Peers share touching memories of Queen who was 'soft power personified'

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby sparked laughs as he recounted January barbecues held at the late Queen's Sandringham campaign headquarters in Norfolk .

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Peer is on the verge of tears in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II

Peers flocked to the House of Lords yesterday (FRI) to pay tribute to the Queen's "dedication to the happiness of her people" and her dry sense of humour.

The most lavishly decorated room in the palace was packed, with some peers forced to sit in the center aisle to hear their colleagues share their most personal moments with the Queen.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, had a laugh when he recounted the January barbecues held at the late Queen's Sandringham campaign headquarters in Norfolk.

He said: "One of the greatest privileges of sitting in these pews is that within about a year of becoming a diocesan bishop, you are invited to spend a weekend at Sandringham and there, often in January, you go for a barbecue – courage.”

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby paid tribute to the Queen in the Lords (

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Lord Speaker Lord McFall of Alcluith said: "Her Majesty whom we mourn today was for over 70 years a loyal and unwavering presence in the national life of the United Kingdom.

His strong sense of public duty and dedication to the well-being and happiness of his people served to unite our nation at a time of unprecedented societal and technological change."

Former Tory minister Lord Forsyth of Drumlean, a Tory counterpart, has described how the Queen carried out her duties 'unerringly'.