When the Queen Mother died on Easter Saturday, many commentators reported the response as muted.

They thought the country did not care about the death of an old lady who seemed to have been part of public life forever.

How wrong could the cynics be? Yesterday's funeral service in Westminster Abbey was the occasion for a tremendous display of national grief and respect.

Millions of people watched the service on TV. Thousands more lined the streets of London as a tribute to the indomitable royal whose life spanned the last century.

In her last 20 years, the Queen Mother was so old that it was often a struggle for her to undertake engagements but she did, almost until the end.

She was much more than a cheerful, dignified consort graciously accepting flowers on her birthday or attending services for the war dead.

Here was a woman who never expected to become Queen but who fulfilled the role with aplomb after the Abdication, steering her shy husband King George VI through the rigours of public life.

She stayed in London to endure the Blitz and the flying bombs, epitomising the spirit that helped Britain and the Allies win the Second World War.

After her husband died young, she helped her eldest daughter assume his role while always staying in the background, silent and stately.

Although she had a privileged lifestyle, she endured much sorrow throughout her life, ranging from the slaughter of relations during the First World War to the death of her youngest daughter earlier this year.

The time for grieving is over but we will never forget her.