A message to Her Majesty The Queen

May it please Your Majesty

We, the Mayor of London and the Members of the London Assembly – representatives of the people of London – heartily congratulate Your Majesty on the celebration of the Platinum Jubilee of Your Accession.

When Your Majesty’s forebear William the Conqueror crossed the Channel and defeated King Harold at Hastings, it was to London that he hastened for his coronation, in the great church at Westminster founded by Edward the Confessor. Since that time, London has been the home of the monarchy and Londoners have been proud to be the Sovereign’s neighbours as well as subjects. Whether in Richmond,

Hampton Court

or Kew, Greenwich or Eltham, or in Westminster, Whitehall and Kensington, Londoners have lived alongside their Kings and Queens for centuries. Long may they continue so to do.

We in London have long been grateful for Your Majesty’s personal commitment to this city. We have not forgotten that in London’s darkest hour, in the Second World War, Your Majesty and Your Majesty’s parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, did not leave the city to face the Blitz alone. The Royal Family’s fortitude in remaining here gave great succour to the people of London, not least to those in the East End.

Happily, the long years of Your Majesty’s reign have seen London prosper and grow into the multi-cultural global city it is today. Through Your Majesty’s daily work, as well as that of the Royal Family, Londoners draw strength from the support You show for them and the continued interest You demonstrate in their lives, their communities and their livelihoods.

When You celebrated Your Diamond Jubilee in 2012, representatives came here from the far reaches of the Commonwealth. That was a remarkable year in our city’s history with the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Londoners flocked to the banks of the Thames to see Your Jubilee Pageant pass down the river. The Games were held in the heart of a renewed East London, transformed from the devastation of the Blitz and post War decline, and now the home of a new City Hall.

Londoners are full of gratitude for the stability and continuity represented by Your Reign and for the sense of duty and commitment shown by Your Majesty and that of Your late husband, His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh. This has not been felt more keenly within this great city than through the support you provided in the course of the Covid pandemic. On behalf of the people of London – and those who serve the city in its emergency services, its transport network and the agencies and offices of the Greater London Authority – we give thanks for Your Majesty’s seventy years of service to London, and affectionately offer Your Majesty our most loyal congratulations on the occasion of Your Platinum Jubilee.

Dr Onkar Sahota AM, Chair of the London Assembly

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London