Royals unite in grief

The coffin was carried to the chapel she loved

The Royal Family were united in mourning on Sunday as the Queen led her family to prayers in memory of the Queen Mother, who died at the age of 101.

Senior members of the Royal Family solemnly filed into the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor Great Park for a brief, private service.

The Queen Mother's coffin had been taken there earlier from her Windsor residence, Royal Lodge, where she had passed away peacefully in her sleep on Saturday.

Mourning Timetable

31 March: Evensong at Windsor

2 April: Coffin moves to St James's Palace

3 April: Parliament recalled

5 April: Coffin moves to Westminster Hall to lie in state

8 April: Coffin moves to Westminster Abbey

9 April: Ceremonial funeral

9 April: Interment at St George's Chapel, Windsor

It was the first time the family had been seen together in public since she died and came as Buckingham Palace announced that her funeral is to take place on Tuesday, 9 April at Westminster Abbey.

The Queen, dressed in black with a simple diamond brooch, and the Duke of Edinburgh, headed the mourners, who included the Prince of Wales, his sons William and Harry, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl and Countess of Wessex.

Nation mourns

Prince Charles and his sons had flown back to the UK earlier on Sunday - cutting short a skiing holiday in Switzerland.

A potted jasmine he had given his grandmother for Easter was placed at the foot of her coffin.

The Royal Family attended evensong together

Across the UK, people also paid their own respects to the Queen Mother. Many queued to sign books of condolence, while others laid flowers at the royal palaces.

British troops in Afghanistan held a service in her memory while the State Bell, known as Great Tom, tolled at St Paul's Cathedral in London.

It last sounded just seven weeks ago after the death of the Queen Mother's younger daughter, Princess Margaret.

At one of the many church services held on Sunday, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, gave thanks for her life.

He said: "She touched the lives of ordinary people and she will be remembered for that."

Archbishop Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, said: "She stood for the good things - for life, for family."

	BBC News Online looks back over the remarkable life and times of the Queen Mother Click here for in depth coverage

From the White House to the Kremlin, world leaders also offered tributes to the Queen Mother.

President Putin said Russia greatly appreciated her symbolic role during the Second World War and President Bush called her a pillar of strength.

The Queen Mother's coffin will remain at Windsor until Tuesday when it will be taken to the Queen's Chapel at St James's Palace in London.

It will then be carried to Westminster Hall on Friday where it will lie in state until the eve of the ceremonial funeral which will take place at 1130BST on 9 April at Westminster Abbey.

The Queen Mother was loved at home and abroad

The Queen Mother will be laid to rest alongside her husband and the ashes of her daughter, Princess Margaret, in the George VI Memorial Chapel, Windsor.

Downing Street announced that flags on all public buildings will be flown at half mast until midnight on the day as a mark of respect.

But the Royal Family and the government said they did not expect sporting fixtures to be postponed or cancelled in the run-up to the funeral.

It did, however, suggest that for major fixtures, players wear black armbands and that games were preceded by a period of silence in memory of the Queen Mother.

Theatres, cinemas and other places of public entertainment may wish to mark the Queen Mother's death in some way such as the playing of the National Anthem or observing a period of silence, the guidance suggested.

E-mail your tributes here

She was the backbone of our nation

Joanna Nelson, UK

Schools are expected to remain open, although the Royal Family and the government suggest that on the day of the funeral, headteachers may consider altering the timetable so that children can mark event in some way.

Tributes are being planned throughout the week.

Politicians will have the chance to pay their respects with the UK Parliament and Scottish Executive being recalled on Wednesday and the Welsh Assembly on Thursday.

The public will be able to pay tribute at the lying-in-state at the Westminster Hall in the Palace of Westminster from 1400 to 1600BST on Friday 5 April, and then from 0800 to 1800BST each day from Saturday 6 April to Monday 8 April.

Click here to read tributes