A Statement from the Marquess of Salisbury

“My family and all who work on these estates, like the peoples of this country and of the Commonwealth, today mourn one of the greatest British monarchs. She reigned over us for an unprecedented seventy years, dedicating herself to our service, as she had promised to do in her famous 1947 broadcast. She came to embody the nation, always above faction, always exceptionally well-informed, always showing careful good judgement. No one understood better how a constitutional monarchy should function. That this country was able to navigate a period of extraordinary and fundamental change during her reign was in no small part thanks to her.

We were honoured to welcome her to Hatfield several times. On the last occasion she came to plant an oak at the centre of Jubilee wood in 2012. Some of the excited  children  from Hatfield schools who welcomed her have told me that they will never forget the day the Queen came.

I was lucky enough to have known her a little and will for my part remember her wisdom, her perspicacity and her wit. Above all, she was an extraordinary example to us all in her selflessness and service.

We mourn for now, but we will nevertheless look forward to a new reign. God save the King.”