A beautiful hardback edition, with gold foil detailing on the cover, sewn binding and high spec poetry paper
 
The poems collected in Tribute: Three Commemorative Poems were composed by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage for three significant royal occasions. 'The Patriarchs: An Elegy' was written after Prince Philip passed away in April 2021, 'Queenhood' celebrates the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee in June 2022, while 'Floral Tribute' was composed upon her death, three months later. Gathered together and introduced by a short author's note, this majestic collector's edition presents a lasting tribute as we come to terms with the end of an era.

"The three poems collected in this edition were each written to mark signifi cant royal occasions. There are no formal requirements of the Poet Laureate, and most of my laureate poems have been written about subjects with no connection to the monarchy. That said, there are unspoken expectations, and when I was appointed to the role in May 2019 it was suggested to me that certain momentous events were likely to take place within the forthcoming decade.
 
Those events duly happened, and in relatively quick succession. Prince Philip died in April 2021, and I wrote the poem ‘The Patriarchs’ as an evocation of his generation and men of a particular character, including my own father who had died some weeks earlier. ‘Queenhood’ was written for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in June 2022 in recognition of her seventieth year on the throne – a monumental achievement. The Queen passed away three months later, and my poem ‘Floral Tribute’ was composed as a double acrostic, with letters down the left-hand margin of each stanza embroidering her name into a piece about her favourite flower, lily of the valley."