It is with great sadness that The MJ is marking the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and our heartfelt condolences go out to the Royal family for their loss.

The Queen's death marks an extraordinary moment in history, the dawn of a new age that will change the course of the country, that will resonate through every town and city of the United Kingdom.

Throughout the past 70 years of the second Elizabethan age, we have seen huge cultural, social and political change. In the early 1950s, when the Queen first took to the throne, the UK was rebuilding itself in the post-war period. It was the dawn of the welfare state and the National Health Service, the start of a housing programme that saw our cities expand.

It was the era of the Windrush generation and a moment when the lives of women, fresh from their wartime efforts, were dramatically changing.

As we enter this new age, we find ourselves welcoming in a new King, with many echoes of that post-war period. This time we are rebuilding the UK post-Covid, with huge issues facing both the public and the affordability of public services.

There is a renewed focus on cohesion, on equality, diversity and inclusion. The world has changed dramatically and it will continue to do so.

Throughout her 70 years presiding over the country, the Queen has tirelessly devoted herself to public service. Right until the very end of her life, discharging the duties of one Prime Minister and seeing in the next in her final days.

It is a devotion shared by many readers of The MJ, never more so than in the past few years of turmoil. When major events happen, local government responds – and the death of the Queen was no exception.

From proclamations to processions, local government is working tirelessly in the background to ensure our communities can offer their condolences at a time of national mourning – just as they always do.

Looking back into our archive, The MJ commemorated the death of His Majesty King George VI in February 1952, quoting his father in turn from 1934 when he said: ‘In no department of our life is the spirit of public service more clearly manifested than in the sphere of local government.'

It noted the King's devotion to the service of his country and recognised that, even before she became Queen, Elizabeth had shown ‘abundant evidence' she too would devote her life to public service.

As we mourn the loss of a Queen and welcome in King Charles III, The MJ in 1952 finished eloquently. To paraphrase it slightly: Those engaged in local government service pledge their support now. God save the King.