Army veteran looks to new era and says 'God bless the King!' – Moving moments captured at service of prayer and reflection for the Queen in Wick church

A special service of prayer and reflection on the life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was held at St Fergus Church in Wick last night with heartfelt tributes paid and tears shed.

The event was organised by the Caithness Presbytery – a group of local churches belonging to the Church of Scotland – and the service was led by Rev Heather Stewart.

"I was a babe in arms when she ascended to the throne," reflected Rev Stewart as the assembled congregation listened intently. "The tributes that have flown in from across the world prove how much she was respected and admired by even those who are not supporters of the monarchy.

"We are at a time of national mourning but we must remember that at the very core of our monarchy is a family that is grieving the death of a mother, a granny and a great granny. First and foremost, they are a family just like your family."

Rev Stewart drew attention to the Queen's sense of humour and the link with Paddington Bear that helped connect her with many children. "Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second has completed her service to us as a nation and to her God."

Members of the Caithness Presbytery and other denominations spoke lines at the ecumenical service, leading up to a tribute from Lord Thurso in his role as His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Caithness. "She was for me the solid rock at the centre of the nation and I base my remarks on the constancy of her life," he told the audience.

"The constancy to her faith, her constitutional leadership and dedication and service. I keep on getting caught out when watching television and find tears rather hard to avoid – a sentiment I know shared by many others. I have known no other monarch and that is why part of the loss seems so personal as well as national."

Lord Thurso talked further about the Queen's various roles and how she represented a continuity within the nation. "She largely created the modern monarchy and was great fun with a huge sense of humour. She was the monarch for our times, understanding and caring, conscientious and diligent. Her legacy is demonstrated by the national outpouring of grief and the fact we all view it personally."

His voice faltered with emotion as he finished up by saying: "Thank you Ma'am for all you have given and all you have done. Thank you Ma'am for everything."

After the event, he told the Groat: "I was deeply grateful that the Caithness Presbytery pulled together such a lovely service. We had all the denominations together and a really good turnout. It shows Caithness paying tribute to Her Majesty and also the need we all feel to come together at this time."

Former soldier Kev Stewart from Wick was also there to pay tribute to the Queen and said: "I'm here because I joined the army in 1995 and put my hand on the Bible to swear allegiance to the Queen and country and to give my life if necessary to defend the country. I served in Northern Ireland and Afghanistan. She's always been there....every Remembrance Day and every parade. It's a new era we're entering now. God bless the King."

Rev Lyall Rennie has met King Charles on various occasions while conducting services at Canisbay Church. "The last time he was here he planted a tree beside the church hall for the Queen's Jubilee which will be a lasting legacy."

Thurso and Northwest Caithness councillor Matthew Reiss noted that the Queen had "an incredibly unifying effect" and it was particularly fitting that the various churches across Caithness were represented. "The address by the Lord-Lieutenant was very impressive and came from the heart. I think there was a tear in his eye and a lump in his throat like many others here tonight."

Cllr Struan Mackie admitted that he too shed tears at the service and said that his role on the night was as Provost of Thurso and senior civic lead for Caithness. "I thought the service was absolutely beautiful. Although we think of her as our monarch, the most important thing is she was a granny, great granny and a mother at the end of the day.

Cllr Jan McEwan, Provost of Wick, said: "I was moved to tears by what the Lord-Lieutenant said and it was a lovely service. The singing was beautiful and Heather Stewart did well with the readings. To organise the service as such short notice was tremendous and I take my hat off to her."

Rev Stewart said that there were two meetings with the Lord-Lieutenant and the Moderator of Caithness Presbytery to organise the service. "The arrangement of the hymns and choice of readings was mine and I selected what was suitable. The Lord-Lieutenant organised the civic side and I organised the clergy."

Rev Stewart finished up by saying the Queen had set an "excellent example" and her passing was "a milestone in our history".

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