Cabinet secretary Simon Case has written to King Charles offering his condolences and those of the civil service on the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
“On behalf of all members, at home and abroad, of His Majesty’s civil service may I convey our most sincere condolences, and our deepest sympathy, on the very sad death of your mother and our sovereign, Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” Case said in his letter yesterday.
Buckingham Palace announced yesterday that the Queen had died peacefully at her Balmoral residence at the age of 96.
Tributes immediately began pouring in, with prime minister Liz Truss – who was appointed by the Queen at Balmoral only this week – calling her “the rock on which our country was built”.
Joining the tributes, Case wrote: “From the moment Her Late Majesty was called upon to assume the duties and responsibilities of sovereign, Queen Elizabeth II gave unstinting and devoted service to this country, her other realms and the Commonwealth.”
“As we come together now to mourn as a family of nations, we trust that Your Majesty will draw strength from the knowledge that your late mother was universally loved and respected,” his letter to the King read.
Case – who is no stranger to the royal household, having served as private secretary to Prince WIlliam before being named No.10 permanent secretary in 2020, and later cab sec – said he had the “honour to be Your Majesty’s most humble and obedient servant”.
“Your civil service looks forward with optimism to your reign. You can count on our dedication to and pride in serving Your Majesty, just as we did Her Late Majesty,” he said.
King Charles III took the throne at the moment of his mother’s passing yesterday. His coronation will take place after a period of national mourning.
In a statement yesterday, the monarch said the death of his mother was a “moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family”.
“We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother.”
'Civil servants will serve the King with the same dedication and pride'
Case shared the letter with civil servants yesterday, along with a tribute to the Queen praising her “remarkable life and reign”.
“Today, we witness the end of an exceptional chapter in our nation’s history. Around the world, only a very few people will remember our having any other sovereign. Our monarchy has endured for more than a thousand years and the great span of Her Late Majesty’s reign has surpassed all others,” he wrote in an email.
The Queen was “resolute in putting people and country first” during her life that has spanned almost a century of “dramatic social, political and technological change”, the cabinet secretary said.
“It was an honour and a privilege to serve the Queen, and I know the sense of loss we feel as civil servants will be shared by countless millions of others whose lives she touched and to whom she was a source of inspiration and stability. We will mourn her passing even as we draw comfort from her steadfast devotion to duty, and the profound respect, regard and affection felt for her around the world.
"I know that every civil servant will continue to fulfil their responsibilities to the Crown and serve His Majesty the King with the same dedication and pride as they served Her Late Majesty. His Majesty will provide us with the leadership we need in the days ahead and beyond, and in turn we shall provide him with our loyalty and support.
“God save the King.”