AS the country mourns the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, Charles and Liz Clark of Newton Abbot, who were present at Abbotsbury Church this morning to watch the funeral alongside other residents, share their thoughts on our longest reigning monarch, who acceded to the throne the very same year the couple were born.

Liz said: ‘We were both born in 1952 so she has been the one constant, both my parents have passed away so she has been the one constant in my life until this moment in time.

Charles said: ‘She has always been there but we are here today because we were watching the funeral at home and there was a comment about it being a time to share with other people.

‘We wanted to be with other people to share their general feeling of the mood.

Liz said: ‘We were at her Platinum Jubilee but we didn’t manage to make it up to London for the funeral so this was our sort of gesture.

Charles said: ‘We would have dearly loved to have been in London on the streets today.

Liz said: ‘The Queen was an amazing lady and these kind of events make you proud to be British.

‘We do it so well, the pomp and the ceremony and to see all the preparation come together - it is humbling.

‘We have huge admiration for everyone who helped make this happen.

‘I don’t think any other country in the world does it the same way.’

Charles said: ‘It is magnificent.

Liz said: ‘We were shocked to hear of her passing for the Queen Mother was nearly 102 when she passed and so we assumed she would be here, with us for much longer so when the news came it was just a sense of huge shock.

‘Being here helps you to process the reality that we now have a king and she is a hard act for him to follow.

Charles said: ‘During her life she has said various things that resonated with people such as never complain, never explain - that’s her.’

Liz said: ‘This is a moment in history that we are all embracing and sharing.’