Lichfield Cathedral has welcomed the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester for a a service marking the Queen’s Jubilee.
The service yesterday (February 19) also saw the Royal visitors given a tour of the external restoration work at the East End of the historic building.
As part of Her Majesty The Queens’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, Lichfield extended a warm welcome to Their Royal Highnesses, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester at the Cathedral on Sunday 19 February. Choral Evensong celebrated the Jubilee year and The Duke of Gloucester represented The Queen. The service formed part of the celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of the accession of Her Majesty The Queen and it was jointly hosted by Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Staffordshire Sir James Hawley KCVO TD JP and the Chairman of Staffordshire County Council Frank Lewis MBE. The visit also enabled The Duke to inspect key restoration developments to the East End of the Cathedral since his last visit in 2009.
Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Staffordshire Sir James Hawley, who hosted the event, said: “This is the Diamond Jubilee year, marking 60 glorious years of Her Majesty The Queen’s reign.
“Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester joined the Chairman of Staffordshire County Council, Mr Frank Lewis MBE and myself as we jointly hosted a Service of Thanksgiving at Lichfield Cathedral to mark the past 60 years. People representing many walks of life were amongst the 700 guests who attended the service.”
The Very Revd Adrian Dorber, Dean of Lichfield, added: “It was a privilege to begin the regional celebrations of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with a service of thanksgiving here in Lichfield Cathedral.
“This is a special year in the life of our nation when we look back on our post-war history and the achievements and complexities of the period. Queen Elizabeth II is a wise and diligent Monarch and we have much to thank her for.”
