The rising sun bathed Ballater in brilliant light yesterday morning as the first floral tributes were laid in Glenmuick church square beside a photograph of the smiling Queen. It was a stark contrast to the evening before as downpours greeted the announcement that Elizabeth II had died at her beloved Balmoral Castle eight miles down the road.

Royalty is in the very foundations of the village of Ballater. The Albert Hall, opposite the old train station, was built in 1874 in memory of Queen Victoria’s devoted husband, an ancestor of Queen Elizabeth II and her son, who became King Charles III on Thursday.

The word “postponed” had been hastily scrawled over a sign outside promoting the village’s Autumn Fayre which was due to take place

Registered in England No. 894646. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF.