Queen offers thanks, princes stand vigil at coffin

7.45am

LONDON - The Queen has given a heartfelt tribute to her late mother in a televised tribute, saying her death has left a great void but she has drawn comfort from the kindness of others.

In a move that showed how much the royal family has adapted since Princess Diana's death five years ago, the Queen offered her thanks to the 150,000 mourners who have queued round the clock to pay their respects to the 101-year-old matriarch.

"The extent of the tribute that huge numbers of you have paid my mother in the last few days has been overwhelming," the Queen said. "I have drawn great comfort from so many individual acts of kindness and respect."

The Queen, who lost both her mother and her only sibling Princess Margaret within seven weeks, spoke of her mother's "infectious zest for living" and her hope that sadness would blend with a thanksgiving at her mother's funeral.

"Thanksgiving, not just for her life, but for the times in which she lived -- a century ... not without its trials and sorrows, but also full of extraordinary progress, examples of courage and service as well as fun and laughter," she said.

The Queen's message was broadcast as her mother's four grandsons ended a 20-minute vigil by her coffin in Westminster Hall.

The Queen's sons, Princes Charles, Andrew, Edward and the late Princess Margaret's son Viscount Linley stood guard at the four corners of the velvet-draped catafalque on which her coffin has lain in state since Friday.

As the four men stood with heads bowed in the hushed majesty of the medieval hall, they were watched by hundreds of public mourners as well as Charles' sons William and Harry, and Princess Anne.

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About 100 people were camped outside Westminster Abbey by late Monday afternoon, determined to get a good place to watch the funeral procession on Tuesday morning (Tuesday evening NZT).

Prominent royals, including Charles and his sons William and Harry, will take part in the funeral cortege.

A host of European royalty and Commonwealth prime ministers will be among the 2,000-strong congregation of mourners at the abbey.

Tens of thousands more are expected to line the route of the funeral procession, which will be heavily policed.

"The aim of the policing operation tomorrow is to maintain the safety of our streets, ensuring that the day passes with efficiency whilst doing our utmost not to intrude on the sadness and dignity of the occasion," said Deputy Assistant Commissioner Andy Trotter.

Much of Britain will come to a standstill the duration of the funeral, Major supermarkets and the law courts are among those which will cease trading during the funeral while many others will observe two minutes silence.

After the funeral ceremony, the Queen Mother will be buried in St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle beside her "Beloved Bertie" -- her husband King George VI, who she outlived by half a century.

The casket of Princess Margaret, who died seven weeks before her mother, will be interred with her parents at the same time.

- REUTERS

Feature: The Queen Mother 1900-2002