Category: Royal Family

Shabana Mahmood – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Shabana Mahmood, the Labour MP for Birmingham Ladywood, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

It is an honour to be able to pay tribute to Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and to offer my condolences and those of all of my constituents to King Charles and the whole royal family as they face their personal loss.

Right hon. and hon. Members have rightly praised Her Majesty’s admirable work ethic, her sense of duty, which has never wavered, and her unparalleled dedication to public service. Her Majesty served us right until the very end, forever committed to her people and her country. She lived and symbolised the very best of our constitutional system, the value of a royal family, what it gives to our country and the part that they play in our national life.

One of the proudest days of my life was when my dad was awarded an OBE at Buckingham Palace. My whole family just could not get over the fact that we would get the chance to hang out in the Queen’s house. On that day, it fell to the Queen’s daughter, the Princess Royal, to hand out the honours, but the whole occasion was made magical because it followed precisely the exact example of the Queen herself.

I will also never forget arriving in this place for the very first time in 2010, standing in front of the Speaker’s Chair and taking hold of this House’s copy of the holy Koran, on which I swore my loyalty to Her Majesty the Queen as one of this House’s first ever female Muslim Members of Parliament.

The Queen’s relationship with Birmingham was strong and, in return, we Brummies had a deep affection for her and gratitude for the time that she devoted to us in the 70 years of her reign. Over the years, she visited Villa Park, the Bullring, many of our railway stations, the NEC, the International Convention Centre, Pebble Mill and the Hippodrome.

Of course, we have just hosted the Commonwealth games, an important moment for our city, which has such a deep connection with the Commonwealth and which is inextricably linked with the Queen.

Like so many thousands of Brummies, as much as I am a child of Birmingham, England and Britain, I am also a child and grandchild of the Commonwealth. Millions of British citizens have a similar family history, making them a part of the Commonwealth family, and we recognise Her Majesty as the loving matriarch of the Commonwealth, its guardian and its guiding light. Her commitment to the Commonwealth and her championing of it recognised and respected our heritage. She gave institutional and spiritual meaning and the heart and soul of belonging to those of us who are citizens of our great nation, equal before the laws of our land, but who do not have centuries of birthright claim upon these our islands, and we thank her for it.

For me, the Queen’s Christian faith always stood out. She was a committed Christian and, as we know, Supreme Governor of the Church of England. It might surprise some that her commitment to her Christian faith could mean so much to those of us who practise and observe other faiths and belong to other faith communities, but in a speech at Lambeth Palace to mark her diamond jubilee, the Queen said:

“The concept of our established Church is occasionally misunderstood and, I believe, commonly under-appreciated. Its role is not to defend Anglicanism to the exclusion of other religions. Instead, the Church has a duty to protect the free practice of all faiths in this country.”

She was Defender of the Faith, but she was a Queen for those of us with other faiths and, indeed, for those of none.

May God make it easy for her. May he give her loved ones strength. And if I may, I offer this House an Islamic verse, which Muslims recite when someone dies and which I hope will resonate with the Queen’s Christian faith, too:

“Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajioon”—

to God we Belong, and to God we all return.

September 9, 2022
Bernard Jenkin – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Bernard Jenkin, the Conservative MP for Harwich and North Essex, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

On behalf of the constituents of Harwich and North Essex, I rise to pay tribute to Her late Majesty, whose whole life was the greatest example of public service we shall ever witness, whose kind heart, sharp intellect and huge wisdom were such a gift to the nation, and who had love in her soul for everyone and a serenity which even now calms the nation in these troubled times.

She inspired so many good causes, but I single out one: the Commonwealth—in 1952, a mere eight nations—which she led from being an emerging relic of a lost empire to a network of nations representing 2.5 billion people in the networked world in which we now live. Just one of her achievements, but what an achievement. What a legacy for future generations, including, may I say, the Commonwealth Youth Orchestra, whose foundation she supported and about which she spoke to me with such passion, knowing that we both had such interest in music.

Her devotion brought her to every corner of the kingdom, where she would show her humour and humanity. In 2004, when Ivan Henderson was still the Member of Parliament, she came to Harwich to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the town charter. Her programme included seeing the historic carvings in the town jail, but when the late Andy Morrison, the mayor, announced, “You will now be taken to the jail, your Majesty” a pall fell over the royal party. He attempted to rephrase the invitation, but Prince Philip just retorted, “That wasn’t much better!” and she threw back her head and roared with laughter.

