She had a warm sense of familiarity that may be impossible to replicate, but few people rarely knew what it was like to be with Queen Elizabeth II one on one.
The UK's longest reigning monarch died peacefully at Balmoral on Thursday afternoon, aged 96, prompting an outpouring of love and grief from people across the globe.
She was adored by so many, but so few ever had the privilege of knowing her like the country's past Prime Ministers - who caught a rare glimpse into the real woman behind the crown.
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As eloquently said by former Conservative Prime Minister, John Major: "The one thing about the meetings with the Queen is that nobody's there, just corgis behaving or not as the case maybe, but usually behaving.
"You can speak in absolute privacy, there's no private secretary there, no notes were made. You can say exactly what you wish, exactly what is on your mind and so can the Queen."
Serving two decades later, former Prime Minister Theresa May paid a touching tribute to Her Majesty, as she spoke of a woman full of wisdom and an 'acute judge of people.'
"She was able often to give those little, if you like, pen portraits of people that she knew, that she'd met," Ms May said speaking on BBC Radio 4's programme.
As the country enters a period of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II, this is what every living Prime Minister who served Her Majesty said in tribute.
John Major - 'What a shame she wasn't in the cabinet'
Former Conservative Prime Minister Sir John Major was the Queen's ninth Prime Minister - serving between 1990 and 1992.
Paying tribute, Mr Major said: "In her public duties she was selfless and wise, with a wonderful generosity of spirit. That is how she lived – and how she led. For millions of people – across the Commonwealth and the wider world – she embodied the heart and soul of our nation, and was admired and respected around the globe.
"At this moment of deep sadness, I believe we all stand hand-in-hand with the Royal Family as they grieve the loss of one so loved."
In an interview during the Queen's Jubilee, the former PM told the Mirror he sometimes wished the Queen had been a member of his cabinet when he led the country.
"I often came away from those meetings thinking to myself what a shame she isn’t in the cabinet. But I’m not sure she would’ve shared that view," he said.
"The one thing about the meetings with the Queen is that nobody’s there, just corgis behaving or not as the case maybe, but usually behaving. You can speak in absolute privacy, there’s no private secretary there, no notes were made. You can say exactly what you wish, exactly what is on your mind and so can the Queen.
"She’s good at asking questions, gently she asks the right questions and I think people would be surprised at the depth of knowledge she has of how people who are not close to the monarchy live in their own lives."
Tony Blair - 'She was on sparkling form'
Speaking of the last time the former Labour Prime Minister saw the Queen, Mr Blair said she had been on sparkling form. He was her 10th leader and served from 1997 to 2007.
Paying tribute, he said: "We have lost not just our monarch but the matriarch of our nation, the figure who more than any other brought our country together, kept us in touch with our better nature, personified everything which makes us proud to be British.
"The Queen has been part of my life for all of my life. From the moment I waved my little flag as I watched her, as a child, be driven through the streets of Durham, to the honour of being her Prime Minister, to my last meeting with her and then lunching with her at Windsor Castle for the Garter ceremony just a few months ago, she has been an enduring presence of strength and stability. At that lunch, we sat next to each other and she was on sparkling form as we talked - warm, gracious, humorous and spirited.
"She was not only respected but loved. Respected because of the qualities of duty, decency, integrity and fidelity which she embodied. And loved because of the love and affection she bestowed on us. And far beyond our shores for countless people in lands of every continent, in cities, towns and even remote villages, Queen Elizabeth was known and held in the highest regard. When people would talk about the Queen, they rarely added the name Elizabeth. They didn’t need to. She was never a Queen. But The Queen, faithful to her values, her nation, the Commonwealth and to God.
"We will mourn her. We will miss her. But our overwhelming sentiment will be of gratitude, profound, heartfelt and sincere thanks for what she did, what she stood for, for the life she lived and for what she gave us, her grateful subjects. Her reign was indeed glorious. And it was our great good fortune to have had her reign over us.
"Together with my wife Cherie, I send my deepest condolences to King Charles and all the Royal Family."
Gordon Brown - 'She served this country to the last'
The former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown was the Queen's 11th Prime Minister and served from 2007 to 2010.
Paying tribute, he said: "The United Kingdom, the Commonwealth, and the entire world are joined together in mourning this evening. HM Queen Elizabeth II served this country to the last. I offer my sincere condolences to the Royal Family. May she rest in peace."
