THE QUEEN led the nation in honouring her mother's memory today 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.
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Watch a slideshow of pictures from the unveiling of the Queen Mother memorialHeir 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.
Charles said: "All of us gathered here today will, I know, miss my darling grandmother's vitality, her interest in the lives of others, her unbounded courage and determination that allowed her incredibly to continue her official life to the age of very nearly 102, her perceptive wisdom, her calm in the face of all adversity, her steadfast belief in the British people and, above all, her irresistible, irrepressible sense of mischievous humour.
"These are the qualities and characteristics we recall today with love, pride and thanksgiving."
He praised those who worked to create the memorial to "for many, an adored Queen Mother, and, for others here today, a beloved mother, grandmother, aunt or employer.
"How blessed we were to have known her and her generosity of spirit."
The hope the Queen Mother and George VI inspired in the country during the "dark days of war" was celebrated in an address by the Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Richard Chartres.
The royal couple remained in the capital during the Blitz and were seen as sharing in the nation's wartime hardships when Buckingham Palace was bombed.
Dr Chartres also paid tribute to woman who reigned at the King's side for more than 25 years and then found a place in the nation's affections in the decades afterwards when her daughter, the Queen, ruled.
The Bishop said in his bidding to the assembled guests: "We have come together, in the presence of Almighty God, to give thanks for the memory and spirit of Queen Elizabeth.
"We recall her zest for life and her generous sympathies. We remember the courage which she and the King inspired in their peoples and we acknowledge the lively faith expressed in Her Majesty's own family motto 'In thou, my God, I place my trust without change to the end'."
In his dedication of the memorial, Dr Chartres gave thanks for "the memory of Queen Elizabeth, for her many years, her love of life, her many interests and charitable endeavours and for her partnership with the King in the dark days of war when they were a beacon of hope and courage for their peoples".
"May this statue nourish our memories and be a source of blessing both now and for generations to come," he said.
The Queen Mother has been depicted by sculptor Philip Jackson in the flowing robes of a garter knight and the bronze statue stands 9ft 6in tall.
The artwork has been placed in front of, and below, her husband's statue, which has been moved forward from its original place in Carlton House Terrace close to The Mall in central London.
Artist Paul Day created the two bronze friezes, with the first showing a wartime scene with the King and Queen visiting bombed– out Londoners.
The second panel shows three episodes from the Queen Mother's life – meeting veterans, spending a day at the races and at her Scottish retreat of the Castle of Mey in Caithness, bought the year her husband died – 1952.
The Queen Mother lived for virtually all of the 20th century and witnessed many of its major events.
She was laid to rest in Windsor alongside her beloved husband "Bertie" in St George's Chapel following a national day of mourning which saw more than a million people turn out to pay their respects along the funeral route.
