It is with enormous sorrow that I have learnt of Her Majesty’s death. We all have a great sense of loss and of the passing of an era.
For the vast majority of us Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second has been our monarch for our entire lives.
Queen Elizabeth ‘s reign has been one that included enormous social and technological change. Her Majesty’s image has been as familiar to us as that of our nearest relatives and friends. We have held her dear. Our sense of national identity was intimately bound to Her Majesty’s continuing presence as our Head of State. The Queen’s constancy and longevity in the face of such immense transformations have given us all a sense of security and nationhood through a period of time when such a sense was as potentially problematic as it was necessary.
We all remember Her life, lived in the public eye, with enormous respect and affection. Her Majesty provided an exemplar of public service, putting the needs of the majority and the country before Herself. The Queen’s example of service and duty has focussed the public mind on needs and achievements beyond the immediate and the political sphere. Her Majesty’s life will for ever be recorded in history. Her reign being the longest of any British monarch. We all give profound thanks for a long life well lived. We remember Her life with immense gratitude.
Sarah Furness
Lord-Lieutenant of Rutland