Community / Tributes paid to the Queen
TRIBUTES have been paid locally to the Queen, who passed away on Thursday afternoon.
The Union Jack flag is flying at half mast on Lerwick Town Hall.
Council convener Andrea Manson said: “This is a profoundly sad day for the nation. As our Monarch, The Queen has given a lifetime of service to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth and her passing marks the end of an era.
“She will be remembered for her immense contribution to public life and her popularity, which has been felt in all corners of the Commonwealth, including Shetland.
“I am sure the people of Shetland will join the period of mourning that will take place across so many nations and territories. We mourn her loss and send our condolences to the Royal Family.”
Meanwhile Bobby Hunter, Lord Lieutenant for Shetland, said it was a” time of great sorrow for us all”.
“The Queen has been a figurehead for our nation and an unwavering constant in our lives since taking the throne in 1952,” he said.
“There will be many who have fond memories of The Queen’s three visits to Shetland, including Royal walkabouts in Lerwick and the sight of the Royal Yacht Britannia by our shores.
“During the period of mourning, we shall reflect on her incomparable role and duties over so many years, and then look forward to supporting her successor, King Charles III.
“I offer my heartfelt condolences to the Royal Family at this sad time.”
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Shetland MSP Beatrice Wishart said: “In the months and years to come, many will reflect on the life of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest reigning monarch in British history.
“A life of service, grace, integrity and stability with an unwavering sense of duty to our nation and the Commonwealth.
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“Respected and admired around the globe, many will feel a great sense of sadness. “The Royal Family are mourning the loss of their mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.
“To His Majesty the King and the Royal Family, and on behalf of the people of Shetland, I offer my deepest condolences.”
Northern Isles MP Alistair Carmichael also paid tribute to the Queen. “The death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will be felt keenly across the Northern Isles, as it will across the whole of the United Kingdom,” he said. “For the past seventy years as our monarch she has been at the centre of our nation’s life.
“The pace of change in that time has been exceptional but the continuity that she has given to our country has been a rock on which its progress has been built.
“The country has lost a much loved monarch but the King and the rest of the Royal Family have lost a mother, grandmother and a great grandmother. We send them the deepest condolences and sympathies.”
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