"I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong."

It is with deep sorrow that we learned of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, after a long life of selfless service to our country, doing her duty to the end, with that unforgettable smile glowing as ever in the last photographs. We express our deepest sympathy to His Majesty and to all of her children and grandchildren and the wider family.

We remember that according to Queen's Regulations which like so many things will now have to be renamed, 

The government and command of each of the fighting Services is vested in Her Majesty The Queen, who has charged the Secretary of State with general responsibility for the defence of the Realm and established a Defence Council having command and administration over Her armed forces. 

Her Majesty's association with the armed forces, in which she served herself, is well known and a role for which many of us will remember her best.