Category: Royal Family

Margaret Hodge – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Margaret Hodge, the Labour MP for Barking, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

What has been so remarkable about the words that have been spoken about Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth since her death is just how many people’s lives she touched. It was not simply the length of her reign or her complete commitment to duty, but her character and the way in which she did her work that meant that she was loved by so many and will be missed by us all. Many of us here today had the privilege of meeting her and talking to her. Like the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Sir Iain Duncan Smith), I, too, had the drinks at Christmas. I remember wishing that I had known a bit more about cocktails, because I went for the safe gin and tonic instead.

I wish to remember Queen Elizabeth at the start of her reign and then recall two of the times that I was with her. I was eight when she was crowned. To my right hon. Friend the Member for Derby South (Margaret Beckett), I say that we were still rationed in those days if she remembers. The reason that the chocolate was so welcome was that it was rationed chocolate—we did not care about the eggs and the meat being rationed, but the chocolate was important. We did not have a television in our home, so we huddled and crowded around a small black and white television in one of our neighbour’s houses. I really remember seeing the coach, the glittering jewels on the Queen’s crown and her stunning white dress. It was simply like a fairy tale—a Cinderella or a Snow White—coming true. That magical moment of beauty, hope and goodness has stayed with me throughout her long reign.

There were two occasions when I met the Queen that also remain strong in my memory. First, in the early 1980s, when I was leader in Islington, the Queen visited Sadler’s Wells. We laid on a session for her with a group of old-age pensioners—women living in Finsbury. We were running a keep fit dancing class under the tutorship of Sadler’s Wells teachers. The warmth of the Queen’s smile when she walked into the room, the utter joy of the women at being watched by Her Majesty and the calm way that she put them at ease when she talked to them was simply brilliant. For the Queen, it was probably just another day, but for the women, it was probably one of the most eventful days in their lives.

The second occasion was when the Queen visited Barking and Dagenham in July 2015—she was nearly 90—to mark the 50th anniversary of the creation of the borough. She spent almost the whole day there: opening a community centre; lunching at a local theatre; visiting schools and watching a swimming display. Thousands of my constituents came out to see her and many met her. She enjoyed a rapturous reception. The fact that she had chosen to spend so much of her time with us on what must have been a tiring day—she was getting on for 90—demonstrates, I think, her total commitment to duty and to us, her people. Among the sea of Union Jacks that met her, I just remember the placards that said, “Welcome our Queen. We love you.”

At a time of a constant change, Queen Elizabeth II gave us stability. At a time of uncertainty, tension and conflict, she always provided a path to reconciliation. As a nation and community, she provided leadership that brought recognition, respect and status, and love to all of Great Britain and all of our people. We will miss her.

September 9, 2022
Matt Hancock – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Matt Hancock, the Conservative MP for West Suffolk, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

I rise to share gratitude for the life of Her late Majesty the Queen; share sadness for her family; and share sadness for the country and the world at the loss of the greatest statesman of our time. I also want to mark my personal gratitude for the advice that Her Majesty gave me, and in particular, as was mentioned by the most recent former Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson), for her role in bringing the country together and giving hope in dark times during the pandemic. I also add my gratitude for her taking the rare step of going public with her health status when she declared that she had taken a vaccination, showing further leadership.

The Queen was much loved, of course, across my West Suffolk constituency, but perhaps nowhere more than in Newmarket, which she visited so often. Newmarket, of course, is the jewel in the crown of horse-racing, certainly domestically and probably across the world. On her many, many visits there she showed that she could walk with sovereigns and the general public alike. Newmarket was where I first met her, when I was lucky to be with my small daughter, who handed her a posy. It is my daughter’s first memory, and will no doubt be an abiding one for the rest of her life.

That reminds me of the many times that I have seen Her Majesty meeting the public and been impressed and inspired by her sheer ability to ensure that each person she met understood that she was focused entirely on them. She listened so well to them, knowing no doubt that, for each person she met, it was a moment that that person would remember for the rest of their life. Her fortitude in continuing to do that well into her 90s was incredible to behold.

We in Newmarket are not always known for our humility, but we do know that the reason Her Majesty loved to come to Newmarket was not we two-legged beings, but the four-legged ones. Her love of horse-racing was perhaps her greatest love outside of her duty to her family and her country. The twinkle that we have heard so much about was probably brightest, and the genuine smile that came on her face at its broadest, when she was at a racecourse, as she demonstrated on what was probably her last social public occasion at Ascot. I remember that love particularly when she visited to open the National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket. She went down the line of dignitaries and she went down and met the public. She gave them her customary focus, but she was clearly doing her duty, because the museum is full of retired racehorses and it was only when she got to them that she really lit up. That was Her Majesty at her best.

