Yorkshire Coast pays tribute to Her Majesty The Queen
People have been paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth II
Tributes are being paid to Her Majesty The Queen along the Yorkshire Coast after the announcement of her death.
The Twitter account of the Royal Family confirmed the news earlier saying she passed away peacefully this afternoon at Balmoral aged 96.
Scarborough Borough Council have 'expressed their extreme sadness at the news of the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II.'
On behalf of the whole council and reflecting the thoughts of the residents of the borough of Scarborough, Councillor Eric Broadbent, Mayor of the Borough of Scarborough said:
"We are all deeply saddened to learn of the death of Her Majesty The Queen. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Royal Family at this very difficult time. We are sending a special letter of condolence to Buckingham Palace to convey our sentiments directly.
"In the 70 years that Her Majesty has watched over and dutifully served our nation and commonwealth, she has done so with the utmost dignity and dedication, supporting her people through times of both triumph and adversity.
"For many of our borough’s citizens, she was the only Monarch they have ever known, the one constant in all their lives that could be relied upon to rise above the differences presented by modern society and unite people throughout an ever changing world.
"Put simply, her Majesty was a one-off; a unique and extremely special lady who will be very deeply missed by the people of the borough of Scarborough. We join with the rest of the country and commonwealth in our grief, but also in celebration of her extraordinary life."
The authority says they are flying the union flag at half-mast above the Town Hall on St Nicholas Street in Scarborough as a formal mark of respect, in line with all other civic buildings up and down the country.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council
The chairman, leader and chief executive of East Riding of Yorkshire Council have today paid their respects.
In a joint statement, chairman of the council Councillor John Whittle, leader of the council, Councillor Jonathan Owen and the council's chief executive, Caroline Lacey paid tribute to Her Majesty, who "dedicated her life to serve the people of the United Kingdom".
The statement said: "We are all deeply saddened to learn of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and send our heartfelt condolences and sympathy to her family. They are all in our thoughts and prayers at this extremely sad time.
"She dedicated her life to serving the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth and has been a beacon of hope, stability and unity and overseen many changes during her reign as Monarch with unwavering grace and poise.
"As the longest serving Monarch she has been an ever-present in most people's lives and it's unlikely we will ever witness a reign as long and as glorious again."
The authority says as a mark of respect, the Union Jack will be flown at half-mast on all council buildings until the day after the funeral while books of condolence will be available for people to leave messages of sympathy at the council's libraries, multi-service centres and customer service centres during usual business hours. People can also leave tributes online via the Buckingham Palace website.
Her Majesty last visited the East Riding in 2009 when accompanied by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, who died last year, when she opened the Queen's Centre for Oncology and Haematology at Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham.
But the most memorable visit came in 2002 as part of her Golden Jubilee tour when Her Majesty and the Duke arrived by Royal Train into Beverley and attended a service for rural life at Beverley Minster, followed by a walkabout in Saturday Market.
The couple visited the college at Bishop Burton before attending a lunch, hosted by the council, at Beverley Racecourse and then presented a trophy to the winning female jockey in the Gold Jubilee race.
North Yorkshire County Council
The Lord Lieutenant for North Yorkshire, Jo Ropner, and senior figures at North Yorkshire County Council have expressed their sadness at the announcement of the death of the Queen.
Mrs Ropner and senior councillors have paid tribute to the Queen’s 70-year reign and the monarch’s work across both the country and the globe.
A book of condolence has been opened at County Hall in Northallerton for the public to give their own tributes to the Queen.
The Lord Lieutenant for North Yorkshire, Jo Ropner, said: “It is with the most profound sadness that I have learnt of the death of Her Majesty the Queen.
“Her unfailing commitment to our country and to the wider Commonwealth throughout the past 70 years has been an inspiration to us all.
“On Her Majesty’s 21st birthday in 1947, the then Princess Elizabeth vowed that her “whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service” in an address broadcast to the Commonwealth, a commitment which was reaffirmed during her Coronation in 1953.
“That her life was so blessedly long, and that her youthful vow was kept so carefully, is an accomplishment for which we, as a county and as a nation, will be forever grateful.
