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Guernsey's Lieutenant Governor spoke warmly of Her Majesty, and the Bailiwick's preparedness for her historic passing, after a special sitting of the States of Deliberation on Friday afternoon.
Speaking to Express, His Excellency Lieutenant General Richard Cripwell CB, CBE, argued: “It is a huge moment… everybody has a personal tale to tell about Her Majesty whether you ever met her or not, and I miss her very much."
“I met her when I was appointed to be the Commander of British forces in Cyprus… I’m not going to give any of the details of what we discussed, but It was an extraordinary meeting for me.
"Firstly, to meet someone who has been a hero for all of my life. Secondly, to have a conversation with somebody who is so extraordinarily well informed, aware of the context, and who is able to bring history to life because she was there. I'll never forget it.”
Pictured: His Excellency speaking after the States meeting. Credit: Jenny Lambert.
His Excellency also said preparations for the death of the Monarch were well progressed.
“Of course you can prepare for something for a very long time and we have together been working for a very long time to be ready for this. But these moments are always a shock - but it was a shock that we had prepared for, that we planned for, working with officials in London and of course in Scotland," he said.
The Bailiff, Richard McMahon, agreed that the level of preparedness was "reasonably good".
"Clearly it’s something that has been thought about for a very long time, and has been a long time coming. But, the speed with which one moved from early yesterday through to the evening possibly means that we’ve been taken a little bit by surprise.
“But I imagine that certainly for Her Majesty, and possibly for other people, that is far preferable for a peaceful slipping away - which is what were told is what happened at Balmoral - rather than a long, lingering and possibly painful illness prior to it.
“It's just the speed at which it's happened which has been quite a shock.”
Pictured: The Bailiff claimed the speed of the news came as a shock. Credit: Jenny Lambert.
Deputy Peter Ferbrache, President of the Policy & Resources Committee, also said the Bailiwick was adequately prepared for the event.
“This was the greatest and saddest event of all, but we’ve had experience with Brexit, we’ve had experience with covid, we’ve had experience in the Ukraine where our authorities have moved so splendidly… with the right degree of speed," said Deputy Ferbrache.
"In other words, not with undue elacrity, and things have rightfully been presented in the way they should to pay respect to a great Monarch.”
Pictured: Deputy Peter Ferbrache noted several major events the Bailiwick has had to face in recent years. Credit: Jenny Lambert.
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