We have lost a great servant. She is replaced by another great servant of our nation. God save the King.

September 9, 2022
Liz Saville Roberts – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Liz Saville Roberts, the Plaid Cymru MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

On behalf of Plaid Cymru, I offer my sincerest sympathies and condolences to Her late Majesty the Queen’s children and her extended family as they come to terms with their grief. Queen Elizabeth II was a constant presence throughout all of our lives. She stood as a figure of stability in a world changing at a rapid and sometimes frightening pace. The loss of the continuity that Her late Majesty embodied is a source of sorrow and anxiety for people across the world.

Up to her final days she conducted her duties with an extraordinary dedication that has been an inspiration for so many of us. Her values of duty, service, reconciliation and forgiveness are held dear by the people of Wales. In Wales, we respect people who embody that sense of dedication to society and to public service; those who put their public duty first. Her late Majesty the Queen personified that duty for so many people for so many years.

Her late Majesty had a canny ability to put people at ease in the midst of Palace formality. Three years ago, I was fortunate to be appointed to the Privy Council. I remember being nervous and intimidated by the protocols and rules that govern interactions with the royal family. Your mind, as it would, tots up an infinite checklist of everything that could possibly go wrong.

What struck me was something she said: “You may well be worrying that you’ll do something wrong, or in the wrong order. Don’t worry. Whatever could possibly go wrong, I’ve seen it all before. There’s nothing that you could do that would shock me now.” Even among all the pomp and ceremony, there was that characteristic warmth and courtesy to the Queen.

Her Majesty was a magnificent role model for older women across the world. Historically, of course, older women have disappeared from public life. The Queen was a constant visible figure throughout the 70 years of her reign. From historic buildings and charities to football, she always showed an interest in Wales. People of all walks of Welsh life have been touched by her keen interest in and constant support for Welsh organisations. She attended every official opening of the Senedd and showed due respect for Wales’s nationhood and our growing democracy.

The Queen was patron to organisations as diverse as the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, the Football Association of Wales, the Cardiff Royal Infirmary and the Welsh Pony and Cob Society. Her love of horses, from thoroughbreds to native ponies, shone through. We can see it in those sparkling smiles. Everyone in public life knows that they have a public smile, but the photos with the horses show her real smile.

We now see one era drawing to a close and a new one at its very beginning. For now we will say, “Diolch yn fawr iawn.” “Thank you very much, your Majesty.” Cwsg mewn hedd. May she rest in peace. Bendith Duw ar y Brenin. God’s blessing on the King.

September 9, 2022
Sajid Javid – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Sajid Javid, the Conservative MP for Bromsgrove, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Wallasey (Dame Angela Eagle). I am filled with great sadness as I rise to pay tribute to the life and memory of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Our thoughts are with the royal family, who have lost a mother, a grandmother and a great-grandmother.

Her late Majesty lived an extraordinary life of service, and the touching tributes that we have heard from right hon. and hon. Members, along with the outpouring of emotion from across the world, including from my constituents in Bromsgrove district, reflect the deep affection and love for her. For more than seven decades, she was a source of strength and comfort, a representative of our closest-held values and beliefs, a defender of faith and an embodiment of the very best of public service and duty. She was our north star; a symbol of strength in difficult times. To put it simply, she was our Queen.

Many right hon. and hon. Members have shared stories of times when they were privileged to meet Her late Majesty. I did so on many occasions, and I always welcomed the huge wisdom that she would share, the advice and of course the good humour. I will never forget how, as the formalities of the final Privy Council meeting of 2017 ended, Her Majesty suddenly said, “Gin and tonic anybody?” She proceeded to press a buzzer and, with that, her staff promptly burst through the doors of the 1844 room in Buckingham Palace armed with trays of G and T and nibbles. Now, I am not much of a G and T drinker, but I was certainly not going to turn down the opportunity of enjoying one with Her late Majesty. I later learned that she liked to make the last Privy Council meeting of the year extra special so that she could wish everyone a merry Christmas.

