Britain is turning a new page in her long history. The one constant in our lives during the last 70 turbulent years is no longer with us.
So it is understandable to feel cast adrift, a little lost, weepy even. You would have to be aged in your 80s to remember anything different.
The Queen was not just our anchor to the past but our beacon of the future. Just as the world spun ever faster, she never stood still.
She took the monarchy from an old-fashioned, secretive institution little changed since Queen Victoria and propelled it into the 21st century... while allowing the public a peek inside.
It was why a bad word was rarely heard against her. Why 14 countries kept her on as head of state. And why we already miss her so much.
The outpouring of public grief following the death of Princess Diana 25 years ago was because we felt we had lost a mate. The passing of our Queen is like losing our nan.
It wounded the Queen deeply when members of her family did not come up to her high standards, more painfully so when their failings were laid out in the public gaze.
And of course that did reputational damage to an institution funded by a tidy sum of our taxes. But you do not have to be a royalist in order to be a monarchist.
Princess Elizabeth committed herself to a lifetime of public service when she was 21 and once she became Queen at 25 her dedication never faltered. Her love for her people, and ours for her, never wavered.
That is the legacy which King Charles must now uphold. We are confident that with the Queen Consort by his side he will do just that.
Confident, too, that the new Prince and Princess of Wales will ably support them.
Britain is fortunate to have a non-political head of state that brings stability to our unwritten constitution.
It means the monarch is not beholden to any political party. It means they are free to act solely in the interests of the nation and its people.
It means those who defend us are crown servants, not civil servants. They owe their allegiance to the monarch, not the Government.
That is why James Bond gallivanted round the world on Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Why our Navy, Air Force and Army units carry the word Royal in their titles.
It acts as a check on any government tempted to go doolally.
It is nearly 500 years since this King’s namesake had his head chopped off, but that flirtation with republicanism was short lived.
There have been 15 sovereigns since, and yesterday’s smooth accession shows that the monarchy is here to stay.
This newspaper has, on occasion, been critical of members of the Royal Family. But that does not make the Sunday Mirror any less of a loyal subject to His Majesty.
And why we have no hesitation in saying today: “Long live the King.”
You can leave your tributes to Queen Elizabeth II here
This weekend, the Daily Mirror and Sunday Mirror celebrate the life of Her Majesty the Queen with a commemorative special filled with all the key moments from Britain’s longest reigning monarch. Be sure to pick up your copy of the Daily Mirror and Sunday Mirror to get both pullouts.