Later that day, as she stepped into the crowd on Harwich quay, she said to the mayoress, Pam Morrison, “My dear, don’t let me miss any children.” A three-year-old boy was duly lifted over the barrier. He gave his flowers to the mayoress at first, but Her Majesty, unfazed, chatted to the boy and charmed him. He saw her take the little bunch of flowers into her own hands, and she carried them for the rest of the tour.

She combined global leadership, such principle and dedication with such humanity and care. She has gone to the light, who some call God, who inspires us all. God rest her soul. May he comfort all those who were closest to her. God save the King.

September 9, 2022
Drew Hendry – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Drew Hendry, the SNP MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

I never had the pleasure of meeting the late Queen personally, but I have met her son, the new King, on several occasions and I can testify personally to his deep love for the highlands. I know that my constituents in Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey will want to join me in holding him in our thoughts as he deals with this most personal of losses, that of his mother.

But of course, as we know, the late Queen was also a grandmother and a great-grandmother. She acceded to the throne as a young woman at the age of 25, and was an inspiration and icon for many young women. As we have heard today, she became an inspiration and an icon for many older women, too. She was someone who, as we can see from the tributes internationally, was respected and admired far and wide. The vast majority of my constituents, whether they be monarchist, republican or anything in between, have never known a time when she was not our head of state. Our sympathy goes to her family and all those who are so deeply affected by her passing.

September 9, 2022
Andrew Stephenson – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Andrew Stephenson, the Conservative MP for Pendle, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

Between July 2018 and April 2019, I had the very great privilege of serving as Vice-Chamberlain of Her Majesty’s Household, a role and a title given to the fourth most senior Government Whip. It is a role about which the right hon. Member for Derby South (Margaret Beckett) spoke earlier in her fantastic contribution, and it is a role that most right hon. and hon. Members do not even know exists—except when they see one of the Whips standing at the Bar of the House wearing a tailcoat and carrying what appears to be a snooker cue. It is also a role that people would hear about only when they realised that someone had to be held hostage at the Palace before Her Majesty came to Parliament for the State Opening.

However, the role involves much more than that. Alongside the day-to-day activities in the Whips Office, the Vice-Chamberlain would write a daily note to Her Majesty, keeping her up to date on parliamentary business and giving her all the gossip, and would then go to Parliament to discuss those matters. I am glad to say that, unlike the right hon. Member for Derby South, I can say that neither the Chief Whip nor the Prime Minister ever read my notes.

Given that my period in office coincided with some of the most acrimonious Brexit debates, a confidence vote in our Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), and the 2019 vote of confidence, there are very few issues Her Majesty and I have not discussed. Indeed, my final week in office as Vice-Chamberlain included nude protesters gluing themselves to the glass in the Public Gallery, and the Chamber being suspended after water started pouring through the ceiling into the Press Gallery. Perhaps it was quite symbolic of how broken our Parliament was at that time.

However, although that was an immensely stressful and politically charged period, on every occasion on which I met Her Majesty I found her calm, warm and reassuring. Like all who have spoken today, I was struck by her interest in current events and her lifelong service to our nation. As our longest-reigning monarch and the world’s longest-serving Head of State, she had an incredible insight into current affairs, and was a great symbol of continuity in a rapidly changing world.

I remember vividly a discussion that we had about the online abuse that many Members throughout the House face on social media. Her Majesty recalled a conversation she had had with Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the world wide web, and talked knowledgeably about the subject, although social media was something most people in their nineties would not know or care anything about. We also discussed interviews that she had watched on “BBC News at Ten” the night before, which demonstrated that Her Majesty’s desire to stay on top of current affairs stretched well beyond the papers that she received in her daily red box. All these meetings took place with Her Majesty standing throughout and were often sandwiched between multiple other official engagements that she was undertaking.

I last met Her Majesty the Queen on 19 July at her last ever Privy Council meeting. I was sworn into the Privy Council and presented with a bible, which I carry with me today. I believe that made me the 1,336th person, and final person, to be sworn into Her late Majesty’s Privy Council.

It was an incredible honour, as a Minister for the past five years, to get to meet a remarkable, caring, informed and witty monarch who oversaw huge change during her reign, but never stopped working day in, day out for our country. And it is an incredible honour for me as a Lancastrian MP to see the love felt towards Her Majesty Duke of Lancaster by so many of my constituents in Pendle, with whom I will be joining in remembering and celebrating her life over this period of national mourning. May she rest in peace, and God save the King.

September 9, 2022
Hilary Benn – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Hilary Benn, the Labour MP for Leeds Central, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

I rise on behalf of my constituents in Leeds Central as we, together, mourn the Queen’s passing, offer our heartfelt condolences to His Majesty the King and to the royal family on their private grief borne so publicly, and mark an extraordinary life.

