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Remembering the Queen - Letter to Guildmembers

Queen Elizabeth II, 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022

Dear Guildmember,

We will all have been extremely saddened to learn of the death of HM The Queen on Thursday and send our deepest condolences to the Royal Family.

Elizabeth’s accession to the throne, when she was just 26 years old, thrust her onto the world stage, and she handled her new role with impressive poise. She exemplified how youth and leadership can collide in the most unexpected ways and have the most beneficial consequences for those who are led. She was remarkable for her dedication and good humour and was rightly loved and respected by the British public. Her life and achievements will remain an outstanding example to all of us in our Guild.

The Queen represented stability and, as an ambassador for our country, she tirelessly promoted commercial, diplomatic and strategic relations between nation states. For anyone involved in charitable work or public service she also modelled an astounding commitment to the interests of others than herself. 

The Queen was, above all, kind, caring and compassionate. The reverence for her and these qualities have been evident in the tributes by her family and a host of others in recent days. She was happily married for almost seventy-four years and reigned for over seventy. She embodied in her relationships with her family and her people the strongest of human values. 

We will mark Queen Elizabeth's passing in an appropriate way at the forthcoming Michaelmas Court meeting on 6th October and at our subsequent Installation Dinner. 

In the meantime, our Apprentice and Guildman Declarations have been changed to reflect the accession of our new King, Charles III. 

I am sure you will want to join me in wishing him a long and happy reign.

Long live the King! 

Dr. John Weeds 
Guildmaster