“Previous royal visits to Scotland having neglected to include Biggar, in South Lanarkshire, the Queen decided to make amends in October of 1956. As this paper observed: ‘A thoughtful gesture by Her Majesty added 90 minutes in time and 35 miles in distance to her programme.’”

But she felt that Biggar was the only county town omitted from recent royal tours. That was the Queen. She wanted to include every community across the United Kingdom and of course the people of Biggar turned out in their masses to thank her for that very generous gesture.

Scotland and the whole of the United Kingdom have lost not just the Queen but a dear and true friend whose like we shall not see again. God bless her and God save the King.

September 9, 2022
Chris Bryant – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Chris Bryant, the Labour MP for Rhondda, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

“Ring out the old, ring in the new,”

wrote Tennyson on the death of his much-loved friend. We proclaim, “The Queen is dead, long live the King”, but it feels too sudden, too soon, too sharp a turn in our lives. The death of a queen is painful—it hurts. We do not have to ask,

“O death, where is thy sting?”

because we know—the nation feels the sting of death. It is as if a member of our own family has departed. Weirdly, we feel as if we ought to tell members of our family who have long departed the news. Even Google, with its brightly coloured logo, is grey today, which is sort of ironic for Her Majesty, who wore every colour under the sun at some point in her life.

The poet, priest and Member of Parliament, John Donne, said when preaching at Whitehall in 1627 that the protection against a fearful death was a life devoted to a calling.

That is exactly what it was—a life devoted to a calling. How often must the Queen have thought, “Not another opening. Not another royal variety performance. Not another unfunny comedian. Not another Prime Minister.” Yet she did her duty. In the words of the promise of the boy scouts and the guides,

“to do my best to do my duty to God and to the Queen”.

She did her duty to herself.

I pledged my allegiance to the Queen 10 times as a clergyman and as Member of Parliament—we all have—and to her heirs and successors. In a sense, that is not personal at all. Our allegiance was to her as Head of State—the embodiment of our shared life as the United Kingdom—but I suspect that we felt that we all owed allegiance to her personally, because she had earned her moral authority. She donned a uniform to do her bit to fight fascism. She could not lead us into battle, or give us laws, or administer justice, but she gave us her heart and her devotion to these old islands and to all the peoples of our brotherhood of nations, as she faithfully promised in 1957.

There are other queens. I have met a few—but then again, too few to mention. However, we—and, I note, the President of France—call only one the Queen

The Queen’s face was on the coins my constituents started producing at the Royal Mint in Llantrisant in 1953. However, to mix my poets, she knew that

“Our little systems have their day”—

we are

“Dress’d in a little brief authority”.

I know that some people deify the monarchy, but that is to miss the point: the point is the humanity of the monarchy. Richard II, under whose great hammerbeam ceiling Her Majesty will lie in state in a few days’ time, is given a great speech by Shakespeare, which ends:

“You have mistook me all this while.

I live with bread like you, feel want

Taste grief, need friends”—

not just bread, of course, but marmalade sandwiches as well.

Most movingly of all, the Queen was as human as any other widow in losing her husband, her consort, her life companion. None will forget her sitting alone at Philip’s funeral. It is a sign of their enduring love that her and Philip’s deaths came closer in time than those of any other reigning monarch and their consort in our history. I thank God that it was in her reign that men were able to declare their love to one another, and women were able to do the same.

I end with words that have never felt more appropriate than for our longest-reigning monarch, who lived through holocaust and war, and led us through years of unimaginable turbulence:

“The weight of this sad time we must obey;

Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say.

The oldest hath borne most: we that are young

Shall never see so much, nor live so long.”

God save the King.

September 9, 2022
Mel Stride – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Mel Stride, the Conservative MP for Central Devon, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

I rise to pay tribute to a very remarkable and wonderful lady, not just on my own behalf but on behalf of the constituents of Central Devon.

Queen Elizabeth II, our longest-reigning monarch, a passionate Head of the Commonwealth for which she did so much, was loved, admired and recognised throughout the world in a life that spanned so much. When she came to the throne, world war two was a very fresh memory, there was still rationing and man had yet to walk on the moon. She reigned through Suez and the Cuban missile crisis; she saw the Beatles, she saw a solitary football World cup victory and she saw Concorde fly; she witnessed industrial unrest on an industrial scale; and in her own family she suffered great personal tragedy. She was there alongside us for the dawn of a new millennium. She joined James Bond for the opening of the London Olympics and Paddington for the jubilee. She said of the Lionesses and their recent triumph:

“You have all set an example that will be an inspiration for girls and women today, and for future generations.”

That could equally be said of her.

Elizabeth, as we have heard, has always been here. She has always been a part of our lives and a part of our world. Perhaps, in essence, that is why she will be so sorely missed. She was certainly with us in Devon and the west country; she would have known my constituency well, as I have no doubt she did all our constituencies. She was a frequent visitor to the south-west and was there as recently as the G7 summit, where for the first time she met President Biden, one of the 13 Presidents of the United States whose acquaintance she made—all of them since Harry S. Truman, with the exception of Lyndon Johnson.

