Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022)

On Thursday 8th September, Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II passed away peacefully at Balmoral Castle following a sudden deterioration in her health. Both Houses of Parliament were recalled on the next day to pay tribute to Her Majesty. The House of Commons met at 12pm and a two-minute silence commenced.

Tributes were led by the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition with Members of Parliament across the House sharing their experiences of meeting the late Queen and reflecting on the life of service that she led.

You can view Darren’s tribute on the sad passing of the late Queen as follows:

I rise today alongside right honourable and honourable colleagues to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II both as a subject of the late Queen, and also on behalf of my constituents across Bristol North West.

The late Queen’s long reign meant that her many visits across the country and the world touched millions of people across the generations.

From her many visits to Bristol, including to Avonmouth in my constituency, for the opening of the Royal Portbury dock in 1977, to her first visit to Australia in 1954, members of my own family – bother here in England and in Australia – lined the streets with Union flags to welcome her.

And across the Commonwealth, as we all know as members of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, millions of people have been helped and supported as equal citizens across that family of nations; honouring and delivering on the vision that Queen Elizabeth had for that important institution.

Lastly, Queen Elizabeth II was not only our queen and commander in chief but also a mother and a grandmother. My thoughts and prayers, and those of my family and my constituents are with the Royal family at this difficult time.

God save the King.