Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee — House of Lords, 2022-05-26
Topic: Mixed Topics
Gillian Merron (Labour, Centre-left): My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Farmer, and to hear his very warm words about the strength and many qualities of our Queen. It is my great honour to speak in this historic debate to pay tribute to Her Majesty on the most splendid occasion of the Platinum Jubilee, which will be cause for celebration up and down the land and across the Commonwealth and beyond I very much enjoyed preparing for my speech today, not least because it gave me a good reason to watch again the unforgettable clip of the Queen’s own starring role in the Olympics opening ceremony, which the noble Baroness the Leader of the House rightly drew our attention to in moving the humble Address. Not only did the Queen have her own starring role in the opening ceremony but we were treated to the sight of Daniel Craig as James Bond, besieged by corgis rolling around at his feet. This film was of course just the warm-up before Her Majesty the Queen actually walked into the stadium, to a rapturous reception, and giving a major surprise to her family. In that moment, I am sure that the Queen was crowned the monarch of monarchs, showing the world her spirit and great sense of fun—in this instance, as her qualities always are, given in the service of her country However, I was particularly taken with the story about the dress that was worn as the Queen seemingly parachuted into the stadium and, at the same time, the same said dress that she wore to enter the stadium. Only the Queen’s personal assistant and adviser, and not her seamstresses, knew why two outfits were needed. The second version was made in total secrecy for the stunt double. Even those working on the making of the dresses—which, by the way, used very elaborate and beautiful materials, as we will remember, including silk, lace, beads, feathers and enamel—did not understand why two identical outfits were being made On this point, I will say a word about Her Majesty’s signature style of clothes. The overwhelming thing among so many others about Her Majesty’s reign, is her absolutely steadfast support of British fashion. She exclusively wears British-made clothes, and the British creative industries could not have a better ambassador. As the former Member of Parliament for Lincoln, I had the pleasure of welcoming the Queen to the city. However, it is the style of the coverage by the Lincolnshire Echo of the opening of Pelham Bridge in 1958—a bit before my time—that really drew my attention for the purposes of this debate. With only black-and-white photographs of the day, the Lincolnshire Echo gave readers, as part of its article, a thorough description of what the Queen was wearing. It said: "She wore a mustard coloured cape style raincoat with a full back in proofed silk. Her turban hat of soft blue had a strawberry pink band interwoven. Her majesty also wore three quarter grey gloves and black court shoes. Returning to the car she removed her raincoat to reveal a soft woollen dress in the same shade of blue as her hat … Her only jewellery was a three rope pearl necklace and pearl button earrings and a silver bracelet." How absolutely marvellous—as was, of course, the reception by the people of Lincoln, who stood in the pouring rain to catch a glimpse of the royal visitors: "‘Lift your brolly Miss’, a woman onlooker shouted … A man next to her said ‘I’m going to see them even if it does mean I will get pneumonia.’" That is the spirit of Lincoln for you I should add that the article also fully reported the Queen’s remarks, including that Pelham Bridge was a "bold and imaginative solution". Her Majesty said it was "an example of this country’s skill and ingenuity in making the changes necessary to satisfy requirements of modern life without destroying the heritage of the past." Those words have stood the test of time. Indeed, the Queen herself has made the changes necessary to satisfy the requirements of modern life without destroying the heritage of the past, and for that we are grateful On the Royal Family’s website, the Queen is accurately described as "iconic and celebrated". I close my remarks by offering another word for consideration, "beacon", which in this context is defined as someone that guides or gives hope to others. As the noble and learned Lord, Lord Judge, reminded us, when the Queen—then Princess Elizabeth—spoke on her 21st birthday in a broadcast on the radio from Cape Town, she said: "I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service" So it has been, and it continues to be so. For so many years Her Majesty has undertaken this with the late Duke of Edinburgh by her side—may his memory be for a blessing. Her Majesty the Queen has been, and continues to be, a beacon to the people of our nation and beyond our shores, giving hope and guidance. We thank you, Your Majesty; you have given us more than we could ever have hoped for. Long may you reign.