The Queen has led the nation in honouring her mother's memory as she unveiled a national monument dedicated to the much-loved Royal.
The Prince of Wales paid a poignant personal tribute to his "darling grandmother", praising the Queen Mother's "vitality", "unbounded courage and determination" and her "irresistible and irrepressible sense of mischievous humour".
A bronze statue of the royal matriarch, who died aged 101 in 2002, forms the centre piece of the £2 million monument and incorporates an existing statue of her husband King George VI on The Mall in central London.
Heir to the throne Charles said: "At long last my grandparents are reunited in this joint symbol, which in particular reminds us of all they stood for and meant to so many during the darkest days this country has ever faced,"
"Today we remember them both with joy mingled with sadness, but also intense gratitude for the role they performed with such consummate grace and inspiration."
Senior members of the Royal Family including Prince William, Prince Harry, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke of York, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, the Princess Royal and the Earl and Countess of Wessex gathered to watch the unveiling, as did members of the Bowes-Lyon family - relatives of the Queen Mother.
"All of us gathered here today will I know miss my darling grandmother's vitality," the Prince said.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown and wife Sarah joined the guests, as did Culture Secretary Andy Burnham.
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