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
underestimated. finally, she kept the monarchy 5trong underestimated. finally, she kept the monarchy strong and respected, reigning very much in the style of her beloved father, george vi, and she kept it strong, above all, by setting a personal example. 0ne setting a personal example. one might imagine that her greatest hope now would be that the strength of the monarchy will continue under king charles, and then under william. i m sure the crowds we saw outside buckingham palace tonight, many people will be reflecting on the theme is that nick was underlining there, because everyone is by now aware that the queen was the longest serving monarch in the history of the united kingdom and held a commanding presence in british public life over many decades. tonight, people have been reacting to the news of her passing. our special correspondent lucy manning has spent the day with people outside buckingham palace. she was long to reign over us, almost all of her life, and for mos