Our country faces immense challenges at home and abroad, and the person who has always been there is there no longer. However, in the wake of this terrible loss, there is an opportunity for parliamentarians from across this House to renew their commitment to the values that were embodied by Her late Majesty: public service, duty and the national interest. If we can leave this place having achieved but the smallest fraction of what Her late Majesty achieved, our country will be the better for it. After a lifetime of service, Her late Majesty is now at rest. May she rest in peace, and God save the King.

September 9, 2022
Angela Eagle – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Angela Eagle, the Labour MP for Wallasey, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

It is an honour to pay tribute to Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on behalf of my constituents in Wallasey, who are in shock and mourning today.

One thing that strikes everyone contemplating this sad news is the sheer span of time of Her late Majesty’s reign—the longest ever reign in UK history. She was someone who lived through an era of profound upheaval and change, but who represented continuity and certainty amid the tumult. It is hard to remember that when she was born in 1926, only 10 women had ever been elected to this House of Commons, and at the time women did not exercise the vote on the same terms as men.

Thankfully, that has now changed, although I always say that work to achieve equality is never done—but, as the Mother of the House said earlier, Her late Majesty led by example and by being. As our Head of State who was clearly a woman, a wife and a mother, she demonstrated how possible it was, even if that had been granted to her by destiny, to combine her role and the pressure that she had on her with a family life.

Her late Majesty’s coronation was the first to be televised; now the monarchy has a presence on social media platforms seen by billions. Her reign has seen the transition from Empire to Commonwealth and from conflict to peace in Northern Ireland, but also from complacency to climate emergency, which demonstrates to us all that we have much to do and many problems to confront.

The values the Queen personified are clear from the comments in this House: utter commitment to public service and duty. She was a woman who dedicated her life to the service of our nation and, when she said at age 21 in a broadcast:

“I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service”,

it was a vow that she delivered, as we now know, faithfully to the very end. She personified wisdom and experience but, as the right hon. Member for South Northamptonshire (Dame Andrea Leadsom) said, she had that twinkle in her eye. Whenever people were waiting in line to meet Her late Majesty, they could see the twinkle and it put them at ease.

The Queen first visited Wirral in 1957, but during my time in this House she first came to Birkenhead when she opened the Europa pool in 1996. Finally, she came to Wallasey for the second time in 2011, to open the newly rebuilt Floral Pavilion Theatre in New Brighton. Thousands upon thousands of official duties—many thousands of my constituents looked forward to her visits and have fond memories of them. She was always interested, always engaging and always smiling and reassuring when she interacted with people who lined the routes to see her on those fantastic occasions.

The loss of Her late Majesty will be mourned; it is a terrible, but inevitable loss. She left us in a place where we know we can survive the transition because of the strength she gave to the institution. May she rest in peace. I send the greatest condolences to the royal family, who are going through such a terrible loss. We look forward to supporting the new King as much as we supported our now sadly lost Queen Elizabeth II.

September 9, 2022
John Cryer – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by John Cryer, the Labour MP for Leyton and Wanstead, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

Unlike probably every previous speaker, I met the Queen only once. Appropriately enough, it was when she visited the Queen’s theatre in Hornchurch, my then constituency. When she left, she went on to go from strength to strength, as she always did; I went on to be ejected from Parliament by the voters at the following election, so we had slightly different experiences after her visit.

As the leader of the Liberal Democrats says, it is difficult to imagine a world without the Queen. That is absolutely true, but it is worth remembering something that is very rarely remembered: in 1936, after the abdication crisis, the monarchy teetered on the brink. According to most polls at the time, most British voters thought that the monarchy might not survive for very long, but since 1945 the monarchy has been the most popular institution in Britain and has polled at something like 80%. There is no institution that has polled at anything like that level of popularity over such a sustained period.

That is not an accident. It happened for two reasons: because the Queen and her father, George VI, had an iron dedication to public service—which possibly started in the most spectacular way when he decided to remain in London during the war instead of following the advice to leave London and go elsewhere, perhaps even to Canada, as one adviser suggested—and because both George VI and Elizabeth II had an absolutely clear understanding of the constitutional parameters of the role of the monarchy, and neither ever strayed outside that role.

Despite repeated attempts to pull the Queen into political controversies—the first one that I remember was when we had a hung Parliament in 1974, and article after article in the press said that the Queen should intervene and pull together the two big parties, or perhaps the three big parties, to form some sort of coalition Government—she refused to do it, and she was absolutely right. She was persistent in that all the way through. That is her great legacy: the monarchy has survived as a popular institution because she observed those absolutely correct constitutional parameters.

