Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8th. There have been, and will be, many fine and fitting tributes to the world’s longest serving monarch and head of state.
The 48 Group Club shares in the sadness and joins in the tributes. Coincidentally, we began our work around the time when Princess Elizabeth ascended to the throne. Like the overwhelming majority of the people of our country, we have only ever known one monarch, one great unifying figure and symbol of our nation.
Through seven decades of tireless and uncomplaining service, to the very end, we have seen wise, compassionate and caring leadership, that has helped us through so many challenging moments and through an epoch of great change in every area of life.
We will all miss her broadcasts, each Christmas and on carefully chosen occasions, with their emphasis on family, on duty and on what unites us both as a people and as a human family.
In her quiet and undemonstrative way, Her Majesty set an example to leaders and peoples alike, with her obvious commitment to and personal interest in almost every field of human endeavour. Her countless state visits, both those that took her to the five continents and those she hosted, not least her path breaking state visit to China in 1986, were a vital contribution to peace, harmony, mutual respect, tolerance and understanding.
Above all, we will miss her steady guiding hand and fortitude in periods of crisis and discord. If we can take some lesson and draw some inspiration from her lifetime of service we can all make our modest contribution to a better country and a better world.
The 48 Group Club
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II made a very successful and memorable state visit to China in 1986, the first ever by a British monarch. It remains a precious moment in the history of relations between our two countries. In memory of Her Majesty we are posting this short film of her visit, which also contains valuable comment and reflections from our late and wise friend Lord (Geoffrey) Howe, who accompanied the Queen as Foreign Secretary.