Allan Dorans – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II
The tribute made by Allan Dorans, the SNP MP for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.
It is a privilege to have the opportunity to express my sincere personal sympathies and condolences and those of my constituents in Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock on the death of Her late Majesty the Queen.
The late Queen will be remembered with great affection, especially for her service, duty, humility, humour and faith. Our thoughts and prayers are with King Charles III, the Queen Consort and the wider royal family at this sad time.
I met the late Queen in 1973 when, as a 17-year-old cadet in the Metropolitan Police, I was invited with others to attend a royal garden party in the grounds of Buckingham Palace. Her late Majesty chose to speak with me, probably because I was in uniform; we all know how much she valued her uniformed services. Her royal presence, her smile and her gentleness left a lasting impression on me.
A few years later, when I was attested as a police constable, I took an oath of allegiance, which contained the words:
“I will well and truly serve the Queen in the office of constable, with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality, upholding fundamental human rights and according equal respect to all people”.
Those words encapsulate for me many of the values, virtues and leadership qualities so clearly displayed by the Queen throughout a long and illustrious reign.
The oath also greatly influenced my service as a police officer, and I am sure many other generations of police officers, through the feeling that in every action I took I was somehow acting personally on behalf of the Queen for the betterment and benefit of our country. I am sure that everyone who has ever served as a member of our armed services will be able to relate closely to that sentiment, as will anyone who has proudly served in any capacity in the name of the Queen and all she stood for.
It is with both sadness and joy that we celebrate the unparalleled contribution the Queen made in her 70 years as sovereign, recognising her devotion to duty and the decades of public service she gave to the people of the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and the world. There is a distinct and profound sense of loss on the death of the Queen throughout Scotland, to where she is bound by close ties of ancestry, affection and duty. Her late Majesty was descended from the royal house of Stuart on both sides of her family, and she has always held a special place in the hearts of the people of Scotland. I know she also held a similar affection for Scotland, its culture and its people.
The next few weeks are a time for reflection and remembrance and to give thanks to God for the life of an extraordinary individual, the like of whom we will never see again. Thank you, your Majesty, for your life of service; God bless you and may you rest in eternal peace.
