The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has continued to mourn the passing of Queen Elizabeth this week.
The Queen’s coffin was flown to London and taken to Buckingham Palace where a ceremonial procession brought Her to Westminster Hall. The Queen's coffin will lie in state for four full days in Westminster Hall with thousands of people queueing to pay their respects to The Queen and say thank you for a remarkable 70 years of public service.
Locally, thousands of people have signed the Book of Condolence that will be held by the Royal household. It is being kept electronically, so anyone wanting to contribute to that can visit: www.royal.uk
Books of Condolence that will be retained in Birmingham and not sent to London (in line with Royal wishes) are available at the Hall of Memory at Centenary Square. The Hall of Memory books will be available to sign from 9am to 5pm daily and will remain open until 5pm on Tuesday 20 September.
Across our constituency of Edgbaston, there are also Books of Condolence. I visited both St. John’s Church in Harborne and Christ Church in Quinton to sign both books and to take a moment of reflection.
At 6pm today, there will be a civic service of thanksgiving for the life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in Birmingham at St Philip’s Cathedral. More information on this can be found here:
A one-minute silence will also be held across the UK at 8pm on Sunday 18th September. I know many of you across Edgbaston constituency will mark the silence privately in their own homes, on the street with neighbours or at community events and vigils.
Monday 19 September is the day of the Queen's state funeral and will be a bank holiday in the UK. If you would like to come together with other residents across our city, in Birmingham, the funeral will be broadcast on a large screen in Centenary Square which will go live shortly before 11am and the broadcast will conclude at approximately 5pm.
My thoughts remain with King Charles III and the Royal Family at this sad time. Queen Elizabeth II’s extraordinary reign will never be forgotten. May she rest in peace.
Preet Kaur Gill MP
Birmingham Edgbaston covering Bartley Green, Edgbaston, Harborne and Quinton