As we mourn the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, our thoughts and prayers are with the Royal Family.
Queen Elizabeth II served our nation for 70 glorious years, earning the respect, admiration and love of all her people.
This must be a moment to reflect on the incredible service which Her Majesty provided since her coronation in 1953. During that time, the country has faced many struggles. Terrorism, financial crashes, the Covid-19 pandemic, most recently the war in Ukraine and an energy crisis. Her Majesty was completely steadfast. No matter how difficult the situation, Queen Elizabeth II has been there to offer advice to the ministers of the day and reassurance to the country.
We saw a great example of how well the monarchy exists in a democracy last week. In so many countries across the world, transfers of political power are accompanied by chaos. On Tuesday morning, Boris Johnson saw Her Majesty to resign as Prime Minister. Shortly afterwards, his successor Liz Truss was asked to form a government. There has been no instability or violence and within hours a new government began announcing its proposals to support people through the energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine.
Like any organisation, governments have signatories able to sign off the “cheques” which move money around departments. For very large sums, there are seven people able to sign the warrants. These are Royal appointments and hold the title of Lords Commissioners to the Treasury. Early in July, I was deeply honoured to be appointed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as a Lords Commissioner.
When I think of the service offered by Her Majesty to our nation over so many years, I am truly humbled and almost lost for words. I am sure I speak for the Monmouth constituency in sincerely offering best wishes to her family.