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Council stood to receive a prayer from Rev'd Canon Simon Ward followed by a one minute silence in memory of Her Majesty the Queen.
The Chief Executive Officer addressed the Council and asked them to consider the following recommendation :-
To write to his Majesty King Charles III to express our sincere and heartfelt sorrow at the passing of his Mother Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and re-affirm our loyalty to himself as her successor and rightful King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The Chief Executive Officer then paid tribute on behalf of all staff at the Borough Council as follows :-
On behalf of all staff at the Borough Council may I pay our utmost respect to Her Majesty the Queen for her unwavering leadership and love she has shown both country and commonwealth over the last 70 years. Her consistent reassuring presence will be very much missed but our gratitude and affection will be enduring.
Messages of tribute to Her Majesty on behalf of Full Council were led by His Worship the Mayor who spoke of the following :-
Today we gather as a Borough, as a Council, and as representatives of our communities to give grateful thanks for the life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Her gifts to us of duty and service have been unparalleled - a strong, dependable, and guiding light over more than 70 years. Called to the throne at such a young age, Her Majesty never wavered in giving of herself for the good of the country and the Commonwealth.
Our borough has proud links with the Royal family, with the Lions of England forever fused with our own proud heritage in our borough arms.
We remember fondly Her Majesty’s visit to Great Yarmouth in 1985 when she came to this very Town Hall, received by a choir of young voices in our Assembly Room and greeting well-wishers from the balcony.
One of our younger citizens was so enamoured after talking to the Queen that she even tried to get into the Royal car when it came time for the Royal party to depart – she was stopped only by an eagle-eyed Prince Philip.
It was my sombre privilege to read the Proclamation of King Charles III’s accession on behalf of the Borough. Tonight we, as a Council, send the King our full throated and whole hearted support and allegiance.
The Leader of the Council then paid tribute to the Queen's long services and talker about his experiences of meeting the Queen as follows :-
I was fortunate enough to meet the Queen when she visited Great Yarmouth in 1985 in the market place, and my young son presented her with a bunch of flowers. We also met attending a Royal garden party in 2017 at Buckingham Palace with my wife Jackie. Two events I will never forget.
When we lose a loved one, we have private time to grieve with our families and friends. The Royal Family’s grief is being played out in front of billions on a worldwide scale every day, but that’s what makes our monarchy so special, not just for the pomp and ceremony but their lifetime of devotion to duty.
The leader of the Labour group, Councillor Wainwright here paid tribute to Her Majesty :-
During her reign the Queen has been the head of our country for us all, and somebody who bought together the whole country at times of fear, discord and uncertainty.
We remember the Queen’s appeal at the start of the Coronavirus outbreak that ‘In the years that come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge. And those who come after us will say, the Britons of this generation were as strong as any: that the attributes of self-discipline, of quiet good humoured resolve and of fellow feeling, still characterize this country. The pride on who we are is not part of our past. It defies our present and future.
I’m sure that these remarks touched us all and that whatever our views are on the Monarchy are, that people will respect the way that the Queen conducted herself throughout her 70 year reign, and her dedication to public service.
Councillors P Carpenter, Price, Fairhead, Jeal, Smith-Clare, Candon, Robinson-Payne, Bird, T Wright and Martin all paid tribute to Her Majesty, remembering their own experiences of meeting the queen and how they would remember the impact that Her Majesty had, had on their lives.