Portsmouth residents' tributes to their beloved Queen

Residents across the local area have spoken to The News to pay their respects.

Many of those who held street parties to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee have expressed their ‘grief’ and ‘sorrow’ to a stoic monarch who ‘stayed committed’ to her job for more than 70 years.

Cosham resident, Christine Judge, helped organise her street party this summer and has a huge amount of admiration for the Queen and the work she did for us, she said that she is ‘feeling very emotional’.

She said: ‘It is a shock for the country but also for the world.

‘I am 55 years old and I have known her all my life, I have never known anything different and I think a lot of people will say the same, especially the older people.’

Drayton resident Sue Song helped organise a jubilee street party on the monarch’s 70-year reign in June, where about 50 residents from Hilltop Crescent came out in force.

She said: ‘My husband served in the navy so we’ve always had allegiance to our Queen but she was somehow more than that.

‘I was brought up in Edinburgh. I remember being taken by my parents to stand in Princes Street and we saw the Queen go past with who was then the King of Sweden.

Gary Weaving, CEO of the Forgotten Veterans UK charity at Fort Cumberland says he’s been a royalist ‘all his life’ and that he ‘knows for certain’ the veteran community will be grieving the loss of the monarch.

He said: ‘I know for certain that my community will be grieving this because we all took an oath of allegiance to an institution for this woman.

‘Virtually none of us have lived life without the Queen. It's a major part of our lives that has now left us.

‘We all expected it at some point but only seeing photos of her looking so good just two days ago you hoped it was never going to come.’

Jonathan Moore, who contributed to the jubilee beacon lighting for Lee-on-the-Solent, felt privileged that he had the opportunity to organise the Jubilee event for Her Majesty.

He said: ‘I feel really lost to be honest with you. The Queen was the same age as my father who died last year.

‘From the moment she became our Sovereign she has done it well and devoted her life to it. She is just amazing. She welcomed the new prime minister in and had the bravery and courage to do that even though she was not well.’

Portsmouth resident Hellen White has always admired the Queen and helped to organise her jubilee bonanza, at Chelmsford Road, to honour the commitment the monarch had for her country.

She said: ‘She has devoted her life to us. Everything should stop for the week to mark her life.

‘It is just really sad, it’s very upsetting. She has been a brilliant Queen to this country.’