Thank you for the opportunity to say a few words in our national Senedd at the beginning of a week that will culminate in the funeral of the late Elizabeth II, and I do so as the Plaid group business manager and the deputy leader of the Plaid Cymru group, and also as the Member of the Arfon constituency. My constituency includes the town termed 'the royal town of Caernarfon'. And it's a very special town—a town where the Welsh language is alive and well, a town full of history, and a town which has very long and very old links with the monarchy, in a number of ways, stretching back over 700 years. 

I join with Members in the Chamber by extending my condolences too to the family of the late Queen Elizabeth II in their grief. The world's attention is focused upon them at the moment, as they cope with the deep sadness that comes with losing a loved one. 

Much has changed over the last 96 years. And yet, for the last 70 years, one constant has remained, with solely the one person undertaking the role of queen throughout that period. Doing one job constantly for such a long time is quite a feat. It's also a feat for her to join a very male world at an early age and to succeed in holding her own for the majority of the time, it would appear. She was extremely visible in her role, and, in the early days, it was unusual to see a female on a public stage so frequently. She lent credibility to the role of women in public life. Women's lives have changed dramatically over the past 96 years, but many challenges still remain unfortunately, and the shift towards gender equality remains stubbornly slow. 

Elizabeth saw enormous change during her long life, and it is appropriate that we reflect on those changes by using her life and the occasion of her passing to look back over her lifetime. We, in this Chamber, will interpret the last seven decades according to our varying points of view, of course, and come to different conclusions depending on those perspectives. But it is appropriate to use this period for reflection. It is also important to use the time to look forward, to look forward to focus on prioritising those things that are important for us in such a troubled world. Elizabeth II knew what she needed to do. She did what was asked of her for a very long time, and, now, she is at peace.