It was at my first meeting of the Privy Council that I came to understand that the Queen was determined that things should be done correctly. We were waiting outside the door, and one of the footmen opened it to see what was going on. As he closed it, he turned to his colleague and said, “She’s moving the footstools again!”, to which he received the reply, “She’s the Queen. If she wants to move the footstools, she can move the footstools.”

Hers was a life that, above all else, embodied constancy. We have known no other, and we feel the Queen’s passing so keenly precisely because she was always here. Her devotion to duty, to service and to representing our country ran like an unbroken thread through the decades, and through each of our lives. Like the passing of time and the changing of the seasons, she was always here, and although, as we have heard, so many things changed during her reign, she did not change. Above the noisy clamour of politics and public debate, she carried on and showed us what service means—carried out with grace and with humour.

And now the day has come, as we long feared but knew it would, when she is no longer here; and, as the people of Leeds and of Yorkshire and of the country come to terms with their deep sense of loss at this moment in the history of our nation, our United Kingdom, let us give thanks for her uniquely long and well-lived life. Just as faith, hope and love abide, so will our memories of the Queen: her constancy, her service, and her profound sense of duty. Thank you for everything that you did, ma’am, and may you rest in peace eternal.

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

The tribute made by Chris Grayling, the Conservative MP for Epsom and Ewell, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

I am very grateful to be able to participate in this solemn occasion, one that we all knew would happen but that, in our heart of hearts, we all hoped would not. It is a day of mourning for all of us individually, for the House collectively and for the whole nation, and not just for this nation. I was struck last night by the picture of an American baseball diamond with the teams lined up for a minute’s silence in recognition of the loss of the Queen.

Of course, the Queen was a global figure. I remember hosting the Global Law Summit in 2015, when the Queen very kindly hosted a reception at the palace. The US Justice Secretary, a powerful man in that country, came up to me after he had been introduced to the Queen and said, “I feel like a nine-year-old. It is amazing that I’m here. It is extraordinary.” That is what the world thought of her, and it is why they will all be mourning with us now.

I have two particular reasons for mourning. As a committed racing watcher, the Queen came to my constituency every year to attend the Derby, and she will be much missed there. I received an email from a constituent this morning that said, “We will miss that moment every year when she drove up the road at the end of our street and we could all see her and wave as she went past.” She will be missed by everybody in Epsom.

I will particularly miss her because I had the privilege of serving for five years, first as her Lord Chancellor and then as Lord President of her Council. In those two roles one gets to spend a considerable amount of time with her, although not as much time as the Prime Minister, and she was an extraordinary, welcoming, kind, smart person. I remember the moment when the current Archbishop of Canterbury was sworn in. We went through the formula that we go through on such occasions and, when we had finished, the Queen and the archbishop, who used to work for Shell in Nigeria, embarked on the most extraordinary conversation about the politics of Nigeria. She knew it inside out. She was incredibly knowledgeable about what was going on in this country and elsewhere.

She was incredibly welcoming to all of us who had the privilege of spending time with her in our various working capacities. We knew she was a kind, warm and always welcoming person. There was always the twinkle in her eye, to which the right hon. Member for Doncaster North (Edward Miliband) referred, and there was always a light-hearted conversation, sometimes about great issues and sometimes about simple matters such as how she managed all the dogs at Sandringham at Christmas time. I remember, on so many occasions, going in to see this incredible global figure and being made to feel welcome; being made to feel that she was interested in what I and we were doing. I feel incredibly proud that she was our monarch.

I join the right hon. Gentleman in wishing all the very best to King Charles III. He has had a long apprenticeship, and I believe he will be a great monarch. I know everyone in this House will wish him all the very best at what is a very difficult time for him. We extend our condolences to all members of the royal family, who have lost their grandmother and great-grandmother. This is a very sad occasion for them.

Today I particularly think back to one conversation I had with the Queen before a Privy Council meeting. We were talking about the way technology is changing the world, and I said, “It is extraordinary. The world is changing so fast. Who knows where we will be in 30 years’ time?” She said, “The only thing I know is that I will not be there.” Sadly she is not, and we will miss her.

September 9, 2022
Ed Miliband – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Ed Miliband, the Labour MP for Doncaster North, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

I rise at a time of great sadness for our country. I do so on behalf of my constituents in Doncaster North, although I know, Madam Deputy Speaker, that I also speak for you and your constituents in Doncaster Central, and those right across Doncaster. The House has been at its best today, with some wonderful speeches and memories of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.

