The Prince of Wales with Princes William and Harry visited Royal Lodge, Windsor this afternoon to pay their respects to the Queen Mother.

The three royals arrived by car at the royal residence where she died yesterday.

Earlier they had landed at RAF Northolt, west London after flying back from a skiing holiday in Klosters, Switzerland.

Later today the Queen Mother's coffin was being taken to the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor Great Park where she was a regular worshipper.

Members of the Royal Family were expected to attend evensong in the chapel.

Also arriving at Royal Lodge this lunchtime was Zara Phillips, daughter of the Princess Royal and great-granddaughter of the Queen Mother.

Royal officials were today discussing details of the Queen Mother's funeral and an announcement was expected later this afternoon.

As principal mourner, the Queen must help organise the ceremony which will be at St George's Chapel, Windsor, following a service at Westminster Abbey and lying in state at the historic Westminster Hall.

Led by the Queen, senior royals were attending a private Easter Sunday service at Windsor Castle where prayers for the Queen Mother were being said.

Charles, who was said to be ''completely devastated'' by his beloved grandmother's death, began the sombre journey back to Britain by driving out of the Walserhof Hotel's basement car park with his sons for the two-hour drive to Zurich airport.

The Queen gave special permission for the heir to the throne and his eldest son, William, 19, to fly on the same plane, which is normally forbidden under royal protocol.

It brought a sad and premature end to their annual skiing holiday after two days on the slopes above the Swiss town, Charles's favourite resort.

The Duke of York also flew home early from a Caribbean holiday in Barbados with his ex-wife Sarah and their children Princess Beatrice, 13, and Princess Eugenie, 12.

The Queen was said to be greatly saddened by her mother's death, which came just seven weeks after the death of Princess Margaret.

''It is a very sad time for the Queen - within two months she has lost her mother and her sister - but she is stoic,'' said a royal source.

Meanwhile books of condolences were being opened at St James's Palace, Sandringham, and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.

First in the line of more than 50 well-wishers at St James's Palace was retired florist Marion Russell, 59.

The grandmother spent last night outside the gates of Buckingham Palace after leaving flowers and lighting a candle in memory of the Queen Mother.

She said: ''I've always admired the Royal Family and the Queen Mother. She was very special and my grandmother was about the same age so I've always had a special connection with her.''

Prime Minister Tony Blair led the many tributes from at home and abroad, saying she had been a symbol of Britain's ''decency and courage''.

He said the entire nation would join with the Queen and the Royal Family in mourning her death.

News of the royal death was flashed around the world by the Press Association at 5.45pm yesterday after members of the Royal Family had been informed.

Buckingham Palace said the Queen Mother had become ''increasingly frail in recent weeks following her bad cough and chest infection over Christmas''.

She died peacefully in her sleep at 3.15pm yesterday.