Queen Elizabeth II: Kent pays tribute

Religious leaders, politicians and military personnel from Kent have been paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth II following her death at Balmoral on Thursday.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said the Queen could make anyone she met feel like they were the only person in the room.

Praising the time she devoted to public service, the Archbishop said: "There were hundreds of events every year which she attended.

"Everyone she spoke to felt that they were the only person there."

Capt David Cole, from Kingsdown, spent five years on the Royal Yacht Britannia with the Royal family.

Royal Marines from the School of Music based in Deal staffed the royal yacht, and Capt Cole was made Director of Music on board in the years before the ship was decommissioned in 1997.

He said when the Royal Family sat down to dinner, four members of crew were invited to join them.

"Because I was on there for five years I dined four times with Her Majesty, literally sitting next to my monarch," he said.

The Lord-Lieutenant of Kent, Lady Bella Colgrain, the monarch's official representative in the county, said: "Her Majesty has been a rock of stability.

"We remember her visits to Kent and Medway, often accompanied by her late husband His Royal Highness, and wherever they went in the county Her Majesty had the innate ability to make everyone feel special."

Kent MPs have also been paying tribute.

Sir Roger Gale, MP for North Thanet, spoke in the House of Commons.

He said: "For 70 years this great lady has been my lodestar, my monarch.

"The twinkle in those beautiful eyes and the smile that is now lighting up heaven. May she rest in peace."

Helen Grant, MP for Maidstone and The Weald, said: "Her grace, her warmth and her smile embraced us all. Thank you ma'am for everything."

Folkestone and Hythe MP Damian Collins said: "During her long reign she remained, in a changing world, a constant example of duty and service to her people."

The Queen paid many visits to Kent and Medway during her reign including a tour of the Medway Towns in 1984, the opening of the QEII Bridge at Dartford in 1991 and the Channel Tunnel in 1994.

In 2011 she visited Turner Contemporary art gallery in Margate, and she opened The Wing Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel-le-Ferne in 2015.

Chief Constable of Kent Police Alan Pughsley said: "The police service has a very special affection for the Sovereign, as office holders under The Crown, and this sad news unites the policing family in grief."

The leader of Kent County Council, Roger Gough, said; "Her Majesty has been a part of all our lives. A constant, reassuring presence in both good and troubled times."

Leader of Medway Council Alan Jarrett said: "Medway has been fortunate to welcome Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II during her reign, including to open the Royal Engineers Museum in Gillingham, to inaugurate the universities at Medway in Chatham with The Duke of Edinburgh, and to visit Brompton Barracks in Chatham as part of her role as Honorary Colonel-in-Chief to the Royal Engineers.

"She will be deeply missed."

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