Prince Charles pays moving tribute to the Queen Mother

LONDON -- Prince Charles paid a moving public tribute to the Queen Mother Elizabeth on Monday, praising his late grandmother for her "panache, style and unswerving dignity" -- sentiments shared across Britain as people left teddy bears, candles and wreaths in her honor.

In a national broadcast, Charles spoke quietly and lovingly of the Queen Mother, saying she was "an institution in her own right, a presence in the nation, at once indomitable, somehow timeless, able to span the generations; wise, loving, and an utterly irresistible mischievousness of spirit."

The Queen Mother, widow of King George VI and mother of Queen Elizabeth II, died Saturday at age 101.

Charles said, "Her heart belonged to this ancient land and its equally indomitable and humorous inhabitants, whom she served with panache, style and unswerving dignity for very nearly 80 years."

The 53-year-old heir to the British throne only came close to losing his composure at the point when he described the Queen Mother's humor.

"Above all, she saw the funny side of life and we laughed until we cried. Oh, how I shall miss her laugh and wonderful wisdom born of so much experience and an innate sensitivity to life," he said.

At noon, artillery pieces thundered the start of 41-gun salutes at a dozen locations around the country and in the colony of Gibraltar.

"She always had a smile for everyone," said Elizabeth Addley during a ceremony at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland. "She broke with tradition. While Queen Mary was rather more stiff and formal, she came along and was a breath of fresh air."