The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
King Charles has officially been proclaimed South Holland’s ruling monarch following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Ceremonies have been held across the area this weekend to proclaim the new king following the passing of the Queen on Thursday.
In Spalding, South Holland District Council chair Paul Redgate carried out the proclamation on Sunday. A book of condolences has been opened at the council’s Priory Road offices available from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday during the period of national mourning.
Holbeach parish councillor Stephen Johnson read out the proclamation at Carter’s Park on Sunday where an area has been cornered off for residents to lay flowers and wreaths. A book of condolences has been opened at the council’s offices the Beck Lane entrance 10.30am to 3pm.
His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Lincolnshire, Toby E.D. Dennis Esq, the monarch’s representative for the county: “I share the sadness of people across the globe following the passing of our late Sovereign, Queen Elizabeth the Second. We remember with affection and gratitude the lifetime of service given by our longest-reigning monarch. “The basis on which our monarchy is built ensures that throughout the centuries, the Crown has passed in an unbroken line of succession. Across Lincolnshire, residents are invited to attend formal Proclamations of the passing of the Queen and the announcement of the King.”
South Holland and The Deepings MP Sir John Hayes made the following speech to Parliament: “Most people who possess power first seek it. Indeed, in this place, we know that many people crave it. Her late Majesty the Queen never sought power—it was truly thrust upon her—but, when she wielded authority, she did more fundamental good and brought more benefit than almost anyone here, and of course for much, much longer.
“Most people with influence expect plaudits, but, for Her late Majesty the Queen, acclamation, when it became obvious and clear to her just how much she was loved, was greeted on her part with humility and grace.
“Most of those who lead expect to bring change. For her, constancy was the most fundamental thing that she could bring to the nation—a permanent part of who we are as a people; each of us and all of us. It is not that she was behind the times; she was beyond the times.
“I remember meeting her a number of times. In particular, 20 years ago in Buckingham Palace she said to me, “Do you use computers in your office?” I said, “Yes, we do, your Majesty.” She said, “I have such trouble printing things out. Sometimes pages get missed altogether. I have been caught out making speeches like that twice.” She went on to say that, when her husband Prince Philip could not print things, in her words, “The air turns blue.” Her sense of humour was a part of her charm—so obvious and palpable that she could charm even those who were not intuitively or instinctively in favour of the monarchy.
“I met her, but I did not know her. Few people knew her well, but we knew that she was there. She was in our consciousness. Not many people think of the sun and the moon—I suppose that astronomers and astrologers do; I have in mind a fusion of William Herschel and Russell Grant—but we know that they are there, for we expect the sun to come up in the morning and we expect to bathe in the light of the moon, and so it was with Her late Majesty. Now, our days are a little dimmer and our nights are a little colder for her passing, for she was in all of our lives for so, so long.
“The Queen wore the crown, but of course she was not the Crown. The Crown has a permanent life—it goes on—and the institution she graced is secure in the hands of her heir, her son, our King. This woman, whose life lasted so long, personified dignity, was gracious and, in that way, brought a beauty to her job.
“For there was a beauty about her grace—a quiet, enduring and palpable beauty. Now that the Crown passes to her dear son, our wonderful King, we must hope that he in his grief will know that he shares that grief with everyone in this House and with all her people, for whom she will remain not merely as a memory but a presence in the Crown itself. May God, as he welcomes Her Majesty to heaven, keep and bless her successor, our King Charles. God save the King.”
Lord John Taylor of Holbeach, spoke about his company Taylor’s Bulbs’ relationship with The Queen in his speech to the House of Lords: “I start by saying how much I have enjoyed listening to other noble Lords talk about our late Queen and the way in which she has served the nation. We have heard some admirable speeches, as my noble friend Lord Wakeham said. I echo his admiration for her diligence in knowing what the issues are and being prepared to work to acquire that knowledge. Nobody can doubt that she has been a very hard-working and diligent monarch. She has combined that with constitutional integrity, which has been vital for this nation, the developing world and the Commonwealth of which she has been head.
“Noble Lords have mentioned her human qualities. Perhaps that is an important dimension because that was how she was able to relate to many noble Lords here present who have had opportunities to get to know her, to work with her or to accompany her in particular activities.
