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Tributes are being paid following the announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, who has died at Balmoral at the age of 96.

"Our thoughts are with all the members of the Royal Family.

"The Queen has been a constant presence in all our lives and we will all cherish so many happy memories of her extraordinary reign.

"How lucky we were to welcome the Queen to Burghley for the great picnic celebrations of Her Majesty’s 60th Jubilee in 2012.

"With a sense of profound gratitude we join the nation as we mourn the loss of Britain’s longest serving and universally loved monarch.

As a mark of respect the Union Flag is being flown at half-mast on council flag poles until the morning following Her Majesty’s State Funeral.

Helen Crawford, South Kesteven District Council chairman, said: “It is with much sadness that we have learned of the passing of our Sovereign Lady, Queen Elizabeth ll.

“My sorrow at this time is shared with councillors and officers of the council and, I am sure, all residents across the whole of South Kesteven District, as we remember with affection and gratitude the lifetime of service given by our longest-reigning monarch.

“During her reign the Queen visited the district on a number of occasions, includinga visit to Stamford and Burghley in the summer of 1961 and a subsequent visit in June 2012 for her Diamond Jubilee.

“As a district we have all greatly valued her leadership, longevity and dutiful dignity and I like to think she had special memories of South Kesteven.

“As a mark of respect some of my engagements may need to be postponed at this sad time.”

South Kesteven District Council has opened condolence books at two locations in each town: Grantham Mayor’s Parlour and St Wulfram’s Church; Stamford Mayor’s Parlour and All Saints' Church; Market Deeping Mayor’s Parlour and St Guthlac’s Church; Bourne Corn Exchange and Bourne Abbey Church.

The books will be available from 9am until 6pm each day until midday after Her Majesty’s State Funeral.

The council will join with the national observance of a two minute silence at 11am on the day of the State Funeral.

Flowers can be laid at St Peter’s Hill, Grantham, St Mary’s Church, Stamford, at the Well Head in South Street, Bourne and Riverside Park, Market Deeping.

"Her decades of service are unlikely to be matched, nor the affection in which she was held not only in this country but across the Commonwealth and indeed the world.

"For someone who was not destined for the throne, she undertook the role with a faith and fortitude that has seen her through difficult times as well as jubilant moments shared with the whole country, most recently her Platinum jubilee celebrations enjoyed throughout the district and across the country. A shining example of devotion to duty as Monarch of our proud nation.

"The Queen has held a special place in many people's hearts and her visits to our district, including to watch her daughter HRH The Princess Royal compete at the Burghley Horse Trials, suggest that South Kesteven was a place with special memories.

"Her close affiliation with the military was evidenced when, as the Second World War raged, the then-Princess Elizabeth rallied to the cause and enlisted, helping boost the morale of the British people.

"She has continued to be a role model to so many and I personally thank her for her service and duty to our country."

"She has been the one constant in all our lives. Her decades of service will never be matched, nor the affection in which she was held.

"The Queen’s passing will be mourned deeply by her subjects in the United Kingdom, who have lost their sovereign; the peoples of the Commonwealth, who have lost their figurehead; and members of her immediate family, who have lost their beloved mother, grand-mother, and great grand-mother. I extend my sincere condolences, and those of my constituents in Grantham and Stamford, to Their Royal Highnesses.

"Reflecting on the Queen's life of steadfast service, we and future generations will rightly recognise and admire her dedication to duty from first to last. As a Princess, she worked as an Army mechanic during the Second World War. As Queen, she fulfilled her constitutional responsibilities impeccably until the very end.

"The longest reigning monarch in our history, her memory will remain longer still: happy and glorious.

"It will always be a source of great pride and honour for my constituents that the very same sense of duty which saw the Queen travel more than a million miles, and visit over one hundred countries, also brought her to Grantham Railway Station and Burghley House.

"Throughout more than seventy years, the Queen overcame times of great change and challenge, both personal and national, with dignity and grace - providing the example for us all to do the same.

"It may be that we will come to speak not only of an Elizabethan age, but of the Elizabethan character: faithful service, dedication, resilience, devotion, kindness, humility, dignity, and grace.

"We all now - as Elizabethans - bear faithful witness to the most ancient transition of power in our land, and offer His Majesty The King our true allegiance as his most loyal subjects. Long may he reign. God Save the King."

"She was not born expecting to inherit the throne, but when duty called in 1952 she rose to the challenge.

"Over her seven decades as our Queen, she has provided a reassuring stability, not just to our country, but also to the Commonwealth and the wider world.

As the longest reigning monarch in British history, and the second in world history, the Queen has led the United Kingdom through profound periods of change. At the age of twenty one, she solemnly pledged to spend her life in service to the Crown and Commonwealth, a pledge she faithfully kept.

I offer my heartfelt condolences to the Royal Family, who have lost a mother, a grandmother, and a great grandmother. I would also like to pay tribute to the achievements of an extraordinary woman who, above all else, exemplified the principles of duty and public service.

"We have lost our Queen, but we will continue to treasure her memory and we will forever recall the achievements, sacrifice, and love which she showed for all her peoples, her country, and everyone she met around the world.