When Her Majesty was 13, she accompanied her family, including her father King George VI, to the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth.

She would remember that as the first time she met a young cadet—her future husband, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark. That is something of which Devon can be particularly proud. As Queen, she returned to Dartmouth with Prince Philip before the coronation.

Many of us have shared today our personal reflections of our contact with Her Majesty. Mine came as Comptroller of the Royal Household in our Whips Office and briefly as Lord President of the Council. My impression of her in my small number of private meetings with her was that she was sharp; that she was kindly; and that she was humorous—she had a twinkle in her eye. Indeed, when I went to see her for the first time, the equerry turned to me and, to put me at ease, told me a little anecdote about an ambassador who had gone to see her for the first time. On approaching her, to his horror, his phone sprang to life and started ringing, and he looked panicked. After he had turned it off, she turned to him and said, “Perhaps you should have answered it—it might have been something important.”

I thought that perhaps Her Majesty could be a little mischievous on occasion. I did not know her well enough to be sure of that, but I was certain of the fact that she could be great fun—that was something that shone through when meeting her—and wise, of course, based on her huge experience of life and the world. Just as everyone told me, she was someone who put you at your ease—someone it was good to be with. She made you feel special.

It was the honour of my life to spend a little time with her. Queen Elizabeth, thank you—you gave us all so much. Rest in peace. God save the King.

September 9, 2022
Caroline Lucas – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Caroline Lucas, the Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

It is a privilege to speak on behalf of the Green party of England and Wales and pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II. Above all else, she was a mother, a grandmother and a great-grandmother. I know I speak for the people of Brighton, Pavilion when I offer my sincerest condolences, in particular to her immediate family and to her loved ones. They have lost someone very dear to them on a deeply personal level, and our thoughts are with them all.

But we have lost her too. Perhaps the most recognisable public figure in the world today, the Queen has been a uniquely enduring part of the fabric of our lives for nine remarkable decades. In moments of national crisis and in moments of national pride, she was always there. Through turbulence, through uncertainty, she was always there as a fixed point—as a steadying, guiding figure that we all felt we knew. And of course, for most of us, she is indeed the only monarch that we have ever known.

I, too, was drawn to the lines of Philip Larkin. Indeed, I find it symbolic that so many in the House have been drawn to the words that he wrote and which are engraved on a memorial in Queen Square in Bloomsbury, erected to mark Her Majesty’s silver jubilee. I hope the House will indulge me, as they bear repetition:

“In times when nothing stood

But worsened, or grew strange,

There was one constant good:

She did not change.”

Listening to the radio and watching the news over the past 24 hours or so, I have been struck by just how much that dependability and stability meant to people, by how many people’s lives the Queen touched in a very direct way, and by memories from those who met her of her deep humanity.

I know that there are millions of people in Britain who are not necessarily monarchists, but who are none the less deeply mourning the Queen; who feel a profound sense of loss; and who also had huge respect and admiration for her. They—we—saw in her an extraordinary work ethic, a deep stoicism and an extraordinary wisdom gained over so many years. We saw the values of selflessness and sense of duty, and also the personal side of her character: that humility, the kindness and the famous sense of humour that has been spoken about so much today. From the marmalade sandwiches allegedly secreted away in her iconic black handbag to joining James Bond on the zipwire, she was a Queen unafraid to be playful. So many people speak of the twinkle in her eye and of her genuine interest in the world, across which she travelled so extensively.

That determination to be seen to connect with people saw the Queen become the most travelled monarch in history, making more than 285 state visits. She broke many other records, too: she was not only our longest-serving monarch, but the one woman from the British royal family ever to have served in the armed forces and the only modern Head of State to have served during world war two. That all speaks to her driving purpose, that deep sense of duty.

Today, young and old, people of all faiths and none, royalists and republicans across our four nations, the Commonwealth and the world are united in recognition that she worked so tirelessly until the very last days of her remarkable life. From all walks of life and all corners of the globe, people want to pay their respects—and Her Majesty did inspire genuine respect, as well as admiration, love and affection. She is part of the world’s collective understanding of Britishness—the epitome of faith and steadfastness. I thank her for her devotion and for her dignity. Her enduring legacy will be as multifaceted as she herself was in life, but I believe that she would want the most abiding aspect of that legacy to be hope and solidarity, as symbolised by the double rainbow that stretched across the skies above Buckingham Palace yesterday, shortly after the announcement of her death. Rest in peace, Your Majesty, and thank you.

September 9, 2022
Roger Gale – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Roger Gale, the Conservative MP for North Thanet, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

In paying tribute to Her late Majesty, may I, on behalf of my constituents in North Thanet, simply say that our condolences are with His Majesty King Charles, the Queen Consort and all the members of the royal family? The then Prince Charles, speaking at the jubilee, opened his remarks by saying: “Your Majesty, mummy”. I think we all need to remember that this family has lost a mother, a grandmother and a great-grandmother. We all feel their pain, and our thoughts and prayers really are with them.

