Tributes paid as Sutherland Lord Lieutenant Dr Monica Main prepares to stand down
Sutherland’s Lord Lieutenant Dr Monica Main is standing down after 17 years as the Queen’s representative in the county, it has been announced.
She will be succeeded by Major General Patrick Marriott who has been part of the lord lieutenancy team since 2013, serving first as a Deputy Lieutenant and since 2021 as Vice-Lord Lieutenant.
Dr Main was appointed Lord Lieutenant for Sutherland in June 2005 – and was particularly honoured to be the first woman to occupy the role.
She has since attended numerous events and functions, including escorting Princess Anne and Prince Charles during visits they made to the county.
Part of the Lord Lieutenant’s remit is to present honours and awards on behalf of the Queen, and Dr Main has officially handed over the Queen’s Award for Enterprise as well as various other medals and certificates.
She has also passed on royal congratulations to residents celebrating their 100th birthday and 60th wedding anniversaries.
Sutherland has a close affiliation with the warship HMS Sutherland and Dr Main spent a memorable evening on board marking the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar.
She was invited to represent the county at the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.
Deputy Lieutenant Kim Tulloch, who worked with Dr Main for 16 years, said: “Monica is able to talk to people from all backgrounds and has a lot of local knowledge, making her an ideal Lord Lieutenant. I wish her a long and happy retirement.”
William Sutherland, chairman of the local branch of armed forces charity SSAFA, has paid tribute to the work Dr Main undertook to support the armed forces.
He said: “Monica joined our branch as its vice-president in 2011. It is an honorary role but she has been no mere figurehead and has taken the wellbeing of Sutherland’s armed forces community to her heart, attending meetings and events regularly and providing wise counsel, guidance and support.
“She stepped seamlessly into the role of acting president in 2016, carrying it out with dedication and success until the appointment of our new president, Major General Marriott last year.
“We in SSAFA Sutherland believe that Monica has provided exemplary and selfless service to the armed forces veterans in Sutherland and we take this opportunity to set our appreciation on record.”
Lord Lieutenants normally serve until the age of 75 but Dr Main, whose husband Bill died last year,is standing down five years early, at the age of 70. She will leave the role in August.
