The King’s message to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Queen Elizabeth II

Today, as we mark what would have been my beloved mother’s one hundredth birthday, my Family and I pause to reflect on the life and loss of a Sovereign who meant so much to us all and to celebrate anew the many blessings of her memory.

Queen Elizabeth’s ‘promise with destiny kept’ shaped the world around her and touched the lives of countless people across our nation, the Commonwealth and beyond. Her near-century was one of remarkable change and yet, through each passing decade, through every transformation, she remained constant, steadfast and wholly devoted to the people she served.

Millions will remember her for moments of national significance; many others for a fleeting personal encounter, a smile, a kind word that lifted spirits.... or for that marvellous twinkle of the eye when sharing a marmalade sandwich with Paddington Bear in the final months of her life.

Much about the times we now live in I suspect may have troubled her deeply, but I take heart from her belief that goodness will always prevail and that a brighter dawn is never far from the horizon. For as a young Princess Elizabeth put it in her first ever public broadcast, aged just 14, we can each play our part ‘to make the world of tomorrow a better and happier place’. It is a belief which I share, with all my heart.

So young or old, and whatever our differences, let us therefore seek to follow this example as we make today not the marking of a milestone felt by absence but the celebration of a life well-lived, and a legacy of hope, as we strive together towards a ‘better, happier tomorrow’ - one rooted in peace, justice, prosperity and security.

In this, I renew my own solemn pledge of duty and service to you all.

God bless you, darling Mama; you remain forever in our hearts and prayers.