Her Majesty The Queen
Staff and trustees of the Naval Families Federation are deeply saddened by the news of the death of Her Majesty the Queen, and we offer our heartfelt condolences to members of the Royal Family.
The Queen was head of all three of the UK’s Armed Forces, and throughout her life had a close relationship with the Royal Navy.
Her father, King George VI, served in the Royal Navy, being Mentioned in Despatches for his actions on board battleship HMS Collingwood during the Battle of Jutland in 1916.
The Queen was also the wife of a Royal Navy sailor – she said she fell in love with her future husband, Prince Philip, on a visit to Britannia Royal Naval College at Dartmouth in 1939, and she also described her days as a Naval wife in Malta, where her husband was serving in the late 1940s, as amongst the happiest of her life.
And her children all served in or have high-profile roles in the Naval Service; Prince Charles and Prince Andrew in the Royal Navy, Prince Edward in the Royal Marines and Princess Anne (who married Naval officer Cdr Tim Laurence in 1992) holds a number of military appointments.
Her Majesty the Queen dedicated her life to the service of the country and the Commonwealth, a major figure on the world stage since the middle of the 20th Century, but many people will also have felt a personal affinity for the woman behind the titles and pageantry who was at the heart of the life of our nation for 70 years.
NFF Chief Executive Sarah Clewes said: “Her Majesty the Queen had many roles in her long and active life, including as a Naval spouse. We at the Naval Families Federation are saddened to hear today’s news, and extend our condolences to the Royal Family.”
Arrangements for the coming days, including the state funeral, will be published on the Royal Family’s website at https://www.royal.uk/
