It is with regret the Kirk Session of Portstewart Presbyterian church receives the news of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
It was on her 21st birthday speech in 1947 the then Princess Elizabeth made this promise:
“I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”
There can be no argument that Her Majesty kept her word, often putting aside her own hurts precisely because to do so was for the betterment of her people, she set the example in faithfulness in service.
At the heart of what has been an unprecedented reign has been the Queen’s Christian faith. We have watched and listened to her Majesty Christmas after Christmas discovering more about her faith through her speeches. We’ve seen how seriously she took the many services of worship she attended at the great cathedrals not just in the United Kingdom but across the world.
This attendance at worship was more than simply a royal duty, it was a personal choice. She was regular at worship be it at Windsor, Sandringham or Balmoral.
A central plank of her Royal duty has been the weekly audience with her Prime Minster, a role she performed with complete discretion and integrity.
While a country now mourns the loss of our Monarch, a family mourns the loss of a mother and grandmother. Our prayers are with the King and Queen Consort, the Princess Royal, Duke of York, the Count and Countess of Wessex, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as well as the wider Royal Family.
God save the King.