Queen Mother dies aged 101

LONDON - The Queen Mother has this morning died in her sleep with her daughter at her bedside, Buckingham Palace said.

The Queen Mother, the widow of King George VI and a rock of support for her eldest daughter the Queen, 75, died at 3.15am (NZT) after a period of declining health.

Buckingham Palace said: "The Queen, with the greatest sadness, has asked for the following announcement to be made immediately. Her beloved mother, Queen Elizabeth, died peacefully in her sleep this afternoon, at Royal Lodge, Windsor."

A palace spokesman added: "The Queen Mother had become increasingly frail in recent weeks following a bad cough and chest infection over Christmas. Her condition deteriorated this morning and her doctors were called."

He said that the Queen Mother's coffin would be moved to Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor Great Park on Sunday.

Heir to the throne Prince Charles, and his two sons Prince William and Prince Harry, were returning to Britain from a ski-ing holiday in the Swiss resort of Klosters.

News reports said the mood outside Windsor was sombre. A steady stream of people were coming to lay bouquets of flowers.

One tribute read, "The nation has lost its favourite grandmother."

Prince Charles is said to be "completely devastated" at the loss of his grandmother.

"The Prince of Wales was extremely close to his grandmother and will miss her terribly," a spokeswoman at St James's Palace said today.

"He is extremely sad and upset, as are the boys," she said.

The Prince and his sons will fly back from Switzerland on Sunday evening (NZT), when the Duke of York will also return from a family holiday with Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice.

The queen's other children, Prince Edward and Princess Anne, were at Windsor when their grandmother died, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair led tributes to the Queen Mother, praising her as a "symbol of 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, revered within our borders and beyond. She was part of the fabric of our nation and we were all immensely proud of her," he said in a statement after the death of the Queen Mother on Saturday.

"Our thoughts are with the Queen, and particularly so soon after the sad loss of Princess Margaret, and with all the royal family, with whom Britain mourns, united in grief at our loss and giving thanks for a life of extraordinary service to our country," he added.

Blair said that above all the Queen Mother was motivated by her powerful sense of duty and service, enhanced by her profound religious conviction.

"She believed that the royal family's role and duty was to serve the British nation and she carried out that duty with total and selfless devotion.

"Along with her husband, King George VI, she was also a symbol of our country's decency and courage. Her bravery, when she refused point blank to leave London and her husband's side during the Blitz epitomised both her own indomitable spirit and the spirit of the nation in its darkest hours," he said.

Blair added that respect for the Queen Mother went far beyond Britain, adding that she was greeted with instant affection and acclaim throughout the world.

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark today expressed New Zealand's deep sorrow at the death of the Queen Mother.

"Our feelings must go out to the Queen who, in her jubilee year, has lost first her sister and now her mother in a short time. It is a very sad time for the Queen, and I'm sure the thoughts of all New Zealanders are with her.

"New Zealanders had deep admiration for the Queen Mother. Her life was a remarkable one. What impressed people most was her unassuming dignity, energy, openness, and warmth.

"Older New Zealanders will remember the leadership she gave during the war when she and the royal family refused to leave London during the Blitz, even when Buckingham Palace was bombed. She was tireless in her efforts to support the troops and to boost morale during World War Two."

Miss Clark said she had directed that flags on all government buildings and naval vessels be flown at half-mast.

The Prime Minister has also directed that a condolence book be placed at Parliament for New Zealanders to record their condolences.

Once the Queen Mother's funeral has been held in England, a memorial service will also be held in New Zealand.

The leader of the opposition National Party, Bill English, said the Queen Mother had a special place in the hearts of many New Zealanders, and had special appeal as a "gracious and happy person".

The chairman of the Maori Council Sir Graeme Latimer said his fondest memory of the Queen Mother was her ready smile.

The Returned Services Association said her death would have a great impact on New Zealand World War Two veterans, who would remember the support she gave to the British people during the war.

The Primate of the Anglican Church of New Zealand, Bishop John Patterson, said special services would be held for the Queen Mother.

The Queen Mother last visited New Zealand in 1966, nearly 40 years after her first visit as the then Duchess of York.

The "Queen Mum", as she was affectionately known, was queen consort during World War Two and was the devoted companion of King George, who unexpectedly became the monarch after his brother Edward VIII abdicated in 1936.

Germany's Adolf Hitler branded her the most dangerous woman in Europe for her morale-boosting contribution to the British war effort after she refused to leave London to escape the wartime attacks called the "Blitz" and visited areas of the city damaged by bombing.

To younger generations of Britons the Queen Mother was the nation's favourite grandmother, a smiling presence who was still carrying out public duties into her centenary.

Left a widow in 1952, she became the matriarch of the royal House of Windsor and enjoyed a position as one of the best-loved members of the royal family, her popularity undimmed by the scandals of the past two years affecting other royals.

A Scottish aristocrat, she married the then Duke of York in 1923. In her service to the crown as duchess, queen consort and dowager, she is credited with bringing the old imperial monarchy closer to the people.

- REUTERS

Feature: The Queen Mother 1900-2002

The Queen Mother, a life in pictures