I think we all hope that if the new King observes those parameters, as I am sure he will, and has that dedication to public service, which he has already demonstrated, he can reunite and draw together a nation that is as bitterly divided as I can remember.

September 9, 2022
Douglas Ross – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Douglas Ross, the Conservative MP for Moray, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

Often this place can be criticised for the debates we have, but I think it has risen to the occasion today in memory of Her late Majesty the Queen. The contributions from both sides of the House show the heartfelt thoughts of hon. Members who had close experience and of those of us who met the Queen very infrequently.

I met Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth at the opening of the Scottish Parliament last year. As the leader of the main Opposition party, I had a short conversation with her, and she moved on to the other party leaders. I have a picture of the Queen shaking my hand with the beaming smile that we saw in her last picture, which was taken at Balmoral on Tuesday. Her Majesty the Queen loved Scotland, and Scotland loved Her Majesty the Queen. I think it is right that that picture was taken by an excellent Scottish photographer, Jane Barlow, who captured Her Majesty looking very calm, very happy and very at home in Balmoral, which she loved.

I want to speak briefly on behalf of my constituents in Moray who enjoyed meeting the Queen on many occasions. Her last visit to Moray was in November 2014, when she arrived on the royal train at Elgin station and met our armed forces at RAF Lossiemouth and at Kinloss barracks; as has been mentioned today, the armed forces were important to Her Majesty, are important to King Charles III and will play an extremely important role in the coming days and weeks. On that visit in November 2014, the Queen was accompanied by the late Duke of Edinburgh. It was their 67th wedding anniversary. The public commitment to service and dedication of Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh meant that they went about their duties when others would have been celebrating a milestone anniversary.

That was what the Queen provided: commitment and dedication at every opportunity to deliver for people across the country. Over the next few days and weeks, we will remember that commitment from Her Majesty the Queen. In our thoughts and prayers, we will keep King Charles III and the royal family, who are grieving the loss of a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. But as we join together to grieve and mourn, we also unite to give thanks and to celebrate a life well lived: a life committed and dedicated to public service, a life that has shone a light through the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth and around the world. The tributes that we have heard in this place today and those from leaders across the globe show the respect that is rightly held for Her late Majesty the Queen, may she rest in peace. God save the King.

September 9, 2022
Margaret Beckett – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Margaret Beckett, the Labour MP for Derby South, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

I have heard it said that on occasions such as this most of us talk about ourselves, and that is inevitable because we are talking about the links that we have with and the memories we have of the person who is gone, but I think I am one of the few in this House who remembers when the Queen’s father died. I must admit that my memories are twofold: first, how surprised I was that people thought 25 was young; and, secondly, how when she came to the throne we all got a bar of chocolate.

I first encountered Her Majesty at one remove soon after I was first elected to this House in October 1974, and I do recognise that many hon. Members here were not born then. By 1975 I was a junior Government Whip, when we had a small majority and a large legislative programme. There was a duty that usually fell to a very senior Whip, one of writing every day by hand directly to Her Majesty the Queen to tell her what was happening in her Parliament—I was told this had probably originated with the first Prime Minister, who wrote to the King to tell him what was happening in the House—and I was asked to undertake this duty to help my colleague. By the way—this is very important—I was told that this was a personal message from a member of the Government to Her Majesty for her eyes only. There seemed little point in telling her the things that she would know from her red box or that she had probably read in the chat column in The Daily Telegraph, so I wrote to her about the stuff I thought she would not get from either of those sources. I wrote to her about the gossip in the Tea Room—occasionally slightly edited—and about the rows that people were having behind the scenes in the Committee Rooms and corridors. There was no feedback, but there was no rebuke either.

A day then came when the Queen went on an overseas visit. I knew, of course, that official correspondence always goes through official channels when the Queen is out of the country, but I was a very new MP, and thought that no one would have the impertinence to read something that was marked from me personally to the Queen personally. Some busybody in No. 10, however, did.

Perhaps a little unfortunately—this is not unknown to Members in this House—there was something of a dispute going on at the time about the issue of our relationship with the European Community. [Laughter.] I told the Queen what we thought about it, what we were saying about it, and where I thought the Ministers of the day were sometimes getting it wrong. The House may not be surprised to learn—I will not sully your ears—that there is a short, pithy phrase in common usage that encapsulates exactly what happened next. Suffice it to say I was summoned to the Chief Whip, and after a brief and spirited discussion, the job returned to the person to whom it had originally been assigned. [Laughter.] Many years later—this is rather typical—I heard very indirectly and subtly that perhaps Her Majesty had slightly regretted the return to normal service, and that was comforting, and I was pleased.

