‘MY WHOLE LIFE WHETHER IT BE LONG OR SHORT SHALL BE DEVOTED TO YOUR SERVICE’

The Queen (then Princess Elizabeth) speaking in 1947

On behalf of English Heritage, I would like to express my deep sadness at the news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II and offer my sincere condolences to the Royal Family.

The Queen faithfully served our country and the Commonwealth for decades with grace, resilience, wisdom and courage. She lived through years of unprecedented change but always faced the future with ‘clear head and warm heart’, as she said in a speech to mark her Diamond Jubilee in 2012. She remained an enduring symbol of tradition and continuity, and she was certainly conscious of the importance of history and heritage. Looking forward to the new millennium in her Christmas Day address of 1999, she assured the nation that ‘we can make sense of the future – if we understand the lessons of the past.’

In a broadcast after her coronation on 2 June 1953, the Queen proclaimed to all her subjects that ‘I have in sincerity pledged myself to your service, as so many of you are pledged to mine. Throughout all my life and with all my heart I shall strive to be worthy of your trust.’

She was a woman of her word, and she will be greatly missed.

Kate Mavor CBE
Chief Executive
English Heritage