The Queen Elizabeth Assembly

Following the sad news of the Queen's passing King Edward's held 'A Queen Elizabeth Assembly' in Edward Street Hall this morning for us to come together as a school to show our respect for her duty and service to the country.

We choose Edward Street Hall because of its intimacy, and its heritage - the building was designed in 1926 when Queen Elizabeth was born and opened in 1930 when Queen Elizabeth was four. In addition to this it was 70 years ago that Queen Elizabeth came to the throne but also 70 years ago when King Edward's made the permanent move from the 'old school' located on School House Lane onto the Edward Street site proper. These personal historical touchpoints provided students with an interesting insight into the sheer breadth of history that Queen Elizabeth's reign has covered.

Choosing Edward Street Hall for its heritage and its intimacy provided a wider problem of how to get 950 students in and through a space designed for a maximum of 300 students standing at anyone time. Our students absolutely rose to the challenge, filing silently through the Quad corridors as instructed, into Edward Street Hall, and lining up in single file to listen to the Headmaster, before holding a minute's silence to give thanks for and reflect upon the life of Queen Elizabeth, her profound faith, her unswerving duty and her unstinting service to the nation.

At the end of the silence the Headmaster announced 'The Queen is dead, long live the King' after which the National Anthem was played, as students filed out and on into their future and the transition to the reign of our new monarch King Charles III.

Whether you are Republican or Royalist, Queen Elizabeth was an inspirational woman and role model to so many people. Her commitment to the country, her steadfast belief in duty and service and her commitment to carry out those duties right up until her death mark her out as one of the world's most unique women. We are fortunate to have paid witness to her life and must now witness the next historic steps as King Charles III commences his reign.

God save the King.