A North East MP has spoken of her pride at witnessing the historic Proclamation of King Charles III.
Berwick-upon-Tweed MP, Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan, said it was a "tremendous honour" to form part of the Accession Council to witness His Majesty being proclaimed as King on Saturday, following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday.
Today Ms Trevelyan spoken of her pride that her constituency was represented by her attendance at and signing of the Principal Proclamation of the accession of King Charles III at St James's Palace on Saturday. The MP is a member of the Privy Council, and was part of the Accession Council which gathered at St James’s Palace for the historic ceremony which was filmed for the first time.
Read more: Floral tributes to Queen Elizabeth II placed around the North East in the days following her death
Ms Trevelyan said: "It was a tremendous honour to form part of the Accession Council to witness His Majesty being proclaimed as King. I was acutely aware that I was representing our constituency, and in particular Berwick's historic significance as a border town, and its relationship within the Union.
"It was also the first time women had been part of the Council, and the first time the public could watch on television."
The MP, as Secretary of State for Transport, is heavily involved in the detailed planning of logistics surrounding what is known as "Operation London Bridge" and is attending daily COBR meetings which continue until the day of the State funeral on 19 September. She is making arrangements to sign local books of condolences, despite being required to remain in London until after the funeral.
Speaking about the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, Ms Trevelyan said: "As a young Brownie I swore my first oath of allegiance to HM The Queen, to serve the Queen and help other people. Those words have been with me ever since.
"The Queen's devotion to duty and her constant demonstrations of that week in week out have been my most profound influence. I could never have imagined as that seven-year-old Brownie that 45 years later I would have the extraordinary privilege to be sworn in as one of Her Majesty's privy counsellors.
"The greatest honour and responsibility of my life. The humour and warmth she showed me, alongside her certainty that I would help improve our government, was inspiring.
"As Secretary of State for International Trade, I had the constant and great joy of championing our great country around the world, with the most regular messages that they love our Queen. She created trust in our country, our people, our businesses, culture and customs, because she was so deeply respected and loved in every corner of the world.
"My fondest memory of HM the Late Queen was at the commissioning, aboard, of HMS Queen Elizabeth. She stood in the vast hangar, her small frame commanding the space, and shared her personal understanding of the anxieties and pride of all those families of the young sailors present, as the daughter, wife, mother and grandmother of Royal Navy officers. Our Late Queen lived alongside us all, always leading whilst being in our hearts.
"God Save the King."
Read Next:
Schools to remain open following death of Queen Elizabeth II as period of royal mourning begins
Great North Run will go ahead following death of Queen Elizabeth II
Stamps with image of Queen Elizabeth II remain valid following her death, Royal Mail confirms
Cheryl pays beautiful tribute to The Queen with moving Prince Phillip message
