Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 1926-2022

It’s deeply saddening to hear of the passing of Her Majesty The Queen. Like many of you, I have felt inspired by her unwavering commitment to duty throughout her life, as Queen of the UK, Head of State to many other countries and Head of the Commonwealth.

The span of her reign was quite simply remarkable. It’s particularly poignant to reflect on how, despite the world having changed so much since she became the Monarch, she remained stoic in her duties, providing stability and reassurance to so many throughout the world.

When we see the black and white films of her as an 18-year-old princess joining the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), the women’s branch of the British Army during the Second World War, we’re looking at the first female of the Royal family to hold an active role in the British Armed Forces. And she rejected any special treatment, rather joining the ATS at the lowest rank and working her way up through a dedication to mechanical engineering – even towards the end of her life, there were stories of The Queen diagnosing faults with her Land Rover.

Her lifelong work with charities was equally remarkable.

I think we can all feel inspired by such a life of dedicated service, and my thoughts are with the Royal Family and The King.

Paying our respects to The Queen

At PA, we work closely with Her Majesty’s Government, and many of our colleagues have close connections to the UK armed forces, government and royal household from their earlier careers.

While we mourn this sad loss, The Queen’s role in building positive futures for so many people will inspire us. We’ll draw strength from her example as we seek to do the same in our work.

Ken Toombs,
CEO