British parliament pays tribute to Queen Elizabeth II

LONDON

The UK parliament paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II on Friday, with British Prime Minister Liz Truss saying: “Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was one of the greatest leaders the world has ever known. The United Kingdom is the great country it is today because of her.”

Truss told the House of Commons: “In the hours since last night’s shocking news, we have witnessed the most heartfelt outpouring of grief at the loss of Her Late Majesty the Queen. Crowds have gathered, flags have been lowered to half-mast, tributes have been sent from every continent around the world.”

“On the death of her father, King George VI, Winston Churchill said the news had stilled the clatter and traffic of 20th-century life in many lands,” she continued.

“Now 70 years later in the tumult of the 21st century life has paused again. Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was one of the greatest leaders the world has ever known.”

Truss paid tribute to the queen for a lifetime of service that continued right up to her passing at the age of 96 on Thursday.

“As we meet today, we remember the pledge she made on her 21st birthday to dedicate her life to service,” she said. “The whole House will agree, never has a promise been so completely fulfilled.”

Truss then declared the loyalty of both the parliament and herself to King Charles III.

“All of us in this House will support him as he takes our country forward to a new era of hope and progress. Our new Carolean age,” she said. “The crown endures. Our nation endures. And in that spirit, I say God save the King.”

Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, said the Queen’s passing was a “deep and private loss” for the Royal Family, adding “yet it’s one we all share because Queen Elizabeth created a special, personal relationship with us all.”

Starmer continued: “That relationship was built on the attributes that defined her reign: her total commitment to service and duty, a deep devotion to the country, the Commonwealth, and the people she loved. In return for that, we loved her.”

“It is because of that great shared love that we grieve today. For the 70 glorious years of her reign, our Queen was at the heart of this nation’s life,” he said. “She did not simply reign over us, she lived alongside us, she shared in our hopes and our fears, our joy, and our pain. Our good times and our bad.”

Starmer then spoke of King Charles III.

“We join together today, not just to say goodbye to our Queen or to share in our mourning, but to say something else important: God Save The King,” he said.

“Because as one era ends, so another begins. King Charles III has been a devoted servant of this country his entire life, he has been a powerful voice for fairness, and understood the importance of the environment long before many others,” he said.

“As he ascends to his new role with the Queen Consort by his side, the whole House, indeed, the whole country, will join today to wish him a long, happy and successful reign.”

Opening the session of parliament so MPs could pay their respects, Speaker of the House Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle said: “Over her reign she has seen unprecedented social, cultural, technological change. Through it all she has been the most conscientious and dutiful of monarchs.

“But whilst she understood the inescapable nature of duty, which sometimes must have weighed upon her heavily, she also delighted in carrying it out, for she was the most devoted monarch.”

“Our memories of her will be filled with that image of a gently smiling dedication that showed throughout her life,” he said.