I was Leader of the Opposition, as the House will know. It is noted that the Queen experienced 15 Prime Ministers. I think we have lost count of how many Leaders of the Opposition she went through, which perhaps says something about Leaders of the Opposition, but it is in that spirit of my experience that I want to talk briefly to the House. One thing that has come through so much since Her Majesty’s passing last night is the phrase “public service.” I want to reflect on some extraordinary qualities that she showed in terms of public service, including, first of all, her ability to bring people together and unify our country. I was at the state banquet in 2014 for the President of Ireland—a state banquet attended by the late Martin McGuinness. It showed extraordinary selflessness, courage and an ability to heal that Her Majesty invited Martin McGuinness, given the history of what happened to Lord Mountbatten, but that was the person that she was; her duty to our country and to bring people together came first.

Secondly, she taught us about kindness in leadership. The right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Sir Iain Duncan Smith), who is not in his place, talked about his experience when he was deposed as Leader of the Opposition. I was deposed by the British people rather than my party, but as my career nosedived my wife’s took off; in 2019, she became a High Court judge and a dame. We were therefore both invited to the palace to meet Her Majesty. As we saw each other, Her Majesty fixed me with her gaze and said, “Oh, it’s you. What are you doing here?”, knowing full well why I was there, and we had a wonderful conversation. There she was at 93, still full of vim, vigour and humour. There is a lesson for us all in the kindness she showed to me and to other Members of the House.

Thirdly, I want to say something about her sense of humour. I go back to a time in 2008, when I had recently been appointed as Secretary of State for Climate Change and I went to my first ever Privy Council meeting. Her Majesty was reading out laws that were being passed. As she did so, she paused for a moment, because she was having trouble reading, and she said, “Yes, it’s these new long-life lightbulbs that we have introduced.” She fixed me with a beady gaze and a twinkle in her eye, and I smiled. That was the sense of humour that she showed.

Her Majesty was an extraordinary monarch, but I also want to say a word about King Charles III. Again, I speak on behalf of my constituents. He has been an extraordinary warrior on the issue of the environment, long before it was fashionable. When I was Climate Change Secretary, I always thought of him as an extraordinary national asset on the issue, and he remains so. But he is not just a fighter for big causes; he is also someone—he has inherited this from his mother—of extraordinary kindness, generosity and compassion. We see it in his work to heal social divisions in our country, but I have also seen it in my constituency, which was hit by floods in 2007 and 2019. On both occasions, including on the first, when part of my constituency was still under water, he came to see my constituents, to talk to them and to be with them—including, on the second occasion, just before Christmas—because he knew that his presence, at that time of anguish, grief and anxiety, would make an enormous difference to my constituents, and indeed it did.

I say to the House that we have lost an extraordinary monarch who had an extraordinary and distinguished reign over seven decades. She is followed by someone who I know will live up to all the hopes of our country, and who will bring that same sense of unity, compassion and public service. Long live the King.

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

The tribute made by David Jones, the Conservative MP for Clwyd West, in the House of Commons, on 9 September 2022.

As other right hon. and hon. Members have mentioned, it is impossible for virtually all of us and our constituents to remember a time when Her Majesty the Queen was not there. I was born a matter of weeks after she acceded to the throne, and throughout my life—indeed, all our lives—hers has been a continuous, reassuring presence, providing wise guidance for the country through good times and bad. She was both an anchor and a lodestone for our nation, and it is indeed hard to contemplate life without her.

For seven decades, she was there for us, and I think that many of us thought that she always would be. She had a rare, innate ability to generate affection, respect and loyalty not only from the people of this country, but from countless millions throughout the Commonwealth and beyond. Hers was arguably the most recognised face on the planet, and she will be missed not only here but in other lands across the world—even in the few countries that she never visited during her long reign.

At the time of her platinum jubilee, the BBC broadcast a remarkable documentary called “Elizabeth: The Unseen Queen”, which was part-narrated by the Queen herself. In the documentary, she spoke the following words of an Australian aboriginal proverb:

“We are all visitors to this time, this place.

We are just passing through.

Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love.

And then we return home.”

While we and our constituents feel the most profound grief at her passing, and our mourning will undoubtedly continue long beyond her funeral, we must find comfort in the knowledge that our Queen, strong in the Christian faith that sustained her throughout her life, has returned home and is at peace. God bless the lovely memory of Her Majesty. God save the King.

September 9, 2022
Colum Eastwood – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Colum Eastwood, the SDLP MP for Foyle, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

The warm tributes that have already been paid to Queen Elizabeth II by hon. and right hon. Members tell their own story about the great respect and deep affection that so many from such diverse and different backgrounds had for her—an affection and respect that transcend mere political difference and speak to her position as a leader and an example of public service.

