Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:35 pm on 8 February 2017.
On 6 February 1952, King George VI sadly passed away. Princess Elizabeth, next in line to the throne, returned home, stepping off the plane as our Queen. That was 65 years ago this week, and not a day has gone by that our sovereign has not put our country and its people first. She is our longest reigning monarch and the first of the United Kingdom to reach a Sapphire Jubilee—a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother to a family, many of whom have served our country valiantly during times of conflict. It’s an incredible reign that has seen her appoint 13 Prime Ministers, from Winston Churchill to Margaret Thatcher, and, of course, the Rt Hon Theresa May MP. She has undertaken state visits to 116 countries, to include those across the Commonwealth, with style, grace and elegance. She is patron to over 500 charities, having raised over £1.4 billion. Supreme Governor of the Church of England, she is loved the world over and no more so than here in the United Kingdom, and by all generations. Congratulations, Ma’am, and God save the Queen.