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HRH the Princess Royal helps lay up the Queen's Colour
IT may well have been an emotional moment for HRH the Princess Royal as we laid up the Queen's Colour of the Royal Navy.
The HM Queen Elizabeth II Royal Navy Colour had been present at many significant occasions in her mother's life - including her Diamond and Platinum Jubilee Celebrations, and her 90th birthday. Now it was being laid up in Portsmouth Cathedral with full ceremonial honours.
The royal event began with a procession along the High Street with the Band of HM Royal Marines and the Guard of Honour escorting the Flag Party. Dignitaries including local politicians, high-ranking naval officers and other VIPs had already assembled inside our cathedral.
The Guard of Honour and Band of HM Royal Marines assembled in the cathedral nave before the Queen's Colour was saluted and handed over. The First Sea Lord presented the Colour to HRH the Princess Royal. She handed it on to the Archdeacon for the Royal Navy, and the Dean of Portsmouth then laid the Queen's Colour on the altar. It will ultimately be hung in the cathedral's north cloister.
HRH Princess Anne read from the book of Romans as part of the service, which also included an Act of Remembrance, and prayers for the King and Commonwealth, and an act of commitment to peace led by the Archdeacon for the Royal Navy. The Choir of the Royal Hospital School sang an anthem and led the singing.
As part of his address, the First Sea Lord, Sir Gwyn Jenkins, said: "These Colours represent far more than just silk and traditions. For the Royal Navy, they hold a deeper meaning. They also speak to Her Late Majesty's own deep and personal connection with the Royal Navy. She was the daughter, wife and mother of naval officers.
"From launching HMS Vanguard as a young princess, to commissioning HMS Queen Elizabeth many decades later, the Royal Navy was a constant thread throughout her life. We were proud to serve her. And we are proud that this ceremony gives the Royal Navy the chance to say a final farewell.
"There could be no more appropriate place for it than here, in Portsmouth Cathedral, the Cathedral of the Sea. For centuries, this cathedral has stood alongside the Navy and the people of Portsmouth. Its central tower once guided ships towards the harbour. Within these walls, the story of our maritime nation is preserved in stone, glass and timber. The Queen's Colours now take their place among them - to rest here, as naval Colours have done before it."
Among those who met HRH Princess Anne was Lance Cpl Mariam Smith, of the Royal Marine Voluntary Cadet Corps, based at Whale Island, Portsmouth. She said: "It was really nice to meet her. I think we were chosen because of our good behaviour. She asked me what my ambitions were, and I said I wanted to join the Royal Navy."
HRH the Princess Royal also met the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth, Cllr Abdul Kadir, the leader of Portsmouth City Council, Cllr Steve Pitt, and Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan after the service - as well as serving Navy personnel of all ranks.
The Queen’s Colour Royal Navy was in use from 2003 to 2023. It was replaced by the King’s Colour, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The previous Queen’s Colour, dating from 1969, is laid up in St Nicholas Church, HM Naval Base Devonport.
The Colour is a double-folded silk white ensign, embroidered with the Crown and Royal Cypher. It measures 44 inches by 36 inches and includes a gold and blue silk cord with gold tassels. It is attached to an ash staff 3 inches in circumference, with a gilt badge at the top.
The cathedral's north tower transept already accommodates a number of laid-up standards, and so was considered the most appropriate place for the Queen's Colour to remain permanently. Among the colours already laid up are the Regimental Colour, 6th Battalion Hampshire Regiment (1909, laid up in 1964), the Burma Star Association Standard (laid up in 2006) and the Association of Wrens (Portsmouth) Standard (laid up in 2021).
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