“I do not know whether I should declare an interest, but I want to talk about my family horticultural business. For 37 years, we have been the warrant holders, as bulb growers, to Her Majesty the Queen. Some people may say that is not a particularly proud boast, but I personally take great pleasure from it and it has preceded all this other stuff, of red Benches and the rest of it, and is probably more important in real terms than anything I have been able to do here. Although gardening does not compete with horses or dogs, it comes a very close second, and you have only to go round the royal gardens of royal properties at Balmoral, Windsor and Buckingham Palace to get an idea of how seriously Her Majesty took gardening. It was not just visits to Chelsea and scant things like that.
“That has provided me with some common link. Perhaps I may end with a little bit of an anecdote from my political life, because I was a Lord in Waiting, which was for a number of us a great deal of fun and enjoyable, although it involved duties. I see colleagues here who are Baronesses in Waiting; they will know that it is a great honour but also interesting. One of the great things that the monarchy has done in this country is to make working with it interesting, with everybody feeling that it is a worthwhile thing to be doing.
“Obviously, when I first went along to see Her Majesty, the bulb connection sprang to mind. It served as a common theme, so we talked about politics, of course, but we also talked about horticulture and the like. There was a famous occasion when we had a visit from a certain important ally. In fact, it was my last royal duty. We were part of the welcoming group at Buckingham Palace. The particular visitor was extraordinarily diligent, so much so that the bandmaster had to reprise the music while he inspected the guard of honour, as he insisted on stopping to speak to about every other person, asking them where they came from, what they did, how long they had been in the service or whatever it happened to be.
“Subsequently, this particular distinguished visitor seemed to take an awfully long time moving around in the reception area. Her Majesty said to me, “I think we’re going to have to break this up. He’s getting stuck.” Of course, she was rather mischievous about this, but asked me what I thought we should talk to him about. I said, “Why don’t we talk to him about daffodils?” Of course, this particular President was not used to talking about daffodils. He had never met anybody who knew anything about daffodils, and he certainly did not know anything about them himself. He was much more interested in casinos, New York property development and things like that, if I might say so. Oh! I have revealed who it is. Never mind; the confidentiality of these speeches is well known.
“I felt that it was evidence of her humanity that the thing that helped her through the days of hard work that she had to accomplish was the fact that she had a sense of humour, a genuine wit, and she was great fun. All noble Lords here who have had anything to do with Her Majesty will know that to be with her was great fun.
“I wish the House comfort in its grief because we are all upset at her death. May the King live long.”
Paul Redgate, chair of South Holland District Council: “Her Majesty will surely be remembered as the greatest Monarch the United Kingdom has ever had.
“On behalf of the people of the District of South Holland, I send our deepest sympathy to the Royal Family.
“As a mark of respect, the Union Flag at the South Holland District Council offices will be flown at half-mast.
“The Queen was a truly remarkable Monarch who gave so much of herself to serving the country. She will be greatly missed.”
Lincolnshire County Council leader Coun Martin Hill OBE: “This is an extremely sad time for the entire nation. As the longest serving monarch in our history, The Queen has provided stability and leadership through changing times and many challenges.
“It is with great fondness that we look back on her many visits to Lincolnshire during her impressive reign. We were fortunate to host her several times, which enabled her to meet local people and see what our county offers.
“Lincolnshire was also a special place for her because of her regular visits to RAF Cranwell where her grandson, Prince William, trained to be an RAF pilot. And, because of her love of horses, she also attended Burghley Horse Trials near Stamford. “For me, she was such an inspirational lady and a wonderful leader, full of grace and dignity. She will be greatly missed.”
LCC chair, Coun Alison Austin: “We recognise that many residents will want to pay their respects. They will also be able attend Proclamation ceremonies, where the death of the monarch will formally be announced, as well as who will succeed the Queen.“
The High Sheriff of Lincolnshire Tim Strawson: “The Queen’s passing is an event of great magnitude, it is hard to imagine life without our Queen. She represented more than anything else, decency, humility and duty. I know that the people of Lincolnshire will want to pay their respects. “She must be the greatest Briton that has ever lived.”
