Queen Elizabeth II: Senedd pays tribute to Queen's 'remarkable life'

Welsh politicians have spoken of the "remarkable life" of Queen Elizabeth II in a special session of the Senedd.

Leading tributes, First Minister Mark Drakeford praised her "personal commitment to Wales and its democratic institutions".

Senedd members from all parties spoke about their own personal encounters with and memories of the monarch.

The event in the Welsh Parliament follows a proclamation ceremony in Cardiff.

Proceedings opened with a minute's silence, with most of the chamber's 60 Senedd members in attendance.

They passed a motion of condolence, expressing the Senedd's "deep sadness at the death of Her Majesty The Queen".

It will be presented to King Charles III on Friday when he visits the Cardiff Bay legislature.

Mr Drakeford said the Queen had lived a "remarkable life" with an "overriding sense of duty."

He described the Queen's "personal commitment to Wales and its democratic institutions", saying that she had made a "personal decision" in 1999 to open the first term of the new Welsh Assembly, "ignoring the advice provided to her".

The Welsh Labour leader said the image of the Queen sitting alone at the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh "in dignified and determined observation" of Covid regulations was one of the "defining images of her reign".

He gave his "sincerest sympathies to the new King and his family."

"Our thoughts are with the new Prince and Princess of Wales," he added.

"We wish them every success in this new chapter in their lives of service."

Presiding Officer Elin Jones said that while views in the Welsh Parliament differed on the monarchy, they differed little on the way the Queen carried out her role as monarch and "how her wisdom and dedication of office was valued".

The Plaid Cymru Senedd member, who spoke first in the Senedd session, said: "Elizabeth II looked for what united rather than what created division, we too can seek that unity can seek that unity today in our condolence."

The senior politician thanked Her Majesty for her service to Wales, and for a "life time of service affected with dignity and grace".

She noted Queen Elizabeth II's six visits to official openings in the Senedd, saying the monarch sat among Senedd members "as she fulfilled her constitutional duty as head of state".

At the last such event in 2021 the Llywydd said she had worn a "dress with a dash of peachy pink", while the Queen wore a "suit of peachy pink".

"We matched perfectly apparently, and you've no idea how many people have asked me quite seriously whether we prearranged our wardrobe choices that day, as if I was in a secret Whatsapp group with the monarch," the Llywydd said.

At the official opening ceremony in 2011 Andrew RT Davies, the leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, was introduced to the Queen as a "naughty farmer" by former presiding officer Rosemary Butler.

Mr Davies told the Senedd that the Queen, "as quick as a flash and with a sparkle in her eye", said: "'Well, all farmers are naughty, aren't they?'"

He said public service was always "first and foremost" for the Queen, "and in particularly here in Wales we saw that time and time again with all the organisations she has been patron to and she supported".

"It is a fact that ultimately, when you look back, most of us will most probably never see such a reign in our lifetime and such dedication to service".

Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price said the monarch had a "sense of mutual connection" to millions.

"In the words of the unnamed courtier, they know she is different but they also know she's the same - eats the same things, breathes the same air, understands them. and wants them to understand her."

Mr Price recounted the Queen's historic first visit by a British monarch to the Irish Republic in 2011.

"In a speech at Dublin Castle - she declared, "with the gift of historical hindsight, we can all see things we wish had been done differently, or not at all".

He added: "For some, this will be a moment of great anxiety.

"But perhaps, as Queen Elizabeth begins her final journey and we consider what the future holds, we can follow the Queen's own injunction in that great Dublin speech: to bow to the past but not to bound by it."

Jane Dodds, the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, said the Queen had led the country with "absolute dedication, honour and dignity".

"As the world around us changed, Elizabeth II was present throughout. She provided stability and certainty for many", the MS for mid and west Wales said.

Plaid Cymru MS Sian Gwenllian, who represent Arfon, said Elizabeth lent "credibility to the role of women in public life".

"She was extremely visible in her role, and, in the early days, it was unusual to see a female on a public stage so frequently," she said.

Conservative South East MS Natasha Asghar recalled that as a child, some her fondest memories of the Queen were watching her make her Christmas Day speech, while Tory north Wales MS Sam Rowlands said the Queen visited his school when he was a teenager.

Calling her a uniting figure, the north Wales Conservative Senedd member said it struck him "was the breath of people who came to see her - all people from different ages, different backgrounds, different races".

The Labour MS for Blaenau Gwent, Alun Davies, told the Senedd the Queen's visit to his constituency in 2012 as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations brought "great joy to people throughout the borough".

Meanwhile Jenny Rathbone, who represents Cardiff Central, said her death marked the "final break with somebody who had direct experience of Government during the second world war, and the suffering and sacrifices that were made to overcome the Nazis".