Thank you Mr Speaker,
On behalf of North Norfolk, I rise on behalf of my constituents to pay our respects on the 70-year reign of our Sovereign, Queen Elizabeth II.
Mr Speaker, what we have seen overnight will reverberate around the entire world and in the coming days the levels of grief will be palpable.
Indeed, last night as I made my way down to Buckingham Palace with my good friend the Hon Member for Broadland to pay my respects on behalf of North Norfolk, it was sobering, to feel the emotions of so many, united in the same feeling of loss, sadness and reflection. It was a moment in time where we simply had to be there.
To most of us, Her Majesty is all we have ever known, as Head of State, Our Queen and reigning Monarch for 70 years.
For many of us in this place we choose a role in public life. For our Monarch it is bestowed upon them, by birth right. Our Queen was the one true constant, many of us in this country has had, who has endured the test of time. And in that time Queen Elizabeth II has served our great nation and 32 other independent countries with distinction and devotion.
Norfolk of course has a special and enduring memory for Her Majesty, thanks to Sandringham located just outside my constituency to the West of the County.
One special anecdote I want to share involves Sandringham, her Majesty and I will it treasure forever.
It provides a wonderful insight, a touching, human story into a remarkable and wonderful lady behind the scenes.
As many will know, my stepfather, who has sadly passed, Michael Baker, ran Bakers and Larners, the department store in Holt for decades - including the towns supermarket, Budgens of Holt. We were supplied with vegetables by a company who had a Royal Crest.
This story involves Christmas and why our supplier was late with the Christmas delivery one year.
You can imagine everyone getting a little frantic in the supermarket, as the delivery van failed to turn up. But eventually the order arrived, and we of course rather stressfully asked what had happened.
I recall the owner who delivered, saying he’d been up all night, preparing the Royal vegetable order and forgot the Queen’s personal “special” order to be put on one side, so had to turn around and go and get it sorted. Obviously we said, “Well what’s this special order then”.
“Well, he said, every year we need 10 carrots put on one side and two coconuts, halved, drilled and with string put through them”. My stepfather looked quizzical, “Oh” he said. The owner went on, “On Christmas morning, you see, the Queen always likes to walk into her private garden hang the coconut for the birds and watch them feed from her bedroom window. The carrots have to be a particular size, to fit into her jacket pocket. Specially for feeding to the Royal ponies. A tradition for her.”
As that story shows, she was a remarkably kind, caring, beautiful lady who loved her family, her nation and nature.
Her Majesty, The Queen dedicated her life to the service of others. She was an example to us all.
And will be remembered eternally.
