London, (Parliament Politics Magazine)- I still recall how all of us at Liverpool College were called to the Assembly Hall on 6 February 1952 to be told “the King is dead”. We were all sad, but knew the King had been ill for some time. There was nothing like the tremendous outpouring of grief that there has been for the Queen. We mourn Queen Elizabeth II so deeply because, for the last 70 years, she has united our nation and given an example to us all of faith, loyalty, service, duty, integrity and decency.
I had the honour the serve as Treasurer of Her Majesty’s Household when I became Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Commons in 1987 and, with my late colleague, Tristan Garel-Jones, was jointly responsible for sending a daily message to the Queen about what was happening in the Houses of Parliament. She liked those messages to be candid and, if possible, amusing as well as informative. Her Majesty was a great respecter of history and tradition, invariably observing centuries-old tradition, when I took Tristan to be the hostage to be held in the Equerries’ Room at Buckingham Palace, remaining there until the Sovereign had returned safe and sound, after her visit to the Houses of Parliament to deliver the Queen’s Speech.
During our many meetings with Her Majesty, we always found her to be as knowledgeable and as fascinated by politics as anyone I can ever remember. She also gave us much wise counsel and expert guidance. In fact, on several occasions she wanted more and more information. I recall the then Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, complaining that, every time she saw Her Majesty, she seemed to know more about what was really happening in Parliament than she did. That, I felt, suggested that Tristan and I were doing a good job!
Queen Elizabeth II cared deeply about all her people and, at the same time, set the highest possible personal standards of commitment and integrity. I also had the privilege of serving as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in 1993, when, on many occasions, I enjoyed being with her on her regular visits; and I treasure those many private conversations which demonstrated to me the depth of her compassion and also that wonderful sense of humour.
Her Majesty will be remembered by us all as the monarch who guided our country out of the austere, even grim, aftermath of a terrible war, through traumatic, difficult and challenging times and guided brought us gently and safely through into the new millennium, as she constantly set even higher standards of public service. She will be greatly missed for many, many years to come.
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The Rt. Hon. the Lord Hunt of Wirral MBE
David Hunt has been a parliamentarian for over 45 years. He was a Minister in successive Governments between 1979-1995 and a member of the Cabinets of both Margaret Thatcher and John Major. His various roles have included Coal Minister during the coal strike of 1984-1985, Secretary of State for Wales, Secretary of State for Employment and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. David is a former Chairman of the British Insurance Brokers’ Association and the Independent Press Standards Organisation, where he served as inaugural chairman until 2014. He is a former senior partner of the international commercial law firm DAC Beachcroft LLP and was the first ever independent President of the Chartered Insurance Institute.