Following today's sad announcement from Buckingham Palace, Nickie Aiken, MP for the Cities of London and Westminster, has released the following statement: 

I am sure that the whole of the Cities of London and Westminster will join me in expressing our deep grief at the news of the passing of Her Majesty The Queen. 

For over 70 years, she has been our strength and stay through times of both challenge and jubilation.

Her Majesty has been steadfast in her selflessness, in her dedication to duty and in her commitment to our country and the Commonwealth.

Her Majesty touched the hearts of so many people. As Head of the Commonwealth, Head of the Armed Forces and patron to hundreds of charities, groups and organisations including British Red Cross, Friends of the Elderly, Girlguiding, Royal Society for Blind Children, and Royal Society of Portrait Painters - all based in the Two Cities - she empowered everyone she met to make a real difference and to have an impact on their community. 

The Queen spent much of her life in the Two Cities; born in Bruton Street, crowned and married in Westminster Abbey and, as Monarch, lived and brought up her family at both St. James’s Palace and Buckingham Palace. Equally, the City of London was also a special place for Her Majesty, with St Paul’s Cathedral playing an integral role in marking her extraordinary reign.

Her sense of duty and devotion to our Nation will be an everlasting legacy; one that spans generations and leaves a mark on the hearts of many across the world. 

I, along with the people of the Cities of London and Westminster, send our thoughts, prayers and most sincere sympathies to His Majesty The King, The Queen Consort and the whole Royal Family.