On Monday, the country will come together to issue a final goodbye to the Queen as her funeral takes place at Westminster Abbey.
With the death of the monarch, the country has been ushered into a new era under Charles III.
To mark this momentous part of our history, the Oxford Mail asked each of our county’s MPs to write an opinion piece on the events of recent weeks.
All of these opinion pieces can be read on our website and in the print edition of the Oxford Mail.
By Anneliese Dodds, MP for Oxford East
I know that the passing of Queen Elizabeth II has been keenly felt by many of my constituents in Oxford East, and right across Oxford and Oxfordshire. There are many special memories of visits by the late Queen to our city. We’ve been able to see some very poignant photographs of these visits here in the Oxford Mail, and many are also on display in the extended exhibition in the Town Hall- from an impromptu meeting with a tortoise in Oriel College to the opening of the Children’s Hospital.
These and other visits, over an incredible seventy years, demonstrate a life devoted to public service. This started even before the late Queen acceded to the throne, at just fourteen years of age, when she sought to reassure other British children facing the Second World War that “we know, every one of us, that in the end all will be well”. And just days before she passed, that public service continued, in the late Queen’s message to the people of Pakistan following devastating floods.
The late Queen’s ability to unite our country was particularly evident during the Covid crisis, in her broadcast on VE day in 2020. Like few others in public life, the Queen could speak with authority on the privations of war. Her comparison between the separation and loss war caused, and the impact of the pandemic, was deeply moving.
The Queen's reign spanning diverse periods of British history did not prevent her from embracing change, and her recent praise of the Lionesses’ victory offering an ‘inspiration’ to girls and women now and in the future, could as well have applied to her reign.
King Charles III starts his reign while grieving for his beloved mother, and we all offer our sincere sympathies to him and his family.
As was mentioned a number of times during our own proclamation of the new King at Carfax, Charles III has made very clear his commitment to the principles of public service. He has also been an early champion of action against the climate crisis and the loss of biodiversity. We have seen that commitment clearly in our own city, in his patronage of both our historic botanical garden, and the Prince of Wales garden at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies on Marston Road.
He has also shown his determination to bridge divides and open up opportunities. That is clear in the work of the Prince's Trust here, and also in the King’s commitment to support people of all faiths and none. In the King’s words at the time of the canonisation of Littlemore’s Cardinal Newman, “as we follow with sincerity and courage the different paths to which conscience calls us, all our divisions can lead to a greater understanding and all our ways can find a common home”.
May the late Queen rest in peace. God save the King.
-
Read more from this author
This story was written by Sophie Perry. She joined the team in 2021 as a digital reporter.
You can get in touch with her by emailing: sophie.perry@newsquest.co.uk
Follow her on Twitter @itssophieperry
A message from our Editor
Thank you for reading this story and supporting the Oxford Mail.
If you like what we do please consider getting a subscription for the Oxford Mail and in return we’ll give you unrestricted access with less adverts across our website from the latest news, investigations, features, and sport.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok for more.
You can also join the conversation in our Facebook groups: stay ahead of traffic alerts here, keep up to date with the latest from court here, share your favourite memories of Oxford here, get your daily dose of celebrity news here and take some time out with news that will make you smile.
If you’ve got a story for our reporters, send us your news here. You can also list an event for free here.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here