The Meaningful Way the Royal Navy Honored Queen Elizabeth Four Years After Her Death
The Meaningful Way the Royal Navy Honored Queen Elizabeth Four Years After Her Death
Emily BurackFri, October 30, 2026 at 2:44 PM UTC
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This week, the Royal Navy officially retired Queen Elizabeth’s colours, her ceremonial flag, at Portsmouth Cathedral. Her only daughter, Princess Anne, was in attendance for the solemn ceremony.
“‘Laying up’ is the established military practice by which a Sovereign’s Colour is retired once replaced. The act honours the Colour as a historic artefact, normally in a place of worship – and this Colour will join others hanging in the cathedral from previous kings and queens,” notes the Royal Navy. “For the Royal Navy, the ceremony makes the transition from one Sovereign’s Colours to the next while honouring those who served under them.”
The Queen’s Colour Royal Navy was in use from 2003 to 2023, and featured a double-folded silk white ensign embroidered with the Crown and Royal Cypher.
Inside the Cathedral.LPhot Helayna Birkett/Royal Navy
During the service, First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins spoke. “This is a moment to pause, to remember and to give thanks,” he said. “The Colours before us were presented by Her Majesty in Portsmouth in 1986 and for nearly four decades they have been paraded by generations of sailors and Royal Marines.”
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He added, “There could be no more appropriate place for it than here, in Portsmouth Cathedral, the Cathedral of the Sea. For centuries, this cathedral has stood alongside the Navy and the people of Portsmouth. Its central tower once guided ships towards the harbour. Within these walls, the story of our maritime nation is preserved in stone, glass and timber. The Queen’s Colours now take their place among them - to rest here, as naval Colours have done before it.”
During the service, Princess Anne read from the book of Romans. Also in attendance were Abdul Kadir, the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth, Steve Pitt, the leader of Portsmouth City Council, and Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan.
Princess Anne meets with navy personnel.LPhot Helayna Birkett/Royal Navy
“Remembering others who served before me was very poignant,” Lieutenant Commander Dan Hill told the Portsmouth News after the ceremony. “It’s a new era for the Royal Navy to serve under King Charles III. It was a very important day to see Princess Anne representing him here in Portsmouth. It’s the home of the Royal Navy, so it’s very fitting for the service to happen here.”
Queen Elizabeth’s last visit to Portsmouth took place in May 2021, when she visited the ship HMS Queen Elizabeth at HM Naval Base.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
