Thursday 08 September is a day that we will never forget. It will be a day that we will always remember what we were doing when we received the news that Queen Elizabeth II had died peacefully at Balmoral.

For many people Queen Elizabeth II was, up to that day, the only Sovereign they had ever known in their lifetime. Her Coronation in June 1953 was televised and millions of people gathered around the television as Queen Elizabeth II made her oath – for some people this was to be the first time they had ever watched a TV.

On 6th February this year she became the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years of service to the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth. Millions more people gathered together in person and around the TV in June 2022 to celebrate this momentous occasion.

Nobody would have thought that the next time we would gather together as a nation would be to celebrate her life and mourn her death.

In the days that followed her death we witnessed an outpouring of love for her, not just from people in the UK but from people around the world. For me this was a mark of the genuine respect which Queen Elizabeth II received from everyone she met.

I don’t think you have to be a staunch Royalist to be touched by such a significant event because she was such a remarkable person who dedicated her life to serving the people. For many people she became a constant in an ever changing world, seeing us through great loss, celebration and disasters while still continuing to serve her people, even during the coronavirus pandemic whilst mourning the loss of Prince Philip.

Few can argue that she was respected by people around the world and that her reign of 70 years was one which touched the hearts of many. You only have to read some of the memories which ordinary people have shared about ‘the time they met the Queen’ to see that she genuinely cared about us, the people she served.

It is now time for us as a nation to welcome King Charles III and the Carolean era. But as we say a final goodbye to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II I feel it is appropriate to simply say ‘thank you’ for the lifetime of service which she gave to us – she will undoubtedly live on in our hearts forever.

See you next month – Tracey Rushton-Thorpe Editor