Many more years later, after a short involuntary break in my service in this House, I was returned for my present constituency. We have had the great honour of entertaining Her Majesty on many occasions, not least—it is in everybody’s memory—when she opened our new football stadium and, indeed, our brand-new hospital. She was gracious enough to agree that we could give it the title of the Royal Derby Hospital, in which it rejoices to this day.

Over the years, including three as Lord President of the Council, I was fortunate enough to have many encounters with Her Majesty, and I can absolutely endorse everything that has been and will be said about her intelligence, awareness and attitude. I was also fortunate enough to be present, after the death of our colleague John Smith, at the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of D-day, and to be in the Queen’s company and to observe her utter respect for the veterans and the sacrifices of those days. I had many encounters with her as Lord President of the Council and, indeed, as Foreign Secretary I accompanied her on state visits, like the former Prime Minister the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), where I heard the Queen’s observations about the comments made to her by the mother of a former President about the then incumbent, and very interesting they were. [Laughter.]

I testify to the qualities of which everyone else has spoken and to which I am sure everyone else will give testimony: her intelligence, her knowledge and her sense of humour. One of my abiding and favourite memories of recent years is a clip that hon. Members will probably recall and that has often been on the news. The Duke of Edinburgh was being chased by a persistent bee, and there is a picture of the Queen coming through an archway, giggling uncontrollably and clearly quite unable to suppress how hysterically funny she found it. That very much sums up the person we could see and admire. She was a remarkable person and a remarkable monarch. We are the poorer for her going.

September 9, 2022
Priti Patel – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The speech made by Priti Patel, the Conservative MP for Witham, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

I associate myself with many of the passionate comments that we have heard already this afternoon. There have been many thousands of moving and heartfelt tributes from across the world. Our Queen was loved, cherished, respected and admired for her deep devotion to public service and to the people.

We are meeting in circumstances that we all knew would happen one day, but it is of course a day that none of us wanted to see. It was so poignant yesterday when the heavens opened and cried with the country as the devastating news broke and this period of national mourning began. Most, if not all, of us in this Chamber, and people across the country, the Commonwealth and the world, have known only one Queen, one Head of State, one sovereign lady and one monarch.

The late Queen Elizabeth II’s life was, of course, dedicated to public service and deeply inspiring.

She had the dignified presence, ability and charisma, which this House has heard so much about already, to lead our nation through dark periods, but also through the most joyous moments we have celebrated as a country. From the horrors of the world wars to the fears of the pandemic, she was one who never ever faltered in her duty. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has said, she was the rock: she was there as that model of assurance and that pillar to give us the strength and support we would need through the darkest times.

For each and every one of us and for all of our constituents, a royal visit was one of the most joyous moments and occasions we would celebrate. They were wonderful, they were memorable and they were great events, particularly when the visitor was Her Majesty the Queen. A few months after my election to Parliament in 2010, I witnessed that excitement when Her Majesty the Queen visited the famous village of Tiptree in the Witham constituency to mark the 125th anniversary of the royal warrant-holding jam makers Wilkin & Sons. The affection and warmth shown towards Her Majesty was not astonishing to see, and Queen Elizabeth reciprocated, touching everyone’s hearts and taking the time to see and speak to everyone, including when inspecting the world-famous jams and the production lines of Christmas puddings, which so many people in this House in particular have enjoyed. Despite those huge undertakings year after year, each and every person she met felt special, and that was a tremendous mark of her own humility. That day nearly 12 years ago remains fresh in the minds of my constituents who, sadly, are mourning with the entire nation today.

It was not just such royal visits that marked out Her Majesty and gave us all the moment of excitement of seeing the Queen. For those of us who enjoy horses, and racing in particular, she was well known across not just the country, but around the world for her love and passion for horses. On the famous visits to Ascot or Epsom, including for the Derby itself, all of those who attended wanted to just snip that moment with her, looking to catch a glimpse and hoping to get the royal wave—or even a racing tip. No one did more to champion horse racing in this country than the late Queen. She loved the sport, she loved her horses and, in return, the whole racing industry loved her and will miss her enormously.

