Today, as we mark what would have been my beloved mother's 100th 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 marvelous twinkle of the eye, when sharing a marmalade sandwich with Paddington Bear, 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, age just 14, we could 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.
