§ The Lord President of the Council (Lord Soames) rose to move that an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty the Queen, congratulating Her Majesty and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh on the approaching Marriage of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales to the Lady Diana Spencer; expressing to Her Majesty the great pleasure felt by this House and the Nation at this joyful event; and praying that His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and the Lady Diana Spencer will be blessed with every happiness in their married life.
§ The noble Lord said: My Lords, I beg to move that an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty in the terms set out on the Order Paper.
§ On the 24th February my noble and learned friend the Lord Chancellor was able to announce to the House the most excellent news of the engagement of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales to the Lady Diana Spencer. He added that the House would have a later opportunity to convey a more formal message to Her Majesty. It is my great pleasure and honour today to move such a resolution, offering your Lordships' congratulations to Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, and expressing our wish to share with them the happiness which they must feel at the forthcoming marriage.
§ We recall with admiration the major events of the Prince of Wales's remarkably full and varied life. His many qualities, his courage, his determination, his personal achievements, his pursuit of excellence, his dedication to the many facets of his life and work, his desire and his ability to understand the problems of others, the warmth of his heart and his personality—all these are features of the admiration and affection in which His Royal Highness is held by the people of our islands, of the Commonwealth, and in the wider world. What father or what mother would not be proud of such a son?
§ We much value the Prince of Wales's membership of this House and we hope that both he and Lady Diana know that they will always be assured of the warmest of welcomes here. Lady Diana, with her charm and beauty, her naturalness and spontaneity, has already won a special place in the hearts of our people. We wish her well on 29th July—a supremely happy day—and in the years to come. She will surely be a source of great strength and happiness to our future Sovereign.
§ We offer Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh our warm congratulations 1370 on this great and happy occasion, and we pray that the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer will be blessed with true and lasting happiness in their married life. My Lords, I beg to move the Motion for an humble Address to Her Majesty.
§ Moved, That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty the Queen, congratulating Her Majesty and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh on the approaching Marriage of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales to the Lady Diana Spencer; expressing to Her Majesty the great pleasure felt by this House and the nation at this joyful event; and praying that His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and the Lady Diana Spencer will be blessed with every happiness in their married life.—(Lord Soames.)
§ Lord PeartMy Lords, on behalf of the Opposition I warmly endorse the sentiments expressed by the Lord President to Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh on the approaching marriage of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales to the Lady Diana Spencer. I think all of us will wish the young couple every happiness in their married life, and I am sure that they, too, in turn will inspire the love, affection and respect of the British people.
§ Lord ByersMy Lords, on behalf of noble Lords on these Benches I wish wholeheartedly to support the Motion now before the House. The engagement of the heir to the Throne has already given great pleasure to millions of people in this country and elsewhere. That pleasure stems largely from the fact that the forthcoming marriage obviously commends itself to Her Majesty the Queen and to Prince Philip, and to the affection which Prince Charles and the Lady Diana Spencer have for one another.
The Monarchy is an institution which, in the view of most of us, is vital to the protection of our freedom and parliamentary democracy. In our present Monarchy we have the sure confidence that they will develop and flourish. In the Prince of Wales, who, too, has earned the nation's respect and affection, and his future bride, I am certain that the principles upon which the Monarchy has been built will be fully upheld.
If I may speak as one who yesterday celebrated 42 years of happy married life, I should like to join in offering our affectionate good wishes that the Royal couple may enjoy throughout their lives all the blessings that a happy home can give.
§ The Lord Archbishop of CanterburyMy Lords, from these Benches I want heartily to endorse all that has been said in support of the Motion. The marriage of a Prince of Wales is in itself a matter for great rejoicing by the citizens of this country, but there are many reason why this particular marriage gives such great pleasure not only here but throughout the Commonwealth, and indeed the world. Walter Bagehot said in his work on the English constitution:
A princely marriage is a brilliant edition of a universal fact and as such it rivets mankind".The happiness which is felt on this occasion is an expression, first, of the deep affection in which the Prince's family is held. The example which Her Majesty the Queen and her family provide is a constant 1371 reminder in this uncertain world of the values which really matter; and not least of these is the strength of their family life. We rejoice to share their happiness on this great family occasion.As has been said, our delight is also due to the place which the Prince of Wales has won in all our hearts. The qualities of courage, humanity, concern and zest for life which he has shown are indeed a happy augury for the future of our nation. All that seemed to be needed was that he should find someone of character and sensitivity with whom to share his life. It is clear that the nation approves his choice, for Lady Diana has quickly won a secure place in all our hearts. I have no doubt at all that the high ideals of Christian marriage, in which they believe, will help to sustain them in the great responsibilities to which they are called. We rejoice with them and for them, and their happiness will uplift us all.
§ Baroness Hylton-FosterMy Lords, noble Lords sitting on the Cross-Benches wish to be associated very warmly with the terms of the Motion proposed by the noble Lord the Leader of the House. There is, perhaps, an added pleasure for them in doing so since it was from these Benches that His Royal Highness made his very eloquent maiden speech on sport and leisure. The marriage of the heir to the Throne is, of course, a happy family occasion, but inevitably has wider significance also. It will bring great joy to the nation as a whole, to the Commonwealth and to all those throughout the world to whom His Royal Highness has endeared himself during his many visits and travels. We wish His Royal Highness and Lady Diana Spencer every happiness.
§ Lord AylestoneMy Lords, it is a pleasure and a great privilege to represent my few colleagues on this one Bench and to associate ourselves with the good wishes that have been expressed by the Leader of the House. July 29th is a memorable day, not only in the lives of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer but in the lives of all, or at least the majority, of the people of this country. It is a day which we shall look forward to as much as I think they do. We express the hope that in the future they have very many years of happiness and joy, and years that are spent in a world of peace.
On Question, Motion agreed to, nemine dissentiente: the said Address to be presented to Her Majesty by the Lord Chancellor, the Archbishop of York, the Lord President, the Lord Byers, the Baroness Hylton-Foster and the Lord Peart.