Tributes pour in for Queen Mother

Remembered as "wonderful" and "noble"

Prince Charles has led the tributes to the Queen Mother.

The prince, who was on holiday with his sons in Switzerland when he was told the news of his grandmother's death, said he was "completely devastated".

Prime Minister Tony Blair said the Queen Mother had been a "part of the fabric of our nation".

Tony Blair: Praised "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," added Mr Blair.

"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."

Iain Duncan Smith, the Conservative Party leader, said: "I am deeply saddened by the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother - a truly remarkable lady whose life spanned the entire twentieth century."

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, leader of the Church of England, said: "Her unfailing dignity, devotion to duty and charm have been a precious part of our national life for as long as most of us can remember.

'Certain hope'

"She was deeply loved by people of all ages; whilst older people will remember best the courage which she and King George VI showed during the war, every generation has taken her to their hearts.

"She had a deep and sustaining faith and lived her life in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life, a resurrection which we celebrate at this Eastertide."

Every generation has taken her to our hearts

Dr George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the leader of Roman Catholics in England and Wales, said: "The whole nation and beyond will mourn a great and gracious lady.

"The Queen Mother bore the virtues so beloved by the British people of courage and steadfastness, and especially through the Second World War in the role of Queen Consort. She will be greatly missed."

Lord St John of Fawsley, a close friend of the Queen Mother for many years, said she had brought encouragement to the nation.

"She carried the traditional values of the nation - courage, determination, dedication, a profound sense of duty and a love of family and friends," he said.

"At our darkest hour of all time in 1940 she helped to turn it into our finest."

'Deep faith'

Sir John Miller, a former Crown Equerry, praised the Queen Mother's "friendship and helpfulness whenever one needed it".

He said she brought "tremendous support" for the royal family, as "she was so much loved and respected by all those who ever met her".

He insisted that despite the Queen Mother's death, "the Queen's position is as strong as it ever has been".

The Queen Mother's niece, Lady Margaret Rhodes, told the BBC that "she will be greatly missed by everybody, she was a wonderful, wonderful person".