MP’s cheesy tale in warm tribute
Maidenhead: 'The most remarkable person I ever met'
Warm laughter filled the House of Commons as former Prime Minister Theresa May paid a heartfelt – and amusing – tribute to the Queen on Friday.
Speaking ‘on behalf of Maidenhead constituents’, Mrs May described the Queen as ‘quite simply the most remarkable person I have ever met’.
“She gave a lifetime of service as she promised to do when she was 21. She was respected and loved across the world.
“That love, respect and adoration was born not out of her position, but because of the person she was.
“A woman of dignity and grace, of compassion and warmth, of mischief and joy, of wisdom and experience, and with a deep understanding of her people.
“She united us in times of COVID when she gave us hope that we would once again come together.”
Mrs May added that her passing marks a ‘generational change, not just because of the length of her service, but because of what she lived through,’ having served in uniform in the war.
“When she walked into the room, faces would light up,” said Mrs May. “Her magnificent smile would calm nerves and put people at their ease.”
Mrs May referenced the Queen’s visit to the Thames Hospice in Bray in July.
“The moment she walked through the door the atmosphere changed. When she spoke to the staff and the patients, she exuded a warmth and humanity which put people at their ease.
“She was Queen, but she embodied us.
“Across the world, meeting Queen Elizabeth simply made their day and for many will be the memory of their life.”
Mrs May also drew laughter in the Commons as she told amusing anecdotes about Her Majesty.
“My husband tells of the time he had a dream,” she said. “He dreamt that he was sitting in the back of a Range Rover, being driven around the Balmoral estate.
“The driver was Her Majesty the Queen, and the passenger seat was occupied by his wife, the Prime Minister.
“And then he woke up and realised it was reality.”
She added: “I remember one picnic in Balmoral that was taking place in one of the bothies (small shelters) on the estate.
“The hampers came from the castle and we all mucked in to put the food and drink on the table.
“I picked up some cheese, put it on a plate, and was transferring it to the table.
“The cheese fell on the floor. I had a split-second decision to make.
“I picked up the cheese, put it on the plate, and put it on the table.
“And I turned around to see that my every move had been watched very carefully by Her Majesty the Queen.
“I looked at her, she looked at me...and she just smiled. And the cheese remained on the table.”