Her late Majesty led a remarkable life, and she delivered an era and a reign that will stand out as being the most magnificent in the long and great history of our nation. As we mourn the end of her 70-year reign, we commemorate the great life she lived and the long and distinguished service she gave to our country, and we reflect on the importance of the monarch in our public life. At this particular moment in time, our thoughts and prayers are naturally with her family, and we offer our wholehearted support and commitment to the King—King Charles III. In the years ahead, while the face on our notes, coins and stamps will of course change, Her late Majesty will always occupy a special and affectionate place in the heart of this nation. God rest her soul, and God save the King.

September 9, 2022
Jeffrey Donaldson – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The speech made by Jeffrey Donaldson, the DUP MP for Lagan Valley, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

On behalf of my colleagues in the Democratic Unionist party and on behalf of many across Northern Ireland, I wish to offer our sincere sympathy to His Majesty the King and to other members of the royal family on the passing of our dear sovereign, Queen Elizabeth II. In Counties Antrim and Armagh, Down and Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone, individuals and families will gather in their communities to remember a great monarch, who stood with us in our time of trouble.

Her Majesty the Queen has been a steadfast and unshakeable Head of State for the United Kingdom and for the Commonwealth, and her gracious approach, as others have said, has been a constant throughout our lives. In 1952, during her first Christmas broadcast, Queen Elizabeth asked the nation to pray

“that God may give me wisdom and strength to carry out the solemn promises I shall be making, and that I may faithfully serve Him and you, all the days of my life.”

She certainly fulfilled her promises, and today we mourn her passing. We do so with tremendous honour for one who served God and her people faithfully.

Her Majesty led by example in Northern Ireland, and reached out the hand of friendship to help with the reconciliation process. We are duty bound to build on that foundation. The royal visit to the Republic of Ireland in 2011 was groundbreaking, and the warmth with which Her Majesty was received demonstrated that she was revered and respected far beyond the United Kingdom. I remember with fondness her speech during that visit, in which she again referred to her Christian convictions and reminded us that forgiveness lay at the heart of her faith, and that

“it can reconcile divided communities.”

Her visits to my constituency in Lagan Valley, to the city of Lisburn, to Dromore and, of course, to Royal Hillsborough invoke precious memories for the residents and for all of us, and I know her death will be felt acutely in Hillsborough and in the surrounding communities.

During the most traumatic days of our troubled past in Northern Ireland, Her Majesty visited us many times to show solidarity with her people in their darkest of hours. Her presence conveyed a deep sense of stability and offered hope to so many.

One such visit was in 1976, in one of the most violent years of the troubles. In her Christmas address later that year, Her Majesty spoke of the need for an end to the conflict, and pointed the way to peace and reconciliation. She reminded us that the following year was her silver jubilee, and expressed in hope that,

“The gift I would most value next year is that reconciliation should be found wherever it is needed. A reconciliation which would bring peace and security to families and neighbours at present suffering and torn apart.”

Yet just a few short years later, Her Majesty, too, was touched by the violence of the troubles, and her family endured the hurt and deep pain of losing a loved one, following the assassination by the IRA of the Earl Mountbatten at Mullaghmore in County Sligo in August 1979. She shared the sense of loss felt by countless victims, and her empathy and understanding offered comfort to so many from all backgrounds. She rose above that sense of loss to reach out across divided communities in Northern Ireland and to offer hope. This is real leadership.

Yet it took us almost 20 long years to complete our journey to a peace agreement, an agreement that offered the prospect of bringing about that reconciliation that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth yearned to see. Some 25 years on from that agreement, in truth we still struggle to deal with the legacy of our troubled past.

Your Majesty, on an island riven by conflict and division, you were a bridge builder, reaching out to those from opposite sides of the divide, and your work of reconciliation helped to heal wounds and to encourage change. Your historic visit to the Republic of Ireland was a cathartic moment in British-Irish relations. The way you conducted yourself, the language you used and the message that you brought helped to lay to rest many of the ghosts of our shared history that have cast their shadows over relationships on these islands for centuries. It is my hope that your passing and the example you set will inspire us to even greater heights and to complete the journey that will bring true healing and reconciliation to our troubled land.

Your Majesty, this United Kingdom has been truly blessed to have you as our Head of State, a sovereign whose dignified and faithful service has inspired a nation. I can do no better than to quote the words of a book that contains the values you sought to uphold throughout your reign:

“Well done, good and faithful servant”.

Our United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is stronger for your reign.

To His Majesty King Charles III, I say this. We must all work to build this kingdom so that it is even stronger and more united, and we on this side will use all our endeavours to achieve these objectives. God save the King.

September 9, 2022