Grieving nation's farewell

The Queen Mother is likely to be buried with the ashes of the daughter she lost only weeks ago when she is laid in her final resting place next to her husband, King George VI.

Funeral arrangements were being finalised last night for Britain's most loved royal, the "Queen Mum".

It is expected the former Queen will lie in state for 10 days, her coffin on public view at Westminster Hall, before a funeral at Westminster Abbey.

She will be guarded round the clock by a ceremonial contingent of Yeomen of the Guard until she is laid to rest in the black marble vault built for her husband.

Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the woman who never wanted to be Queen, died peacefully in her sleep early Easter Sunday morning, (New Zealand time), aged 101.

Her daughter, Queen Elizabeth, was at her side.

Her second daughter, Princess Margaret, who died in February, was cremated and her ashes have been kept for interment in the King George VI memorial chapel at Windsor.

It was decided not to open the King's vault until the Queen Mother's death.

Her health had been declining and she was unable to shake a cold in the last few months of her life.

Her passing has plunged Britain into sorrow, and thousands of mourners are expected to file past her coffin.

Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday described her as a symbol of British decency and courage.

"During her long and extraordinary life, her grace, her sense of duty and remarkable zest for life made her loved and admired by people of all ages and backgrounds," he said.

"She was part of the fabric of our nation, and we were all immensely proud of her."

Mr Blair is reconsidering a politically important trip next week to meet US President George W. Bush.

As church bells rang out within minutes of Buckingham Palace announcing the Queen Mother's death, crowds of mourners gathered outside Windsor Castle with flowers. A lone piper played The Flowers of the Forest.

British newspapers devoted pages and pages to the story of her life, all of them mourning her as Britain's best-loved royal.

The Sun tabloid said her death was "a truly black day" for a country which had lost its "favourite granny".

Tributes from world leaders poured in. One was from New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, who ordered flags flown at half-mast.

She said the Queen Mother had impressed people with her unassuming dignity, energy, openness and warmth.

"New Zealanders' respect and affection for the Queen Mother was vast."

New Zealanders can sign a book of remembrance in Parliament and a memorial service is planned.

French President Jacques Chirac said his nation learned to love the Queen Mother during the sombre and trying times when the two countries fought side by side for freedom.

"By her courage and her simplicity, she shared all the joy and suffering of the British people.

"The kindness of her smile created one of the most loved faces of our times. All over the world she came to symbolise the principles and values of British history."

The Queen Mother's funeral will be steeped in British history and ceremony.

Late last night, her coffin was to be taken to Westminster Hall from the Queen's Chapel at St James's Palace, which is close to her London home.

There she will lie in state, her coffin lying on a purple-draped catafalque at the spot where King George VI lay in 1952.

Her body will then be taken to Windsor Castle, and when it arrives the Sebastopol bell will toll.

The bell was captured from the Russians in the Crimean War, and is used only for royal tributes.

The Queen Mother's passing ends an era of royal opulence.

She was extravagant, ran up huge debts, gambled on the horses and loved gin and vintage champagne.

She used a Faberge bell to summon servants, and the footmen behind nearly every chair were part of a staff of 50 which included housekeepers, butlers, pages, chefs, ladies' maids, ladies-in-waiting, dressers, gardeners, chauffeurs and a watchman.

But many in Britain believe she held not only the country together, especially during World War II, but also the royal family.

Prince Charles, who adored his grandmother and is said to have shared many of her views about declining standards, is devastated by her death.

He and sons William and Harry yesterday abandoned a skiing holiday at the Swiss resort of Klosters to return to London when they received news of her death.

The Queen Mother lived through two world wars and six reigns and saw 27 prime ministers come and go.

She underwent two hip replacements and a variety of operations as her health deteriorated later in life, but in her early days she was a noted beauty and dancer.

A biographer described her as having an "innocent sensuality" and British writer Evelyn Waugh described her as "creamy English charm".

She did not want to be Queen, but became so when Edward VIII abdicated in 1936 to marry Wallis Simpson, whom the Queen Mother called "that woman". The Queen Mother's husband, the shy George VI, took the throne.

But she settled into the role, and loved the privilege and luxury of her new life.

During World War II, she wore her best dresses and jewels when she visited the bombed East End of London, believing it would raise morale.

She once said her secret was that she loved life, and she did almost to the end - the icing on her 100th birthday cake contained a splash of gin.

- AGENCIES