Queen was a ‘towering figure on the world stage’, says Archbishop
The service of prayer and reflection on the life of the Queen was attended by Charles on his first visit to Wales as King.
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Your support makes all the difference.The Queen was described as a “towering figure on the world stage” during a memorial service in Cardiff attended by Charles during his first visit to Wales as King.
Andrew John, Archbishop of Wales, highlighted the late monarch’s ability to “utilise soft power” and said we would never look at a jar of marmalade in the same way again, after she appeared with the fictional character Paddington Bear during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Charles and his Queen Consort were greeted by gun salutes and cheering schoolchildren when they arrived in the capital of Wales – the final stop in their tour of the four home nations which began after the Queen’s death last Thursday.
Meanwhile, in London, the public queue to attend the Queen’s lying in state is being paused for at least six hours after reaching capacity, the Government said.
Mourners have been warned by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) not to attempt to join the queue at Southwark Park in south-east London until around 4pm on Friday at the earliest.
The call was made as the official estimate for queuing time reached at least 14 hours.
The event at Cardiff’s Llandaff Cathedral was a service of prayer and reflection for the life of the Queen and among the congregation was Prime Minister Liz Truss, First Minister Mark Drakeford and Robert Buckland, Secretary of State for Wales.
The Archbishop of Wales said in his address: “Her ability to influence, to utilise soft power – no less significant, no less authoritative – illustrates the wise and careful thought she brought to her role.
“Prime Ministers found that she was a trusted confidant. Her attention to matters of Government, her knowledge of world events and the longevity of her reign gave her an unmatched perspective and ability to see the distant scene.”
He added: “We also saw a monarch who could surprise and delight us. We will never look at a jar of marmalade again in the same way, nor watch Mr Bond without remember 2012 and that extraordinary leap into the void.
“Her late majesty was also a towering figure on the world stage embodying a continuity and stability but perhaps more than that, values, values which are shared across nations and cultures.”
The Archbishop said about her ability to connect with people: “And in Wales, that skill was never more evident than when she visited Aberfan in 1966. That community finding her presence deeply consoling and Her Majesty would return four more times to that community.”
Earlier, it emerged the decision to allow the Duke of Sussex to wear his uniform during a vigil at the Queen’s coffin was made by his father.
Royal sources have said Charles also requested that the Queen’s eight grandchildren be allowed to participate in the vigil – standing in quiet contemplation around their grandmother for 15 minutes as a mark of respect – something they were all keen to undertake.