It was a very great privilege to be present for, and take part in the funeral for the late Queen in Westminster Abbey. I was particularly glad that the Free Churches were represented so publicly at a key moment of national importance. I was therefore honoured not just to be present, and to process into the Abbey but also be asked to lead prayers alongside the Bishop of London and the Archbishop of York, the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, Shemara Fletcher of Churches Together in England and Archbishop Cardinal Vincent Nicholls. The prayer I was asked to read acknowledged the long service of Queen Elizabeth II and prayed both for our nation and for our leaders that they would be faithful and honest. It seemed a very fitting prayer to offer. My head and my heart are still very full of memories not least the rich encounters between ecumenical senior leaders and inter-faith guests as we waited to process into the Abbey.
All this followed an audience with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace on the Friday evening. He had just arrived back into London from Cardiff 15 minutes before we arrived, and after the time he spent with us, he later went and kept the Vigil of the Princes with his sister and two brothers at his mother’s lying in state. Despite the tightness of this schedule the King spoke to everyone present and I was therefore able to offer him personally the condolences and sympathies of the Free Churches and assure him of our prayers. He asked me to thank you for your prayers in his bereavement and as he takes up new responsibilities. I told him a little of our work and mentioned the work in particular in prisons, hospitals, military and higher education chaplaincies. He was interested that we co-operated together in such work.
On a lighter note as I was leaving Westminster Abbey after the funeral I bumped into President Biden and Dr Jill Biden. I gave the President our best wishes and he said, Thank you Ma’am!
The Revd Canon Helen Cameron
Moderator of the Free Churches Group
