Grandsons in Queen Mother vigil

Prince Andrew is the first royal to view the public tributes

Prince Andrew has confirmed that the Queen Mother's four grandsons will mount a vigil around her coffin while it lies in state.

The Duke of York revealed the plan as he visited the walls of her former home Clarence House in London to see for himself flowers and tributes which had been left by members of the public.

He said he and his brothers, Princes Charles and Edward, along with their cousin Lord Linley wanted to pay their respects by standing silently around their grandmother's coffin when it was placed at Westminster.

We each had an individual and unique relationship with our grandmother

Prince Andrew

The news came as hundreds descended on St James's Palace in London to join the hour-long queue to sign the books of condolence.

Among them were the Earl and Countess of Wessex who travelled from Windsor to bid their own private farewell.

They paid their respects at the Queen's Chapel before walking down to the front of the palace to see floral tributes and cards left outside.

Also on Wednesday, politicians paid tribute to the Queen Mother at specially recalled sittings of the Westminster and Holyrood Parliaments.

'Deeply loved'

Prime Minister Tony Blair led MPs from all sides in paying their respects, saying she was a "unifying force" who commanded the affection and respect of the whole nation.

Speaking to a packed House of Commons, Mr Blair praised the Queen Mother's "extraordinary vigour", her love of life, her humour and sense of duty.

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Mr Blair concluded: "There is nothing false or complicated about the public response to her death. It's the simplest of equations. She loved her country and her country loved her."

Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith said: "We are proud to have shared in the life of this deeply loved and remarkable lady."

Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy spoke of the "special place the Queen mother always had in the hearts of Scottish people" because of "her warmth and because she identified so strongly with us".

Respects

Some British businesses have announced they will close next Tuesday as a mark of respect.

The John Lewis Partnership will close its 26 department stores and 136 Waitrose supermarkets on the day of the funeral.

And three leading bookmakers William Hill, Coral and the Tote will also shut.

Police have warned that large parts of central London will be either closed or congested on Tuesday and Friday, when the coffin is taken to Westminster Hall.

Vigil echo

The solemn tribute by the Queen Mother's grandsons is expected to take place on the eve of the funeral on Tuesday, before the public are allowed in.

It will echo a similar vigil held by George V's sons on his death in 1936.

"We stood there for 20 minutes in the dim candlelight and the great silence," King George VI later wrote.

"I felt close to my father and all that he had stood for."

In a clear reference to history, Prince Andrew said: "It's been done before and we think it's right that we should mark it in this way."

He also said the Prince of Wales "did us proud" when he spoke movingly of their grandmother on Monday.

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"I thought it was absolutely fantastic and words other than his are probably inappropriate.

"I would agree entirely with everything he said.

"We each had an individual and unique relationship with our grandmother. She was very, very special."

Earlier Prince Andrew visited St James's Palace and spent some time in the Queen's Chapel, where the Queen Mother's coffin is resting, before moving on to sign the book of condolence.

He then spoke to well-wishers who had gathered outside before walking down the Mall to Clarence House.

Bridie Johnston, 52, from Northern Ireland said: "He came over and thanked me for coming to pay my respects to his grandmother.

"He said she was a wonderful, wonderful woman and it was such a lovely touch for him to spare the time to come and talk to me."