Opening of the new City Hall building in London, 23 July 2002
Published 23 July 2002
Your new building, which is so clearly based on ideas of openness and accessibility, will provide an exciting forum for Londoners as your debates ebb and flow.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thank you for inviting me to open City Hall, this remarkable building which now becomes home to the Mayor of London and the London Assembly.
Today is not the first time that the opening of the seat of London government has been the occasion for a Royal visit. My grandfather, King George V, opened the last seat of London government, County Hall, in 1922. Now eighty years later I am pleased to be here for this opening today in my Golden Jubilee year.
This striking new addition to the capital's skyline is situated amongst some of our best-known landmarks which, over the years, have come to represent not only London but Great Britain for millions across the globe - the Tower of London, Tower Bridge and the Thames itself.
London's ability to combine the old and the new - embracing continuity and change down the centuries - is one of the many qualities which puts it amongst the great cities of the world.
Another is its status as a global financial centre. This is a huge asset to the United Kingdom, making us the focus of international investment and contributing significantly to our national economy. So it is appropriate that this new building looks out not just to the City of London but also to the East and South East, where so much of the new prosperity and dynamism is to be found - and where so many of the greatest challenges for London's new government exist.
The Greater London Authority is a new kind of government with an executive Mayor who sets the strategies and policies of the Authority and with an Assembly whose role is to scrutinize the decisions of the Mayor.
Your new building, which is so clearly based on ideas of openness and accessibility, will provide an exciting forum for Londoners as your debates ebb and flow.
I offer you, Mr. Mayor, members of the Assembly and all your staff my good wishes as you face the challenges and the opportunities ahead, and I have much pleasure in declaring City Hall officially open.
Related content
French Senate, State Visit to France, 6 April 2004
Democracy is the most precious gift we have and we can never take it for granted.
Centenary of the Entente Cordiale, State Banquet, Paris, 5 April 2004
Vive la difference, mais vive L'Entente Cordiale.
Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting reception, Nigeria, 3 December 2003
Nigeria has much to be proud of.
State Banquet, President of the United States of America, 19 November 2003
We share the confidence - and the courage - to try and make this a more prosperous, a safer, and above all a freer world.
Opening of the new Australian War Memorial, London, 11 November 2003
Twice within the span of a single generation, Australia and Britain stood side by side in two of the bloodiest wars in human history.
Opening of the exhibition 'Women and War', Imperial War Museum, 14 October 2003
Over the two World Wars and in the many conflicts since then, women in Britain and throughout the Commonwealth have faced and overcome all manner of challenges.
Presentation of new colours to the Fleet in Plymouth, 23 July 2003
I hope this Colour will be a symbol of the Fleet's enduring spirit and devotion to duty in times of stress and danger
National Assembly for Wales, 5 June 2003
It is vital to the health both of the United Kingdom and of Wales that our democratic institutions flourish and adapt.
Scottish Parliament meeting on the Mound in Edinburgh, 3 June 2003
We see in this new Parliament, even after four short years, clear signs of a legislature that is distinctly Scottish.
Ottawa, Canada, 13 October 2002
Wherever the future may take us, my admiration and affection for Canada and Canadians everywhere is - and will always remain - clear, strong and sure.
Ceremony for the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada, 10 October 2002
I am happy to be in Hamilton today in order to present new Colours and to visit my Canadian Argylls.
Fairmont Hotel in Vancouver, Canada, 7 October 2002
Je chéris ma place dans la vie du Canada et mon lien avec tous les Canadiens et Canadiennes.
Legislative Assembly in Nunavut, Canada, 4 October 2002
I am proud to be the first member of the Canadian Royal Family to be greeted in Canada's newest territory.
National Space Centre in Leicester, 1 August 2002
Over this Jubilee summer I have travelled widely, but I hope I will be forgiven for having limited my tour to the earth's surface.
Opening ceremony of the 17th Commonwealth Games, Manchester, 25 July 2002
It is my pleasure in this my Golden Jubilee Year to declare the 17th Commonwealth Games open.
Golden Jubilee visit to Liverpool, 25 July 2002
I am glad to be in Merseyside, which must be one of the most distinctive and energetic parts of the United Kingdom.
Visit to Bury St. Edmund's, Suffolk, 17 July 2002
Ipswich, Norwich, and Cambridge have all become centres of excellence in their different ways.
Harewood House in Yorkshire, 11 July 2002
The character of Yorkshire's people is distinctive and unchanging: trenchant, determined, and welcoming.
Millennium Point, Birmingham, 2 July 2002
I have no doubt that you will use this building to inspire the next generation who will shape the technology and industry of tomorrow.
Tri-Service gathering of the Armed Forces at Portsmouth, 27 June 2002
Britain is grateful to you, whether here in Portsmouth, in bases across the United Kingdom, or across the world.
Lunch in Newport, South Wales, 13 June 2002
The mountains and valleys are as beautiful as ever, but it is in rural life that some of the greatest transformation has taken place.
End of The Queen's UK Golden Jubilee tour, Preston, 5 August 2002
I have been profoundly moved by the affection shown and by the warmth of the response to my Golden Jubilee.
A speech by The Queen on her Golden Jubilee
I hope that these celebrations will remind us of our shared heritage and what it means to be a united people, enjoying the support of families, friends and neighbours around...
Visit to Stormont, Northern Ireland, 14 May 2002
This Assembly can demonstrate that it is possible to build trust, and in doing so continue the building of a new Northern Ireland.
Reply to the Loyal Addresses by both Houses of Parliament, 30 April 2002
I would like to pay tribute to the work you do in this, the Mother of Parliaments.
The death of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, 8 April 2002
I thank you for the support you are giving me and my family as we come to terms with her death and the void she has left in our midst.
Newspaper Society lunch, London, 26 March 2002
Your newspapers are an intrinsic part of the communities they serve, they give us a very special insight into what is going on around the country.
Royal Warrant Holders' Association Golden Jubilee lunch, London, 20 March 2002
The Royal Warrant of Appointment is an ancient and honourable institution. It symbolises excellence.
Adelaide Festival Hall, Australia, 27 February 2002
Whatever may lie ahead, I declare again here tonight that my admiration, affection and regard for the people of Australia will remain, as it has been over these past fifty...
Maori gathering at Rehua Marae, Christchurch, New Zealand, 25 February 2002
New Zealand is working to improve and strengthen all the various relationships between Maori and the Crown.
State dinner in Wellington, New Zealand, 25 February 2002
It is both a privilege and a pleasure to have served as Queen of New Zealand for these fifty years.
Golden Jubilee gathering of Privileged Bodies, 21 March 2002
Privileged Bodies are held in great respect, not just in this country but throughout the world.
Official Golden Jubilee photographs: The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh
A speech by The Queen to Parliament on her Silver Jubilee
Perhaps this Jubilee is a time to remind ourselves of the benefits which union has conferred, at home and in our international dealings, on the inhabitants of all parts of...
