PRIME MINISTER DREW LAUDS YEOMAN SERVICE OF SIR EDMUND W LAWRENCE AHEAD OF STATE FUNERAL
BASSETERRE, Saint Kitts, September 24, 2025 (SKNIS) – The Government of St. Christopher and Nevis will hold a State Funeral to honour the life and legacy of former Governor-General, His Excellency Sir Edmund Wickham Lawrence, GCMG, OBE, CSM, JP, an event befitting a man who shaped the nation’s destiny both in and out of office.
A State Funeral, as outlined in official protocol, is a formal and public event arranged and funded by the government to honour and commemorate a Head of State or Head of Government. It involves prescribed military honours and follows specific ceremonial traditions. This solemn occasion will reflect the profound gratitude of a nation for Sir Edmund’s unparalleled service.
The funeral will take place on Thursday October 2, 2025, commencing with a Lying-in-State at Government House from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., where members of the public may pay their final respects.
Following the Lying-in-State, the funeral procession will travel through the streets of Basseterre. In a poignant tribute to his foundational role in the nation’s economic development, the procession will pause momentarily in front of the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank Limited—the iconic institution Sir Edmund led for decades, setting the cornerstone for financial empowerment in the Federation.
The funeral service will follow at 1:00 p.m. at the Wesley Methodist Church, Seaton Street, Basseterre.
In a statement, the Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew, offered the following solemn remarks:
“We will gather not only to lay to rest a former Governor-General but to celebrate the life of a true financial and economic architect of our modern nation. Sir Edmund Lawrence was a colossus whose vision stretched far beyond the horizon of his time. As Governor-General, he served with dignity. As one of the founding members of the National Bank and its associated institutions, he built the very foundations upon which our economy and the dreams of our people could grow.
He was more than a banker; he was a pioneer of financial empowerment. Through his astute leadership, he created vehicles for broad-based financial inclusion that have enabled generations of Kittitians and Nevisians—entrepreneurs, homeowners and families—to transform their lives. His legacy is not merely in the institutions he built—National Caribbean Insurance, National Bank Trust and others—but in the prosperity they continue to generate. He was rightly revered as an elder statesman in the Caribbean banking fraternity and a key influencer of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union.
Today, as a nation in mourning, we extend our deepest sympathies to Lady Hulda Lawrence and the family. We have lost a giant but we are eternally blessed by the indelible mark he left on our soil. His work is complete and his legacy is secure.”
The Government invites the public to participate in this national observance and to reflect on the extraordinary life of a man whose contributions continue to resonate in every corner of our society.
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