A weekend of reflection ahead of the Queen’s funeral

The nation is in a 10-day mourning for Queen Elizabeth which will end with the late sovereign’s funeral on Monday.

It is not a long period of grieving when set against the service she gave to her United Kingdom. Her Majesty’s 70 year reign was by a distance the longest in British history. No other king or queen lived anything like as long as her 96 years, let alone was carrying out public engagements at that age.

There is still time this weekend for reflection and silence and church services in which to mark a life of selflessness and stability at the helm of a country that has been convulsed by change.

This week has shown us all how much respect there is for the royal family and the system of monarchy, above all for the former Queen and now for her son, King Charles III.

We report today on how people from Aberfan remember her moral support after the 1966 disaster, and how some people with dementia still recognise her.

The crowds in London have been on a vast scale, as they were in Edinburgh and would have been in Belfast if there had been an event that was more accessible to the public. Even without the latter, the king was met by large crowds.

Monday’s funeral will be a global affair, in fitting with the Queen’s travels around the world, and her hosting of world leaders in London over sevend decades. And with the day a public holiday in the UK, tens of millions of people will watch the service from home.