This is such a sad day for our country. We have lost our much-loved and respected Queen, the only monarch most of us have ever known.
The thought of her no longer being here is difficult, as she has always been there for the country. Christmas will not be the same without her Speech to the nation.
She dedicated her life to her subjects with devotion, dignity and fortitude. She was admired throughout the world, loved visiting other parts of her Commonwealth and sacrificed her own needs many times to carry out her duties.
She had a lively sense of mischief but was always a model of courtesy, respectful of all the different elements of civil society.
She leaves a legacy of love and happy memories.We are so fortunate to have grown up during her reign, with her strength, wisdom and courage guiding us in the modern world and her values of honesty and decency helping to underpin public life.
It is difficult to imagine how the monarchy would have survived without her at the top, when there have been stormy times for the country, but she always managed to steady the ship and leaves a legacy of love and happy memories.
Having engaged with her in the 1980s in connection with the issue of women in business, it was so encouraging to have our Queen being hugely supportive of advancing the role of working mothers.
In more recent years, she was a shining example of the value of encouraging later life working, the importance of combatting ageism and ensuring older citizens remain a valued part of national life.
She will be hugely missed. My heartfelt condolences, thoughts and prayers are with her and her family at this saddest of times.
The nation mourns our wonderful monarch. May she rest in everlasting peace, reunited with her beloved husband and parents once more.
Baroness Ros Altmann is an independent pensions consultant and former pensions minister.
