Royals in 'good spirits' during visit to Preston day before Queen's death
Mayor Neil Derby hosted the Earl and Countess of Wessex last Wednesday, a day before they travelled up to Balmoral
Last updated 14th Sep 2022
It was one of the final royal visits before news of the Queen's poor health reached us on Thursday morning last week.
The day earlier, the Queen's youngest son, Prince Edward and Sophie, the Earl and Countess of Wessex had visited Preston to see the work which has been undertaken at Avenham and Moor Parks as well as the new flag market in the City Centre.
They were shown the new Wallace and Gromit bench outside the market and met with it's creator, Lancashire's own Nick Park, along with his wife Mags.
The royal couple were greeted by Preston Mayor Neil Derby, who became the youngest mayor ever appointed in May this year.
Mayor Neil Derby said:
"Having hosted the visit for the royals, only the day before, it gave us extra poignancy for us here in Preston to hear of the passing of Her Majesty.
"Seeing Prince Edward and Sophie on the tele going up to Balmoral in the car, brought it home, just how much of a family tragedy this is, as well as a national one."
Speaking about the day earlier, Mayor Derby said:
"Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex seemed to be in perfectly high spirits when they visited Preston just the day before. It highlights how sudden things changed."
Paying tribute to Her Majesty, he said:
"Like most people, I was deeply saddened when I heard of the passing of Her Majesty.
"Queen Elizabeth was the only monarch most of us had ever known and to take it in that she was gone and we're heading into a whole new era was an awful lot to take in and we're still coming to terms with that.
"My best wishes and those of the people of Preston, I'm sure, go out to the new King and his family and what must be an incredibly difficult time."
Today, the Queen's Coffin will be taken from her home at Buckingham Palace and it will be carried to Westminster Hall where the Queen will be lying-in-state until the funeral on Monday.