THE Queen last night thanked the nation for the "love and honour" shown to her mother - and called for today to be a celebration of her extraordinary life.

In an historic televised address she spoke from the heart as she said of the funeral: "I hope that sadness will blend with a wider sense of thanksgiving, not just for her life but for the times in which she lived."

She also paid warm tribute to the country.

"I thank you for the support you are giving me and my family as we come to terms with her death and the void she has left in our midst," she said.

As she spoke, the Queen Mother's four grandsons held a moving and historic vigil around the coffin in Westminster Hall as the public filed past.

Dressed in black, she said she was deeply moved by the outpouring of affection and the overwhelming numbers of people paying their respects since the Queen Mother's death.

The Queen, who recorded her message for television and radio, said: "Ever since my beloved mother died over a week ago, I have been deeply moved by the outpouring of affection which has accompanied her death," she said.

Earlier, a group of Chelsea Pensioners braved the cold to make an emotional visit to Westminster Hall, dressed in their familiar red tunics and black tricorn hats.

Martin McLane, formerly of the Durham Light Infantry, said all the men had specially requested they be allowed to pay their last respects.

The 89-year-old said: "It's very important because she was such a great woman. I have met her several times and she was an honour to the royalty."

Town centres and workplaces across the North-East and North Yorkshire are due to fall silent at 11.30am as the funeral begins as a mark of respect.

Many shopping centres and individual stores will hold a two-minutes silence along with GNER's stations at Darlington, Durham, Newcastle and York. Trains scheduled to depart at that time will be delayed.

And Stagecoach is to radio its bus drivers, instructing them to pull over and observe the silence.

Last night, thousands of people waited on the banks of the Thames, hoping for a last chance to glimpse a piece of history.

The vigil by Charles, Andrew, Edward and David Linley was reminiscent of another royal vigil, on the same spot at Westminster Hall, for King George V in 1936.

Last night, other members of the Royal Family stood in the background to witness the extraordinary scene.

They included Charles's sons, Princes William and Harry, the Princess Royal and her husband Timothy Laurence, her son, Peter Phillips, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex.

Prince Charles's companion, Camilla Parker Bowles, was also there and is to attend the funeral.

The royals and the public looked on as the four grandsons took their positions around the 7ft high catafalque, past which more than 100,000 public mourners have filed.

In the soft light of the 11th Century Westminster Hall, they stood motionless on the garnet carpet.

The Hall was remaining open through the night, closing at 6am, just hours before the funeral.

* Support for the monarchy has risen following the Queen Mother's death, with only 12 per cent of people wanting it abolished, an opinion poll reveals.

The survey, conducted by NOP for The Independent newspaper, found 54 per cent of people wanted the monarchy left as it is now, while 30 per cent felt it should be retained but radically reformed. Some four per cent were undecided.

A year ago, a similar poll revealed that 34 per cent wanted to scrap the monarchy - an all-time high