by The Children Came To Lay Flowers In Front Of The Elizabeth’s Royal Palaces To Pay Respects
‘I love you Queen. I’ll miss you’ – ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙʀᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ tribute of Tilly, 4, as crowds gather at Royal palaces to pay respects
They came in teeming rain to pay their respects. Young and old, they left bouquets at the gates of the 50,000-acre Balmoral estate — the place where the Queen had always been happiest.
At a moss-covered bridge, one poignant message read: “I love you Queen. I’ll miss you. Tilly, aged 4.”
It was left by the young daughter of company director Charlotte Westwell, 36, and her husband Adam, 37, an oil and gas worker. Charlotte, who lives in nearby Aboyne, said Tilly became obsessed with the Queen during the ¬Platinum Jubilee this year. She want to meet the Queen.
The family has fond memories of bumping into the Queen on a walk — but the Royal Family has always been part of the fabric of life in this corner of Aberdeenshire. The Queen often found solace at Balmoral Castle, set amid heather-clad hills on the banks of the Dee. For it was here that she had spent long summers trout fishing and picnicking on the moorland. And it was here her adored husband Prince Philip had proposed and where they spent their honeymoon. The castle would see cherished family barbecues beside the river.
The Queen liked to drive her own car — often at a pace — on the estate’s private roads. And she would sometimes go unrecognised as she visited tea rooms and stores near the castle. Here, she could — for six weeks of the year at least — live out her dream of life in the countryside, surrounded by her beloved horses and dogs. Balmoral had become solemn; the dark, brooding hills encapsulating the sombre mood. Fluttering in the breeze, a single Union Jack and a string of Scottish Saltires were at half mast. Also there to pay tribute was Harry Butler, 51, who recalled bumping into the Queen as he walked through a forest on a school trip at the age of 12.
One read: “You have been a source of inspiration and a calming figure through my life.”
Another added: “A mother, a grandmother, a great grandmother, our Queen. Your job here is done. Rest easy.”
Brits had already started to gather outside Buckingham Palace before the ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ of the Queen was announced last night. In very little time, the Palace gates were covered in flowers, candles and photos from mourners. Meanwhile, people all over the rest of the country were placing tributes at other royal spots. Floral tributes left at Windsor Castle grew until some of the pavements were completely covered, leaving no space to walk.
