IT was with a sense of quiet, respectful reflection that the nation reacted to the death of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother - a sharp contrast to the mass hysteria which followed the death of the Princess of Wales.

Then, the news had been deeply shocking. This time, we had learned to expect that the announcement, sad though it was, would be soon.

There was a collective feeling that it would be accelerated by the recent death of Princess Margaret. At 101, the loss of a daughter was a shattering blow to the Queen Mother, weakening her own grip on life, and the end came as no surprise.

At Middlesbrough's home game against Tottenham Hotspur, the news was broken not by an official announcement but via chattering mobile telephones. The word went round midway through the first half: "The Queen Mother is dead." They nodded, shrugged, and went back to hoping for a goal.

Only after the final whistle, as the players shook hands, was the formal announcement made. The applause grew a little louder. For a second, it might have been a tribute to the Queen Mother but it soon became clear that it was in appreciation of two departing teams who had played out an unremarkable football match over 92 minutes.

But such a remarkable life, spanning 101 years, does deserve a national ovation, especially for the role the Queen Mother played in wartime.

She earned lasting respect by refusing to hide; showing her face to the soldiers and to those left to strive for victory at home. And when Buckingham Palace was bombed, she reacted with the relief which led to one of her most fondly remembered quotes: "Now I can look the East End in the face."

In later years, when the image of the Royal Family was taking a pounding, she displayed the same steady hand. They have all faced public criticism - even The Queen was deemed to be out of touch after the Princess Diana tragedy - but the Queen Mother's popularity never waned. She was the cement that held the foundations of her family together.

Quietly, respectfully, she has forged a special relationship with the British public. Quietly, respectfully, they will say goodbye.

It has been no surprise. How could it be? But her absence will be surprisingly difficult to get used to.