Queen Elizabeth II: Tributes pour in from across Sussex

Her Majesty visited Chichester Festival Theatre in 2007

Tributes to Queen Elizabeth II have been paid from across Sussex.

Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-serving monarch, died at Balmoral on Thursday, aged 96, after a 70-year reign.

Lady Emma Barnard, the Lord-Lieutenant of West Sussex, said: "It marks the gentle and dignified close of the longest reign of any monarch this country has ever known."

East Sussex's Lord-Lieutenant Andrew Blackman said her "commitment to duty" during her reign was "unparalleled".

Every county has a Lord-Lieutenant, who acts as the monarch's representative and usually welcomes royal guests when they visit.

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The first prime minister to be appointed by the Queen was Sir Winston Churchill, whose grandson Sir Nicholas Soames served as an MP in Sussex for several decades.

Sir Nicholas said: "My grandfather absolutely revered the Queen, he saw in her the birth of a new Britain after the Second World War, the new Elizabethan age as he Christened it.

"All his most cherished hopes were vested in her, I think. They have been triumphantly vindicated by a lifetime of impeccable service."

Elsewhere, MPs from across the political divide in Sussex offered their condolences. She lived a life of "unfaltering and dedicated public service", said Bexhill and Battle MP Huw Merriman on Twitter.

And Peter Kyle, MP for Hove, said she "defined an era through duty, grace and dignity".

Meanwhile, Caroline Lucas, MP for Brighton Pavilion, thanked her for "seventy years of tireless work", while East Worthing and Shoreham's Tim Loughton tweeted about her "selfless service to the very last day".

The Queen (standing between her parents) and her sister Margaret attended St Mary the Virgin Church in Eastbourne in 1936

Local authorities in East and West Sussex added their condolences, remarking on the number of times the Queen visited both counties during her reign and before it.

West Sussex County Council leader Peter Bradbury said she visited Bognor Regis at the age of three when her grandfather was convalescing in the town, while her most recent visit was in November 2017, when she saw the work of Canine Partners in Midhurst, a charity which provides assistance dogs for disabled people.

"Her Majesty's passing represents the end of an era for our nation," said Mr Bradbury.

The three-year-old Princess Elizabeth makes sandcastles on Bognor Regis beach

A joint statement from councillors Phélim Mac Cafferty, Carmen Appich, John Allcock and Steve Bell, the four party leaders on Brighton and Hove City Council, said: "The Queen succeeded to the throne before any of the four of us were born and that's true for most residents in our city.

"This is a historic moment that people will look back on, remembering when and where they heard the news."

The Queen arrived to open the rebuilt Gatwick Airport on 9 June 1958

The Queen was closely connected with Gatwick Airport, having opened the rebuilt airport in 1958 and the North Terminal 30 years later in 1988.

On 18 March 1988 the Queen opened the North Terminal at Gatwick

To mark her Diamond Jubilee in 2012 a mosaic made up of thousands of photos sent to BBC South East was put on display at the South Terminal.

Airport officials tweeted their condolences to the Royal Family.

Brighton and Hove Albion's away match against AFC Bournemouth and Crawley Town's home match against Gillingham FC, both due to be played on Saturday, have been postponed along with all other football in England and Northern Ireland, and all professional football in Scotland.

Floral tributes have been left at Brighton Pavilion

Books of condolence have been opened across the country, including in Brighton

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