David Cameron - 'It was a privilege to call on her sage advice'
David Cameron, who was the Queen's 12th Prime Minister and served between 2010 to 2016 said: "There are no words that can adequately express the sense of loss our nation will feel" after the Queen’s death.
In a statement posted on Twitter, he said the Queen had been "a rock of strength for our nation and the Commonwealth."
"There can simply be no finer example of dignified public duty and unstinting service, and we all owe our sincere gratitude for her continued devotion, living every day by the pledge she made on her 21st birthday. Her dedication to our country has been incomparable and, as such, she leaves an enduring legacy."
He added he was "very proud" to have served as the Queen’s twelfth prime minister, adding it was a “privilege” to call on her “sage advice and wise counsel”.
Mr Cameron also paid tribute to her record in foreign and domestic affairs, adding: "My thoughts and prayers are with the King and the royal family at this time of great sadness.
"The country has lost a devoted public servant; and the royal family has lost a much-loved mother, grandmother and great grandmother."
Theresa May - 'There was often that twinkle in the eye'
Former prime minister Theresa May said it was the honour of her life to serve the Queen, who "was our constant throughout this entire Elizabethan era."
Ms May was the Queen's 13th Prime Minister and served between 2016 and 2019. She said: "Her Majesty devoted herself unreservedly to a life of service. She was respected and admired not only by her own people but far beyond our family of nations.
"As our longest reigning monarch, Her Majesty witnessed tremendous change, moving adroitly with the times but always providing stability and reassurance. She was our constant throughout this entire Elizabethan era. On the 75th anniversary of VE Day, Her Majesty reminded us to ‘never give up, never despair’.
"It was an address that captured not just the national spirit but Queen Elizabeth’s spirit. A sense of quiet determination, of courage and faith, and of hope in the future.
"It was the honour of my life to serve her as Prime Minister. But we should never forget that our Queen was a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Our thoughts prayers now are with her family."
Today, she told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme that their meetings involved "talking about the affairs of the day, in a sense tapping into her wisdom and that knowledge that she had from her great experience."
Mrs May told the broadcaster the Queen would pass on "the knowledge that she had of the people, a lot of the people that the prime minister, that I, was dealing with."
She added: "She was a very acute judge of people and was able often to give those little, if you like, pen portraits of people that she knew, that she’d met.
"And sometimes it was a case of not just the individual but actually a sort of history of that individual, of her experiences of particular countries, particular issues."
Paying tribute to the Queen’s warm nature, Mrs May said: "There was often that twinkle in the eye, and that magnificent smile that would break out and that calmed so many people’s nerves and made so many people feel at ease."
Boris Johnson - 'We had come to believe, like children, she would just go on and on'
As the Queen's 14th Prime Minister, Johnson saw her just two days before her death, when he resigned as prime minister and was replaced by Liz Truss, who gave her own tribute to the queen on the rain-soaked steps of Downing Street Thursday night.
Britain is enduring its "saddest day" following the death of "Elizabeth the Great", Boris Johnson said. He insisted the Queen, 96, spread "magic around her kingdom" for an "unrivalled" 70 years and she possessed a "simple power to make us happy."
Mr Johnson said: "This is our country’s saddest day. In the hearts of every one of us there is an ache at the passing of our Queen, a deep and personal sense of loss – far more intense, perhaps, than we expected.
"In these first grim moments since the news, I know that millions and millions of people have been pausing whatever they have been doing, to think about Queen Elizabeth, about the bright and shining light that has finally gone out.
"She seemed so timeless and so wonderful that I am afraid we had come to believe, like children, that she would just go on and on.
"Wave after wave of grief is rolling across the world, from Balmoral – where our thoughts are with all the Royal Family – and breaking far beyond this country and throughout that great Commonwealth of nations that she so cherished and which cherished her in return.
"As is so natural with human beings, it is only when we face the reality of our loss that we truly understand what has gone. It is only really now that we grasp how much she meant for us, how much she did for us, how much she loved us.
"As we think of the void she leaves, we understand the vital role she played, selflessly and calmly embodying the continuity and unity of our country."
Mr Johnson praised the Queen’s "deep wisdom" and her "seemingly inexhaustible but understated sense of duty."
He added: "This is our country’s saddest day because she had a unique and simple power to make us happy. That is why we loved her. That is why we grieve for Elizabeth the Great, the longest-serving and in many ways the finest monarch in our history."
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