the united kingdom of great britain the united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland? i solemnly promise so to do. she was anointed, blessed and consecrated. choir sings zadok the priest by handel she took possession of a 1,200 year old throne. she knew that it was a role from which only death could release her and yet, when she was born, no one had thought that it would be her destiny. elizabeth alexandra mary windsor was born on 21 april, 1926. she was the first child of the then king s second son, the duke of york. she cried at her christening perhaps the only time in her life that she made a public scene. she was a happy child with occasionally a child of make sense of mystery. mischief. this was the young princess elizabeth at the age of four and three quarters, visiting a photographic studio in london. her life then was comparatively carefree. a politician called winston churchill noted she had an air of authority that was astonishing in an infant. fate pro
an amazing woman. just a very sombre mood in windsor, really. what did she represent to people of your generation? a guiding light, a moral code, how to conduct yourself, - how to act, what is - right and what s wrong. here on the streets of royal windsor, the sense of a an epoch having passed is palpable. there is the sense of mourning, shared with the entire nation. but something else. for these people have lost a neighbour, a queen who was part of their daily lives. amir bukhari was getting calls from relatives in pakistan, who had heard the news. he runs a cafe besides windsor castle. no words to express my emotions. it is really sad. what did she mean to you? not only me but everyone in the world. everybody feels very sad, very down. for us, she was a neighbour. and we feel more. no matter how long anticipated, the end has crystallised loss. the passing of a monarch, who symbolised to people the best of their nation, of themselves. fergal keane, bbc news, windsor. you ve
the commemorations over the weekend, and one of the most notable things about the weather in the capital will be just how cool it feels. daytime temperatures of 17, 18, some chilly nights, but staying largely dry. as it is for most of us right now. some shower clouds across northern ireland, parts of wales, and some showers down the eastern coast of scotland and eastern england. it is also quite windy at the moment. that s a long summer eastern coast of 40 115 mph. that is making it feel really quite chilly. temperatures this afternoon in aberdeen no higher than 12 celsius, higher values in some shelter for the west, 19 in cardiff. this evening, that daytime cloud will melt away and we will see clear skies overnight, and especially where the winds are light away from the east coast, it is going to turn really chilly tonight. those are the temperatures for towns and cities with some places down to four celsius, but some places in the countryside getting very close to freezing,