On a personal note, I was fortunate to meet Her Majesty on several occasions. I will treasure my last meeting with her at Windsor Castle in July of this year, when I was sworn into the Privy Council and received from her the Seals of Office for Northern Ireland.

I wish Her Majesty’s family well, in particular the Prince of Wales, who must now assume his mother’s responsibilities, and to whom I say, God save the King.”

"From our Lincolnshire Police family to the Royal family, and all those who knew or may have been close to the Queen, we send our thoughts and condolences. Her loss will be keenly felt by many.”

"Today is a remorseful day; one where we celebrate the life of our much-loved and respected figure, yet dwell in the solemnity of her passing.

"Thrust onto the throne and into the limelight at a young age, she conducted herself with wisdom beyond her years and continued the journey with unwavering decorum, navigating enormous social change, soaring highs and devastating lows, both personally and professionally, with intelligence and sanguinity.

"Her Majesty’s kindness knew no bounds, even complimenting me on my rather suspect brown suede and corduroy jacket as I stood in the crowd outside Windsor Castle for her Silver Jubilee in 1977.

"From charity work, hosting and guiding Heads of State, to a wide array of other public and voluntary engagements, Her Majesty’s sense of duty and devotion to a lifetime of service are qualities to be admired and adorned upon ourselves so we can be and do better in our lives. Quite simply, The Queen has been the strength and stay of our nation for generations, and we owe her a debt of gratitude greater than she would have ever claimed.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for leading us through the good and indifferent times, and for knowing and showing us the way to a good and honourable life. My heartfelt thoughts and condolences go out to the family and those closest to our Queen.

"It remains only for me to wish our new Monarch a happy and healthy reign over us. God Save the King."

“Her Majesty dedicated her life to the service of this country and was hugely respected by people all over the world.

“As a mark of respect, during the period of Royal mourning, the Union and Service Flags on all Service buildings will be half-masted.

“Our sincere sympathy goes out to all members of the Royal family.”

"The basis on which our monarchy is built ensures that throughout the centuries, the Crown has passed in an unbroken line of succession. Across Lincolnshire, residents are invited to attend formal Proclamations of the passing of the Queen and the announcement of the King."

"It is with great fondness that we look back on her many visits to Lincolnshire during her impressive reign. We were fortunate to host her several times, which enabled her to meet local people and see what our county offers.

"Lincolnshire was also a special place for her because of her regular visits to RAF Cranwell where her grandson, Prince William, trained to be an RAF pilot. And, because of her love of horses, she also attended Burghley Horse Trials near Stamford.

"For me, she was such an inspirational lady and a wonderful leader, full of grace and dignity. She will be greatly missed."

"The Queen served our country faithfully and with the upmost dedication for more than seventy years and is rightly admired and respected around the world.

"We are indebted to Her Majesty for everything she has given to our country throughout her reign. The huge outpouring of public support we witnessed during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations showed just how much the British people appreciate all that she has done for us.

"Representatives from Rutland were incredibly proud to meet The Queen at Burghley during her Diamond Jubilee and we have no doubt that her memory will live long in the hearts of British people for generations to come."

"We all have a great sense of loss and of the passing of an era. For the vast majority of us, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has been our monarch for our entire lives. Queen Elizabeth’s reign has been one that included enormous social and technological change. Her Majesty’s image has been as familiar to us as that of our nearest relatives and friends.

"We have held her dear. Our sense of national identity was intimately bound to Her Majesty’s continuing presence as our Head of State. The Queen’s constancy and longevity in the face of such immense transformations have given us all a sense of security and nationhood through a period of time when such a sense was as potentially problematic as it was necessary.

“We all remember Her life, lived in the public eye, with enormous respect and affection. Her Majesty provided an exemplar of public service, putting the needs of the majority and the country before Herself. The Queen’s example of service and duty has focussed the public mind on needs and achievements beyond the immediate and the political sphere. Her Majesty’s life will for ever be recorded in history. Her reign being the longest of any British monarch. We all give profound thanks for a long life well lived. We remember Her life with immense gratitude.”

"We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Her Majesty for all that she has done in seven decades as our Sovereign, Head of State and Head of the Commonwealth. The Queen’s enduring status as Britain’s longest-reigning Monarch is a fitting testament to her immense dedication and a lifetime spent in the unwavering service of our nation.

“This enormous loss will be felt not just here in the United Kingdom but by millions of people all around the world; such is the profound legacy Her Majesty leaves behind.

"Rutland County Council offers its sincerest condolences to the Royal Family. As a mark of respect, flags will be flown at half-mast outside all Council buildings and a two-minute silence will be observed at the start of public meetings.”

“Having served our country and the Commonwealth with distinction for more than seventy years, Her Majesty has become a symbol of great pride and affection for many millions of people – young and old. History books will record that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was Britain’s longest-reigning Monarch – admired and respected the world over. Her kindness, compassion and unflinching devotion to duty means that she will be remembered fondly in the hearts of the British people forever.”

“Having ascended to the throne at an incredibly early age, The Queen dedicated her life to the service of our nation and the wider Commonwealth. The Queen has been a source of immense pride and comfort for millions of people for more than half a century, as well as supporting a wealth of charities, organisations and good causes that have helped countless others. She will be hugely missed and never forgotten.”