“Her Majesty visited North Yorkshire on numerous occasions, including the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate to mark its 150th anniversary in 2008 and the Maundy Thursday service at York Minster in 2012, and the county’s residents always welcomed the Queen with warm enthusiasm.
“I had the privilege of meeting Her Majesty at Buckingham Palace when I was appointed as Lord Lieutenant in 2018, and I know from personal experience that every engagement was conducted with grace and genuine interest, that every person felt the spark from meeting not only their monarch, but a truly remarkable woman whose commitment to her role will be remembered for generations to come.
“On behalf of the people of North Yorkshire, York and Teesside, I shall be expressing my heartfelt condolences to Her Majesty’s family.”
The chairwoman of North Yorkshire County Council, Cllr Margaret Atkinson, spoke of the profound impact that the Queen had on the lives of so many people throughout her reign.
Cllr Atkinson said: “I have always had a great deal of admiration for the Queen, and she was such a beautiful, kind and remarkable lady who I was fortunate enough to meet at a Garden Party in 1997 due to my charity work for Yorkshire Cancer.
“She had such dignity and humanity and kept to her promise that she would dedicate her life to the people of the UK and the Commonwealth. Which given her age of 96 when she passed away, is an incredible achievement.”
North Yorkshire County Council’s leader, Cllr Carl Les, praised the Queen’s “unstinting commitment” to serving the country, and praised her dedication to the role as the nation’s monarch.
Cllr Les said: “The Queen’s reign has already been noted as the longest ever of any of the country’s monarchs, but she will be remembered for so much more than the length of her time as the Sovereign of our nation.
“Her tireless and unstinting commitment to the role has been an inspiration throughout the whole of her reign, and her legacy will leave an indelible impression for generations to come.
“I would like to express my heartfelt sympathy to the Royal Family for not only their loss, but the nation’s loss too. God save the King.”
The chief executive of North Yorkshire County Council, Richard Flinton, spoke of how the Queen’s legacy will live long in the memories of so many generations.
Mr Flinton said: “To have had a monarch who served for so long really is remarkable, and the Queen was responsible for so many memories for the people of North Yorkshire as well as around the globe.
“Whether it is those of her own generation through to children and young people, the Queen was a person who was respected and loved by so many.
“Her work, commitment and passion for the role as our monarch will live long in the memories of the nation, and she will be truly missed.”
The leader of the opposition on the county council, Cllr Bryn Griffiths, who is the leader of the Liberal Democrat and Liberal group, added: “There are few people whose loss could be felt so deeply by so many.
“Most of us have only known Queen Elizabeth as our monarch. We could not have wished for anyone better to have represented our country and been so respected on the world stage.
“She came to the throne amid post-war rebuilding and has remained an inspirational figurehead ever since, retaining the love and respect of her subjects and many all around the world.
“The united sadness across the political spectrum in North Yorkshire and all of our society is a testament to a most incredible monarch. Our thoughts are with her family.”
The leader of the Labour group, Cllr Steve Shaw-Wright, said: “The Queen’s life was defined by service to her country and the Commonwealth, to her family and her subjects.
“The country has been honoured to have had the Queen set the highest standards of public service to guide the nation both at the best of times and the hardest of days.
“Whilst grieving at this sad time, the nation will have many collective happy memories of the Queen, along with those lucky enough to have met her in person.
“The Queen was an extraordinary person and part of an extraordinary generation.”
The leader of the North Yorkshire Independents Group, Cllr Stuart Parsons, said: “The Queen’s death is remarkably sad, and Her Majesty has served our nation and the world stupendously.
“I find it most difficult to contemplate the death of such a wonderful sovereign.”
The leader of the Green group on the county council, Cllr Andy Brown, added: “It has been an astonishing achievement to have been so heavily in the public eye for so many years and to have always behaved with dignity.
“The generation that lived through the Second World War brings an incredible depth of experience that deserves the respect of all of us who have benefited from their exceptional contribution to our society.”
Information regarding opportunities for people to pay their respects, including where to place wreaths and details relating to the flying of flags, is available via the county council’s website.