Editor's tribute to Queen Elizabeth II as Buckingham Palace announces death of Britain's longest-reigning monarch

Head held high, immovable yet real, the Queen of all she prevailed and a reliable credit to the country she reigned over, with class, style and somehow, understanding.

Whatever your views on monarchy, on the British class system, of those who have more than others, there are few who would have a bad word about a lady who was thrust onto the throne as a 27-year-old woman and asked to lead and inspire from the front through her attitudes, her actions and her words.

From a public perspective HRH Queen Elizabeth II was simply a masterclass in morality and sheer hard work; this was a Queen who lived small in big palaces, her favourite things in life were her dogs and her horses and her grandchildren. Her needs were modest and she never actually retired – even at 96.

She had a enduring love for Lancashire, visiting us here many times with that gritty, sparkle in her eye, even saying she would like to retire here.

Our archives show endless images spanning 70 years of her smiling through rain and sun as crowds cheered and small children brandished flowers, of her walking into newly painted offices, nurseries and hospitals, continuing to look interested as she shook yet another stranger’s hand and ask careful well-researched questions of those who had waited to meet her.

Many may not even realise one of the Queen’s titles was Duke of Lancaster; she owned private land throughout the county from Lancaster Castle to the Whitewell estate. Her estate even owns part of the M6 motorway and parts of the Lancashire foreshore – and she took an interest and pride in it all. She considered herself simply a steward for future generations, not a landowner, and it was an attitude which belied her status.

The Queen reigned through wars, recessions, pandemics, and multiple prime ministers – approving what was to be her very last appointment just the other day in Liz Truss.

She lived her life in public, yet was intensely private, as her family went through trials and tribulations reported through the media with a breathless intensity of a soap opera; loss and tragedy, betrayal, trauma and hard times – we the public could not get enough of this enigmatic woman born royal who lived through almost a century of intense scrutiny.

Yet, despite this, in public the Queen known fondly as a child and to her close family as ‘Lilibet’ retained her sense of humour, didn’t take herself that seriously and was a good sport; even agreeing to ‘have tea’ with Paddington Bear for the recent Jubilee celebrations.

This Christmas will be the first in my, and many of our lifetimes, that we do not pause on Christmas Day at 3pm for Her Majesty’s voice on television. The messages she shared may not have always got through, or seemed relevant, but the tradition is steeped in many a household and we will be a different nation without her.

Even outside the Commonwealth her loss will be mourned; those countries who have eschewed the notion of royalty will still feel the loss of a British icon. She was welcomed wherever she travelled, despite rather than because of her royal status, because she was the Queen of hearts - not laws.

As we raise a toast to The Queen - Duke of Lancaster - to say thank you, may she rest in peace.

Nicola Adam, editor