The Quiet Heart' of Oueen Elizabeth II 1926 - 2022

She was our longest-serving monarch - an inspirational sovereign, global icon and deft stateswoman with a gentle twinkle in her eye who selflessly dedicated her life to service and duty. Here we bid goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II and look at the girl and woman behind the crown.

- JULIET RIEDEN

When the day came no one was ready. Her eldest son talked of “a sense of loss beyond measure” in his first address as the new King Charles III. His words, and those of his sons which came later, drew the people right into the heart of this close-knit family. Together we mourned as the House of Windsor shared its sorrow, and took comfort in the deep affection of a grateful nation and Commonwealth honouring a sovereign beyond compare.

“I knew this day would come, but it will be sometime before the reality of life without Grannie will truly feel real,” said William, her grandson, now Prince of Wales.

“She was by my side at my happiest moments. And she was by my side during the saddest days of my life.

“I thank her for the kindness she showed my family and me. And I thank her on behalf of my generation for providing an example of service and dignity in public life that was from a different age, but always relevant to us all.”

That a 96-year-old who had spent her life in palaces, and for the past seven decades held the highest position in the land, could still be relevant to young and old is just one of the remarkable qualities of the late Queen Elizabeth II.