The late Queen’s remarkable and enduring popularity with her people remains her abiding legacy.
As the Royal Family prepares to mark the third anniversary of her death tomorrow, aged 96, we asked those who observed her closely what made her so special.
Royal expert Jennie Bond says the Royal Family, led by King Charles, will spend the anniversary reflecting on how loved she was throughout her 70 year reign.
She says: “In her old age, the two of them — monarch and heir, mother and son — became closer than ever before.
“Charles supported her by sharing the duties and responsibilities of monarchy, and she supported him too, in many ways: asking Commonwealth leaders to nominate him as the next head of the organisation, which meant so much to her, and also by making her wish known that Camilla should be known as Queen Consort when the time came.
“In the past three years, Charles has honoured his mother‘s memory. King Charles has maintained the dignity of monarchy. He has not sought to shake up the monarchy in any drastic way. Why would he, when she had been so respected and popular for 70 years?”
And The Mirror’s lensmen, who photographed Queen Elizabeth on thousands of occasions, echo these sentiments.
Our chief royal photographer, Ian Vogler, says: ”Everything the Queen did was planned and designed to convey a message. She was wonderful to photograph, as she knew the importance of recording the historic moments of her reign . I’m sure she laughed at us getting soaked on many occasions waiting for her to appear. “
Here, eight of The Mirror’s photographers share images of the late Queen which they feel perfectly convey why she will always be remembered as the most popular royal.
