Queen Elizabeth II: Lord describes honour of attending Queen's funeral

The Lord-Lieutenant of Lancashire has said he will attend the Queen's funeral to represent the people of the county.

The service for the late monarch will be held at Westminster Abbey on Monday, with thousands expected to travel to London.

Lord Shuttleworth first met the Queen in 1999 and described her as "charming".

He said it would be "a great honour" to attend on behalf of people of Lancashire.

Lord Shuttleworth recalled his meetings with the Queen from unveiling Eric Morecambe's statue in 1999 to her final visit in 2015 when they held a reception in the former Lancaster Prison.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service she was "always absolutely charming and friendly".

"She had a great affection for the people of the county and used to say she wanted to retire to the Hodder Valley somewhere between Dunsop Bridge and Whitewell," he said.

"She was a fan of the Morecambe and Wise show and was very interested to meet some of the actors and comedians who had been on it who came to the unveiling in Morecambe."

He said of the former prison visit: "It was an unusual place to hold such a function but the Queen was intrigued by it."

The lord said he met her several times as chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, with the Queen's second title being the Duke of Lancaster.

"She was always much more interested in the welfare of her tenants and the people who lived in Duchy properties than the bottom line," he said.

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