Jim Allister today secured a Matter of the Day on the birth of His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge today. The TUV leader’s comments are below:
“I join in the condolences to the Heaney family.
“We move from marking the death of a leader in the arts to marking the birth of a future leader of the House of Windsor and a future monarch of this nation. The birth of any child is generally a most joyous occasion, and those of us who are parents and grandparents have personal experience of that. However, when the birth involves the coming into the world of one who is likely to be the future monarch of this nation and this Commonwealth, it is indeed a matter worthy of national celebration. Since this House was not sitting when the young prince was born, it is fitting that, as a devolved Assembly of this United Kingdom, we should mark that occasion on the first opportunity and should send our good wishes, though somewhat belated, to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
“I trust and pray that the young prince will be blessed with good health.
“I pray that he will mature into a notable and much-loved leader and head of state of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, something that is likely to happen well beyond the lifetime of most of us in the House. However, those of us who take an interest in the affairs of the House of Windsor are entitled to, and do, take an interest in the posterity of the monarchy, and so we rejoice in this birth and send our good wishes to the young prince and his proud parents.
“I have but one regret, and it is that, yet again, this Building distinguished itself adversely by failing to fly the flag on the occasion of the birth of the prince, whereas other civic buildings did. I trust that the Assembly Commission will get on with fixing that so that we will not be embarrassed again.”
