Ely Cathedral to remember Queen Elizabeth II's life one year on from her death
It's 12 months since the UK's longest-serving monarch died
Last updated 8th Sep 2023
Today marks one year since the death of Queen Elizabeth II the second and a place in Cambridgeshire she knew well is paying its respects.
The late Queen visited Ely Cathedral in 1973 for the 13th centenary of Ely Cathedral, before returning to the landmark known as the 'Ship of the Fens' in 1987 with her husband Prince Philip for a special maundy service.
People wishing to reflect on the late Queen, who spent 70 years on the throne, can light a candle inside the cathedral in her memory.
Canon James Reveley is the canon for congregation and community at Ely Cathedral:
"At Evensong, the evening service at 5.30pm, will be in the Lady Chapel and there will be prayers remembering the Queen and honouring the current monarch King Charles III," he said.
"Within the Church of England, the monarch is the supreme governor and in his Christmas message, King Charles said that he feels very much part of that tradition as well so it's something we will be marking."
During her visit to Ely in 1973, the late Queen created a historic moment when she allowed Ely the right to remain a city after a local government reshuffle.
Then in 1987, Queen Elizabeth II handed out specially minted coins to 122 people, which amounted to one man and one woman for every year of her age.
"Being connected with our past is so important"
Canon Reveley hopes that today people can reflect on her seven decades of service, but also to honour the current monarch.
"I think thankfulness (the main message from evensong) that we enjoy a certain amount of peace and freedom in our lives whereas many people don't have those luxuries in life," he added.
"We can do what we can to assist them but there are moments where we can say 'thank God for what we have'.
"I think being connected with our past is such an important thing, not forgetting where we've come from or the contributions people have made over centuries for good or bad, to our lives."