The passing of Queen Elizabeth 11, a truly wonderful and remarkable woman, has manifested great sadness in the nation with many, many tributes made. I have chosen two, but before I would like to share my joy, yes joy when I saw photographs of two rainbows over Buckingham Palace on the morning the Queen died. A rainbow is, of course a sign of God’s promise to never again flood the earth (Genesis 9;12-17) However when I see a rainbow, I take it as a sign of God’s presence and that all His promises to us are true. There was, for example a wonderful rainbow on the morning of Sophie Fairall’s funeral (see blog October 7, 2021) and now TWO on the morning of the Queen’s passing. Coincidence – maybe but I prefer “God instance”

Tribute One – David Nott

David Nott, a war surgeon has recalled the remarkable way in which the Queen comforted him and held his hand a week after he returned from the “carnage” of Aleppo.

Speaking on ITV Wales’ Face to Face programme earlier this year, David Nott – who has performed lifesaving surgery in some of the most dangerous conflict zones across the world – recalled the time he was invited to Buckingham Palace to meet Her Majesty The Queen.

Having spent six weeks working in war-torn Aleppo in Syria prior to his visit, David Nott explained how he had been struggling mentally, and, after the Queen had observed his fragile state, went about making him feel better.

“When I came back [from Aleppo] there was a letter from the Queen saying to me would I like to come round to Buckingham Palace for a meal.

“So I did and of course it was only a week after I’d come back from this carnage and the contrast between the carnage and the beauty of Buckingham Palace was just a bit too much for me to cope with.

“And then not only that, sitting next to the Queen was something I couldn’t cope with, I really couldn’t.

“I suddenly was unable to speak, I didn’t know what to say to her it was very difficult. I felt I just wanted to get out. I wanted to run.

“And she was very nice and she understood this. She looked at me sternly for a bit and then she held my hand, which was a bit odd, well I felt a bit strange at the time and then she said ‘let’s do something else shall we?’

“And then she turned around to the courtier and brought all the dogs in and so we just spent the whole lunch stroking the dogs, we didn’t eat anything and she stayed with me the whole of the time.

“It was quite remarkable.

“I felt like she was like my mother and of course she’s the mother of the nation and she looked on me as someone who needed help immediately.”

Tribute Two – The Archbishop of York.

The Archbishop of York has shared a touching, humorous memory of Her Majesty the Queen as part of his tribute in Parliament.

Most Rev Stephen Cottrell met the monarch on a number of occasions, but there’s one particularly moment that clearly stands out in his memory.

Many of the bishops speaking in the House of Lords had met the Queen personally, and shared first-hand accounts of her sense of humour, faith and servitude.

Archbishop Stephen said: “Stories to tell of doing jigsaws in Sandringham on a Sunday evening, stories of barbeques in the woods in Sandringham in the middle of January.

“I have even got a slightly scurrilous story about healing the Queen’s car – maybe I will tell it.”

He continued: “I had preached in Sandringham parish church. We were standing outside. The Bentley was there to get the Queen, the Bentley didn’t start. It made that throaty noise that cars make in the middle of winter when they are not going to start.

“Everybody stands there doing nothing. I am expecting a policeman to intervene. Nothing happens.

“Enjoying the theatre of the moment I step forward and made a large sign of the cross over the Queen’s car to the enjoyment of the crowd. There were hundreds of people there – it was the Queen.

“I see the Queen out the corner of my eye looking rather stony faced at this point and I think perhaps I’ve over-stepped the mark.

“Anyway, the driver tries the car again and praise the Lord, the car started.

“The Queen gets in and goes back to Sandringham. I follow in another car.

“When I arrive at Sandringham as I come into lunch, the Queen with a beaming smile says ‘Ah, bishop. It’s the bishop. He healed my car.”

However – he wasn’t the only one to remember the incident.

He continued: “Two years later when I was greeting her at the west front of Chelmsford Cathedral just as a very grand service was about to start… she took me to one side and said ‘Bishop, nice to see you again.

“I think the car’s all right today, but if I have any problems I will know where to come’.”

Quote of the week