Quakers at Buckingham Palace
Friends address Elizabeth Windsor
A group of Quakers were among the ‘privileged bodies’ invited to give an address to Elizabeth Windsor on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee. The ceremony was held at Buckingham Palace on 27 March.
The Quaker address was entitled ‘A Loyal Address to her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on behalf of the Religious Society of Friends in Britain (Quakers) on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee.’
The text, which is printed in full in the article ‘Speaking truth’, welcomed her personal commitment to peace and lamented the ‘resort to armed conflict as an instrument of policy’. It highlighted several Quaker concerns, such as the recent ‘strong corporate commitment to become a low-carbon, sustainable community’ and that of ‘global economic injustice’. The address also stated: ‘We see the recent move to allow the celebration of civil partnerships on religious premises as a step towards full equality in marriage’.
A slightly shorter, oral, version of the text was read on Tuesday by Joycelin Dawes, clerk and chair of trustees at Quaker Social Action and associate tutor at Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre in Birming-ham. She was among twelve Quakers from various parts of Britain who attended the ceremony.
The title of the address and the decision to accept the invitation to give it led to a lively debate amongst some Quakers. At a Young Friends General Meeting (YFGM) in February, held at Nottingham, there was some disagreement as to whether YFGM should accept the invitation to write a ‘loyal address’ and to send representatives to the ceremony.
