The people of Liverpool have paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II.
Buckingham Palace confirmed on Thursday (September 8) that Queen Elizabeth had died at the age of 96. A statement released yesterday read: " The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow."
Having ascended to the throne in 1952 at the age of 25, the Queen was Britain’s head of state for 70 years. Her eldest son Charles has now become King at the age of 73. He immediately assumed the throne, while his wife Camilla became Queen consort.
READ MORE: Leave your tribute in the Liverpool ECHO's online condolence book
Today, King Charles instructed that a period of royal mourning will begin from now until seven days after the Queen's funeral. Across the country and the world, people have come together to pay their respects.
In Liverpool, members of Everton in the Community's veterans programme paid tribute to the Queen on Friday (September 9). Gathering at the Dixie Dean statue at Goodison Park, the group laid a wreath of flowers, held a minute's silence and recited a poem in the Queen's honour.
Among those in attendance were Liz Kenny, 65, Sheila Connors, 73 and Margaret Wike, 86, who said that the Queen had been a reassuring presence in their lives and a constant throughout recent history.
Margaret, 86, from Fairfield told the ECHO : “She was a brilliant woman. I remember her coronation and when she became Queen. That was a great time, with the street parties - it was a brilliant time. I’ve got such great memories of her anniversaries and jubilees, she was an absolutely fabulous woman.
“The service she gave to this country was absolutely fantastic. No way will there ever be a monarch like her. Nobody will ever be like her, she was brilliant, she always put the country first.
“She said in a speech that she would give her whole life for service to this country and that’s what she did. She’s coped with how much things have changed in the past 70 years and she’s held the country together. She was brilliant.”
The Anglican Cathedral has opened a book of condolence on Friday. Found in its Lady Chapel, the book provides members of the public a chance to pay their respects to the country's longest-serving monarch.
The ECHO spoke to The Very Revd Dr Sue Jones, Dean of Liverpool, at the cathedral. She said that the cathedral community was "deeply saddened" by the Queen's death, but was pleased that the building could provide a place for people to come together and pay tribute.
Dr Jones said: “As a cathedral community, we’ve been really saddened, as the rest of the world is saddened. I think, from my own personal perspective and as Dean of the Cathedral, the Queen has given service to the country, to the detriment of herself, probably in many cases.
“She is a friend of Liverpool Cathedral. She opened the building when it was completed in 1978 and she and Prince Philip drew a beautiful love knot, which is still in the cathedral and has been carved into the stone. So there are huge associations between the Queen and this community. We are, as the nation is, deeply saddened.
“I hope the book of condolences will bring people in. The King George bell rang last night for two hours and I found that quite eerie. But in another sense, it felt like a draw to the cathedral as a focal point for people’s mourning. The condolence book give people an opportunity to leave their messages.”
Richard William Newton, 60, from Woolton, was among those to leave a message in the cathedral's book. He told the ECHO that he was saddened by the Queen's death but found solace in the fact that she had lived such a full life.
He said: “She taught us everything that she needed to teach us and she received the gifts that she needed to receive. Philip had gone and he was her mainstay.
“I’m not sure we’ll ever see anyone like her again. She was unique to the 20th and 21st centuries. I n some ways, she’s a product of Victorian England and the sense of duty that came with that."
Though the Royal Family may not be universally loved across Liverpool, Richard believes that the city respects her. He said: " Liverpool will respect the human part of it all."
Bells across Liverpool tolled at midday on Friday in remembrance of Her Majesty The Queen. The ECHO attended Liverpool Cathedral as the bells chimed to signify national mourning, while union flags above council buildings, royal residences and military bases have been lowered and flown at half-mast.
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Queen Elizabeth II: Leave your tribute in the Liverpool ECHO's online condolence book