I was nine years old when King George VI died. I can remember it fairly vividly. Rather like the right hon. Member for Derby South (Margaret Beckett), I think the next most memorable event in my connection with the royal family was the bar of chocolate that we were all given at the coronation—and I seem to remember we got a coronation mug as well.

For 70 years, so far as I am concerned, this great lady has been my lodestar, my monarch. I was listening on the wireless—I think some people called it a radio—this morning, on my way up from Kent, to a caller who said that if we really want to honour Her Majesty’s memory, then it would behove us well to emulate the way that she lived and served in her life. I think that is something that in this House we might all bear in mind.

Those of us who had the privilege of meeting Her Majesty face to face all remember—without exception, I think—what has been referred to over and over again today: the twinkle in those beautiful eyes and the smile that is now lighting up heaven. May she rest in peace. God save the King.

September 9, 2022
Diana Johnson – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Diana Johnson, the Labour MP for Kingston upon Hull North, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

There have been some wonderful tributes to Her late Majesty the Queen; in particular, my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Ladywood (Shabana Mahmood) talked about the importance of the Commonwealth and of faith to the late Queen.

This is my opportunity to say a few words on behalf of my constituents in Kingston upon Hull North. I was pleased when my right hon. and learned Friend the Leader of the Opposition referred to some words of the adopted son of Kingston upon Hull, the poet Philip Larkin, who penned them 45 years ago for the silver jubilee celebrations. As with all great poems, the words resonate as much on this day as they did in 1977. I repeat them:

“In times when nothing stood

But worsened, or grew strange,

There was one constant good:

She did not change.”

My city of Kingston upon Hull has a rebellious history when it comes to the monarchy, having slammed the city gates against the King in the civil war. But the city took Queen Elizabeth to our hearts, and we were very firmly in the royalist camp during this second Elizabethan age. Her Majesty visited the city many times and met its people. During her reign, she was in Hull on some of the most important days in the life of the city and the region. They include the opening of the iconic Humber bridge in 1981, celebrating the city’s 700th birthday in 1999, and visiting Hull in 2017 when we were the UK city of culture. The late Queen’s first visit was actually to Hull Royal Infirmary in 1957; she came again 50 years later to open the Queen’s Centre for Oncology and Haematology at Castle Hill Hospital in 2009. The city will miss her.

Although the sovereign’s passing is a historic moment for the United Kingdom, our Commonwealth and many others around the world, at this time we must remember above all else that a family has lost a beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. This loss to the nation resonates personally with the loss of one’s own parents or grandparents. In particular, I remember my auntie Betty—a staunch royalist who loved the Queen and was also born in 1926.

On behalf of the people of Hull, my thoughts and prayers are with the royal family at this saddest of times. I also express condolences on behalf of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, on which I sit. Although there is great sadness at this time, let us also remember a long life of service, so well lived and devoted to this nation—a life that should be celebrated. The Queen was a member of that greatest generation who herself, as we have heard, served in uniform in world war two, helping to secure our democracy’s survival against tyranny. This was also a Queen who embraced change throughout her life and saw us into the digital age.

It was a special honour to be sworn in as a Privy Councillor over Zoom during the covid pandemic; I did not have any of the worries about falling over the footstool. The Queen was on a very large screen in front of me. She looked entirely at ease and was taking this new technology completely in her stride—perhaps rather more so than the Lord President of the Council at that time, the right hon. Member for North East Somerset (Mr Rees-Mogg).

To conclude, like the vast majority of Britons alive today, I have known no other monarch; but sadly we now have reached the point where change has come. Alongside the condolences to the royal family, we look to the new King Charles III. One era is ending, and a new one is beginning. Queen Elizabeth II would want us to go forward as a great nation, in all our faiths and beliefs, proving that she was never mistaken in hers. God save the King.

September 9, 2022
Oliver Heald – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Oliver Heald, the Conservative MP for North East Hertfordshire, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

I rise to make my own tribute as well as one on behalf of my constituents of North East Hertfordshire, in Royston, Baldock, Buntingford and Letchworth. The Queen was very much loved and admired in our area—a remarkable woman and wonderful head of state. She knew our area well from visiting her mother’s family, who live in St Paul’s Walden, a village near Hitchin.

We were lucky that the Queen was able to be with us for some of our area’s most important events. She opened the new North Herts Leisure Centre at Letchworth Garden City and later, in 1993, my first year as an MP, she came to open a new housing development at Beech Hill and a sheltered housing scheme at Tabor Court in Letchworth. Letchworth was also proud that she chose the Marmet pram, made in Letchworth, as the baby carriage for the new King. On such occasions, what struck me was the Queen’s ability to put people at their ease and get them to talk to her. She was kindly and had that dry sense of humour.

I remember one Privy Council meeting at a time when the country was having difficulties with the European Union—similar to those mentioned by the right hon. Member for Derby South (Margaret Beckett), although in a different period. At this particular meeting, Her Majesty approved the high hedges order for Guernsey. Afterwards, she said with a twinkle in her eye: “I am so pleased that we have sorted out those high hedges in Guernsey—is anything else going on?”

People in North East Hertfordshire loved the Queen and we will miss her. Our thoughts are with the royal family. Long live the King!

September 9, 2022