As others have said, the Queen was one of the most consequential civic figures of the last century. As political leaders came and went, and as public opinion ebbed and flowed, she remained a constant—an unyielding and limitless source of strength and comfort for her people in times of national pride and sorrow. Her reign, which lasted more than 70 years, spanned the embers of conflict that followed the second world war and the peace process between our islands and peoples. During that time, she forged a legacy that will outlast all of us here. I hope it lays the foundation for enduring relations between these islands, in spite of the challenges that we now face.

As leader of the Social Democratic and Labour party, I had cause to meet Queen Elizabeth on a number of occasions. Believe me when I say that it is difficult to think of two people more divorced from each other, in background and aspiration, but I can only recount that in any dealings that I had with her, I found her a person of great warmth, character and enduring passion for the interests and needs of people. That, I think, is the reason for the longevity of her support from the British people.

As a leader of Irish nationalism, I want to place on the record my deep appreciation and respect for the Queen’s role in forging new bonds of friendship between our islands and our people. It is all so easy to forget now, but she was also a victim of the conflict that the people of these islands were subjected to for 40 long years. I know that the murder of her cousin, Lord Mountbatten, in Mullaghmore in August 1979 had a profound effect on her and her extended family. She experienced the sharp pain of loss, but in common with the people of Ireland, she took risks for peace and played an enormous role in reconciling the traditions that share our islands.

At no time was that more visible than during Queen Elizabeth’s 2011 visit to Ireland. I believe that her visit to the garden of remembrance in Dublin, and the way she stretched herself to be an example of a good neighbour to Ireland in those moments, contributed in a very significant way to healing the wounds of our past. Those cúpla focal, those few words of Irish—“A Uachtaráin agus a chairde”; “President and friends”—were a symbolic embrace of the Irish people, and they were deeply appreciated.

The blessing of a long life does not make the burden of saying goodbye any lighter. My sincerest condolences are with the Queen’s immediate family, with right hon. and hon. Members here today, and most particularly with those in Northern Ireland for whom she held a cherished place in their lives and their hearts. I know how difficult it is to lose your hero, but there is comfort in the lasting legacy that she will leave, having helped shape our common history.

The story of our peoples is fundamentally and inseparably intertwined. We all live in each other’s shadow. I hope that we continue to build on the legacy that Queen Elizabeth II helped forge. May she rest in peace.

September 9, 2022
Nigel Adams – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Nigel Adams, the Conservative MP for Selby and Ainsty, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

It is with great sadness that I rise to speak in the tributes to Her late Majesty the Queen, not only on my behalf, but on behalf of my constituents in Selby and Ainsty. The news that the whole nation had been dreading brings the reign of the longest-serving monarch in British history to an end. As we have heard, as a child, she was not expected to be Queen, but her destiny, and that of our nation, changed when her father acceded to the throne as King George VI. As a 21-year-old woman, she pledged to live a life of service. No one anywhere can say that she did not deliver on that pledge.

I vividly recall the celebrations for the Queen’s silver jubilee in my village and across the nation. It is incredible that she also celebrated golden, diamond and platinum jubilees. Her life spanned some of the most amazing milestones of the last century—the discovery of penicillin, the moon landings, and the invention of the world wide web. She also circumnavigated the world, visiting hundreds of countries, including those Commonwealth countries that she held in such affection. The Queen also visited Selby in my constituency, alongside her beloved husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, in 1969, when they came to present Maundy money to 43 men and 43 women at Selby abbey; 10,000 people lined the town’s streets that day to welcome and catch a glimpse of their monarch.

Like many hon. and right hon. Members, I had the privilege of meeting the Queen, both times at the palace. I cannot tell you, Madam Deputy Speaker, how nervous I was as we lined up to meet her. All my nerves were calmed, however, once I had been greeted by that beautifully warm smile and her welcoming words. That warmth, and that smile, has comforted our nation over the decades, through good and challenging times. The word “constant” has been widely used; that is exactly what Her late Majesty was. It is difficult to imagine life without her, and it feels as though we have all lost a grandmother.

My right hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson), in his touching speech, referred to Her late Majesty as Elizabeth the Great. He was absolutely right to do so. She was a truly great monarch—in some ways, the greatest monarch. Her late Majesty was also a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. My thoughts and prayers are with her family, and especially with King Charles III, who succeeds her to the throne. As my right hon. Friend also said, it is a tribute to her that we can say with great confidence: God save the King.

We owe Her late Majesty a great debt of gratitude. May God bless her and keep her. May she rest in peace, and if I may paraphrase a small bear from darkest Peru, “Ma’am, thank you for everything.”

September 9, 2022