The nation has lost its granny

UP AND down the country and across the world, we feel that a beloved grandmother has died. Our late Queen, when paying tribute to Princess Diana after her death in 1997, spoke of herself not only as our Queen but also as a grandmother.

- Stephen Cottrell

So we can identify with Prince Harry, who shared his intimate feelings about the grief he was feeling. It was as though he was writing her a last letter from the heart: “Granny, while this final parting brings us great sadness, I am forever grateful for all of our first meetings – from my earliest childhood memories with you, to meeting you for the first time as my Commander-in-Chief, to the first moment you met my darling wife and hugged your beloved great-grandchildren.”

Tomorrow’s funeral, with its solemn and dignified pageantry, as befits the monarch of 15 nations, will be attended by hundreds of heads of state, politicians and dignitaries, led by King Charles and the Royal Family.

The Queen’s coffin will be carried to Westminster Abbey on a gun carriage, drawn by 142 sailors of the Royal Navy.

It’s hard to imagine anything more majestic and, at the same time, more poignant.

The millions who line the route will relay this unique event to their children and grandchildren, telling not only of the grandeur of the occasion, but also of the uniquely personal relationship they felt they had with her.