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

This was the promise made to the nation on BBC radio by Queen Elizabeth II on her 21^st birthday in 1947. A promise she most certainly kept.  For the vast majority of the people of the United Kingdom she has always been our monarch & head of state and it somehow did feel that she would be with us forever. The death of our beloved Queen came as a real shock, despite her advanced age, and the outpouring of grief and respect has shown what she meant to us all.

As the Member of Parliament for Chesterfield, at times like this, I feel a strong sense of responsibility to try to encapsulate what she meant to the people of Chesterfield as well as to ensure that the town’s voice  is represented in any national civic occasions.

The entire process of the Queen’s funeral and the succession of King Charles III showed Britain’s talent for magisterial occasion at its very best. The funeral procession from Westminster Abbey to Hyde Park was captivating and locally we also dusted off traditions and services that hadn’t been seen in the televisual age.

I attended and spoke in the tributes to her majesty in parliament, listened to the assembly where the Commons and Lords speakers presented a motion of thanks to our new King and locally witnessed proclamations and memorial services in Chesterfield and Derby Cathedral.

The size of crowds queueing for countless hours to spend a few seconds of respectful silence with Her Majesty was as inspiring as it was remarkable.

The admiration for our Queen in the UK was matched by the warmth of the tributes from across the world, I particularly enjoyed the words of the French President, Emmanuel Macron, who said:

“Queen Elizabeth II has just passed away. The United Kingdom will forever bear the seal of she who embodied it for seventy years with unwavering strength and moral authority. France pays tribute to she who marked the History of her country, our continent and her century. […]

Rarely have subjects identified themselves so much with their Sovereign, enthralled by their every glance and word, their outfits and gestures, representing both the legacy of the past and confidence in the future. She was one with her nation: she embodied a people, a territory, and a shared will. And stability: above the fluctuations and upheaval of politics, she represented a sense of eternity.

She held a special status in France and a special place in the hearts of the French people.”

In parliament, I said that “The dedication, wisdom and fortitude that she has shown throughout every day of her service have inspired so many of us. She loved our country, the four nations that make up our United Kingdom individually and collectively, and she took great pride in the Commonwealth as she helped to lead our nation through its changing place in the world—as she moved from being the head of the British empire to heading the Commonwealth to leading a prominent nation at the head of the EU, and subsequently leading us into our post- Brexit future. She led us through two painful and divisive referendums without ever breaking her famous political impartiality, and she was there when our nation was tortured by the cruel pandemic, bringing us together as so many of us sat there afraid and alone.

An image that said so much about the Queen’s dedication to duty was that image of her sitting alone at her beloved husband’s funeral. No one would have begrudged her sitting with a family member, but it was typical that she should want the world to see that she was subject to the same restrictions so painfully being observed by her people.

Her Majesty The Queen has been one constant for this country over the past seventy years, through Labour and Conservative governments, through flourishing economies and recessions, good times and bad. For many, The Queen symbolised the spirit of the British people and has provided a sense of stability and security over her long reign.

The people of Chesterfield will always take pride in her selfless devotion, and we pass our sincere condolences on to the Royal Family and wish His Majesty King Charles III a long, happy and successful reign.

God save the king.