Francis Dymoke describes 'sense of loss' at Queen's death

The Dymoke family, whose ancestors fought alongside William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, holds the historic title of Queen’s Champion.

Francis Dymoke is the 34th generation to run the estate with his wife Gail, and he said the Platinum Jubilee was a clear indicator of how popular our Queen was:

“The events during the Jubilee that I took part in, in Horncastle, Woodhall Spa and Scrivelsby were all packed,” he said, “Now that the Queen has passed on, we all feel a sense of loss.”

Mr Dymoke said that he was surprised at how intensely he felt this bereavement when news of The Queen’s death broke.

"The Queen had been our leading light for over 70 years – the constant figurehead with 15 prime ministers,” he said.

“My Father as Queen’s Champion was part of the 1953 Coronation, and stood relatively close to her during the vows.

“He told me on several occasions how impressed he was with how utterly sincere the Queen was when she vowed to serve this nation throughout her whole life.

“This has proved to be the case over more than 70 years, working to the very end.”

Mr Dymoke also commented on how important the Commonwealth was to Her Majesty:

“Under the Queen’s leadership the Commonwealth has grown enormously in size and meaning. In the troubled times we are now in, this could become even more significant.”

Upon Her Majesty’s death, her son was proclaimed King Charles III.

Francis has been fortunate enough to meet His Majesty on several occasions in his role as the chairman of the Princes Trust for Lincolnshire before Charles ascended the throne, and said he is a very friendly man.

"I also met him when he came to see the newly-launched Louth Market,” he recalled, “I was there as Chairman of the CLA's Lincolnshire branch committee and I gave him my thoughts on what should happen, and he responded very positively.”

Mr Dymoke said he believes Charles will be a wonderful king, and has already proven to be very forward thinking in terms of the country’s green matters:

"He seemed to have grasped that these are very important issues very early, and is thinking ahead to the future of the world and our carbon footprint, and hasn’t held back on what needs to be done.”