Íæż½ã½ã

IT had seemed at times as though Queen Elizabeth II shared the same permanence as the natural world she so dearly loved.

A countrywoman at heart, she was an ever-present figure in the lives of this nations people throughout her remarkable 70 years on the throne.

But last week that permanence, perhaps naively clung to by us all, ended when she died at the age of 96 at her beloved Balmoral. Passing away less than 18 months after her husband Prince Philip, one of the countrys greatest symbols of stability has departed, and so too an era passes with her.

who witnessed the utter transformation of farming during her reign. To think that when she came to the throne horses were still being used on some farms in the UK, to the fact we now we stand on the cusp of an autonomous revolution in agriculture is an amazing thought.

She had also been such an ardent supporter and patron of numerous agricultural and rural institutions and was a figurehead who was deeply cherished and revered by farmers and country folk. For all the change she had seen, the respect she was afforded and inspiration she provided never wavered.

With four in five people in this country having never known any other monarch, she remained an ever present and stabilising figure even against a backdrop of vast social and technological change.And yet, of course, we knew that this Elizabethan age would end at some stage.

Íæż½ã½ã, probably more than any other actors in society, understand that our sublime landscapes, whether that be our towering uplands or our sweeping lowlands, are the only true symbols of permanence. And ones that will outlast us all.

last week was part of that natural cycle and as the sun rose the next day and natures rhythm did not miss a beat, a new era began with King Charles III as our head of state. A long-term supporter of British agriculture, it is comforting to know that we have another rural champion to lead the country forward.

Now though, we simply say thank you to Queen Elizabeth II and all that she did for farming and wider rural causes during her reign.