The funeral of Her Majesty The Queen was a final chance to say thank you and goodbye to one of the most cherished sovereigns this country will ever have.
I know many people across Hertford and Stortford either went to London to pay their respects or stayed at home to watch on their television.
It has been a tumultuous few weeks in our country’s history – an unsettling time for many who, like me, have never known another monarch. But I know The Queen would want us to get back to normal and so we shall.
The new King has shown tremendous dignity. He has undertaken a gruelling round of duties and visits while mourning the loss of his mother along with this family. It has been tough. I salute them.
I also salute all those who organised and took part in the funeral and all the other events over the last two weeks. It has been a herculean task taking place in front of the entire world. I am proud of our country for the dignity, ceremony and love it has shown in honour of Her Majesty.
Many thanks to the royal officials, our magnificent armed services, the police, staff at the Palace of Westminster, stewards, refuse collectors, road sweepers to name but a few. What we witnessed would not have happened without them.
As an MP I had the honour of taking part in several ceremonies following the death of Her Majesty.
I made a tribute speech in the House of Commons in her honour and on behalf of the people of Hertford and Stortford.
I said The Queen was both as a person and as a monarch, a link between our generations. That she was a tangible human link to our nation’s past - to its struggles, but most of all to its finest hour during World War Two.
At the end I said: “With the passing of our Queen, the end of a great historical epoch has indeed passed, but we are all privileged to have lived at least some of our lives in the great second Elizabethan age. We mourn her but we cherish her memory and her lifetime of service. God bless Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. God save the King.”
Locally, there was a proclamation ceremony for the new King at County Hall in Hertford and I attended with other MPs from Hertfordshire. I then signed the book of condolence.
I also attended the lying in state of Her Majesty ahead of the funeral on behalf of Hertford and Stortford. Local people asked me to pay their respects and I was humbled to do so.
However, now we must get back to work and the challenges we face. Many visits and events were quite rightly cancelled when the news we had dreaded came though. Chief among them was the Jobs Fair I was set to hold at Ware Priory on the 9th September. Watch this space for a rearranged date in the near future.