Bristol mourns the death of Her Majesty The Queen
City leaders pay tribute to her dedicated service
Bristol leaders have sent their condolences after Buckingham Palace announced the sad death of Her Majesty The Queen this evening (September 8) – Britain’s longest serving monarch.
Bristol is now a city in mourning after confirmation from the Royal Family that Queen Elizabeth II died “peacefully” at the age of 96 at Balmoral after 70 years on the throne.
Her eldest son Charles, will now ascend the throne as King Charles 111 and is leading the country in a period of mourning.
Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of The County and City of Bristol, Peaches Golding OBE, said she was “deeply saddened” to hear of the passing of Her Majesty The Queen.
She said: “… I know the people of Bristol will join me in sending our thoughts and condolences to the Royal Family at this difficult time.
“Elizabeth II was the longest reigning monarch in the history of England and dedicated her life to our country and the Commonwealth. Throughout her reign, she had an ambitious schedule of royal tours and state visits around the world, and I had great admiration for her devotion to the role as she continued a full programme of engagements even into her later years…
”…For virtually everyone in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, she is the only monarch we have known.”
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of Bristol, Councillor Paula O’Rourke, commented: “The whole of Bristol joins the rest of the country and the Commonwealth in mourning the death of Her Majesty.
“Along with her lifetime of dedicated service she will be greatly remembered for her commitment to supporting charities, many of which have benefited our own residents.”
“The Queen has been a constant presence…”
Metro Mayor Dan Norris said: “This is an immensely sad day. Her Majesty the Queen has been a constant presence during all of our lives and during so many periods of immense change, not just in the West of England and the UK but across the globe. She has been an exemplar who always put service first.
“It is almost unimaginable such a reliable fixture in our lives is no longer with us. As so many across the country mourn this huge loss, I send my deepest sympathies and those of residents of the West of England, to the King, the Queen Consort and everyone who loved this most remarkable woman.”
Visits to Bristol
The Queen visited Bristol on a number of occasions during her long reign – including opening the Severn Bridge in September 1966, her West Country tour for her Silver Jubilee in 1977 – and in February 2005 when she also came to open The Park Centre.
Flags at civic buildings in Bristol flying at half mast
Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, said: “It is with great sadness that we mourn the death of Her Majesty The Queen. Our city’s thoughts are with the His Majesty The King, his children, and the wider Royal Family.
“This year we celebrated the Platinum Jubilee, which saw Bristol come together to mark the Queen’s lifetime of unprecedented, dedicated service to our country.
“Flags at civic buildings across our city are flying at half-mast, and City Hall will be lit up in purple throughout our period of national mourning.”
A mourning period will commence now to be observed across the country.
The Proclamation of the new Monarch will be read in front of the fountains on College Green at a date to be confirmed.
Anyone wishing to lay floral tributes in memory of The Queen are asked that you lay them at the West End of Bristol Cathedral.
Books of condolence will also be available at City Hall and Bristol Cathedral alongside a Bristol e-book, and a national e-book of condolence.
