I, like many others in this Chamber today, thought this was a speech that none of us would have to make. When the sad announcement came of the passing of the Queen, it left a void in our hearts and a shared grief with people right across our country and the world, as we paused together to remember the greatest servant the world had ever seen. My thoughts and prayers, along with all my constituents, are with His Majesty the King and the whole royal family, and also with the people of our country and the Commonwealth, as we come to terms with the loss of a beloved sovereign and our grandmother of the nation.

Despite the sadness and grief, I am glad that we are able to come together and remember the extraordinary life of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. As many have said, she has lived a life that was well-lived, and she fulfilled her promise to serve with dignity and devotion to our nation and the Commonwealth to the end of her very long life. She was a Queen for all parts of the United Kingdom and all parts of the Commonwealth, and she was an inspiration to many people right across the globe.

I would like to take this opportunity to remember the links Her Majesty had with my home, and the people of Brecon and Radnorshire. In 1947, before becoming Queen, she was honorary president of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, and in 1952, she became patron of the Royal Welsh, and made a number of visits to Llanelwedd throughout the years, including marking the centenary of the Royal Welsh in 2004. In 1955, the Duke of Edinburgh, as he always did, accompanied Her Majesty on a royal tour of Wales—her first as monarch. Their first stop? Of course it had to be one of the best places in Wales: Brecon.

She visited Brecon on a number of occasions, including a service to celebrate the diamond jubilee of the diocese of Brecon and Swansea at the cathedral in 1983. On her Golden Jubilee, she visited Dolau in Radnorshire on the royal train, where she was met with smiles and happiness from all who attended, and I'm very glad to say the royal train arrived on time. To mark her own Diamond Jubilee in 2012, Her Majesty visited the Glanusk estate and was welcomed by children from over 50 schools in the area. Her Majesty braved the rain, meeting and greeting as many people as possible with that infectious smile. The Duke of Edinburgh, for most of the visit, observed, quite wisely, at a distance from a Land Rover window, always there supporting Her Majesty the Queen.

I'm unable to cover all of her visits, but that selection shows the incredible breadth and depth of Her late Majesty's relationship with the people of mid Wales and the people of Brecon and Radnorshire. In all, she had a truly remarkable life, the likes of which we are unlikely to see again. It was an honour to meet her here in person at the Senedd on our first official opening. Her Majesty and I talked about her great passion of farming, and she knew an awful lot about venison prices, and she stood for five minutes asking me how it was going—something I will not forget.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was a person who believed in continuity and duty, and as the heavy burden of responsibility passes to His Majesty King Charles III, to carry on the history of a monarchy that dates back over 1,000 years in these islands, we can all draw comfort that the continuity of the monarchy provides stability, hope and a sense of pride, as we all now join together as one United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and all the Commonwealth nations to say, 'Thank you, Your Majesty, rest in peace on your last journey to meet your strength and stay again. God save the King.'