Queen Elizabeth II: Bishop praises monarch's 'great gift of leadership'

Queen Elizabeth II visited the island on several occasions

The Isle of Man's Bishop has praised the Queen's "great gift of leadership".

Rt Rev Peter Eagles said the strength of her faith had driven her forward throughout her 70-year reign, which had been an "inspiration" many.

Queen Elizabeth II held the title of Lord of Mann as the crown dependency's head of state.

Her Majesty visited the island several times, presiding over the annual open-air sitting of Tynwald on two occasions.

The Bishop said that role meant that her relationship with the island was "really quite close".

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Rt Rev Peter Eagles preached at Sandringham in early 2020, shortly before the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

He said the Queen's faith "probably was the inspiration for pretty much everything she did", which gave her the strength "to do it for such a long time".

He said her life of service was "more than just duty" and was borne out of "a conviction that that was what she had been called to do".

"And Her Majesty I think rooted that calling quite clearly in God, who had called her to this role and she reflected frequently upon that fact," he added.

"And to those of us with faith clearly that was a great inspiration."

Peter Eagles said the Queen's faith was an inspiration

The bishop said the affection people felt for the monarch was derived from the fact that she "cared".

He said: "A great gift of leadership has to do with being able to talk with anyone, to engage with anyone, and actually to care enough to remember the details about them.

"Her recollection, her memory of so many people who she met over those years and decades is just astonishing.

"And the reason for that recollection of people is actually because she cared so much."