Queen Elizabeth II: Bristol residents mourn her death

Floral tributes for The Queen were left outside Bristol Cathedral following her death on Thursday

Queen Elizabeth II has been described as "leading with grace" as people paid their respects at Bristol Cathedral.

People from the city have been laying floral tributes in memory of The Queen, who died at Balmoral on Thursday, and signing books of condolence.

Lord Mayor of Bristol Councillor Paula O'Rourke said there is "a sense of communal grief".

There are books of condolence at City Hall and the cathedral, which sit alongside each other.

Graham Fisher came to the city centre to pay his respects

Graham Fisher paid an emotional tribute to The Queen at the cathedral.

"She will be deeply, sadly missed," he said.

"She was our Queen, she was our monarch and she led with the most grace, compassion and humanity - and took on that role at a very young age not expected to become the head of Britain."

Patricia Fernandez and her daughter paid their respects to The Queen at Bristol Cathedral

Patricia Fernandez, 39 from Spain, who came to the cathedral with her daughter, has lived in Bristol for the past 10 years.

She said: "It's very sad because when you think about the UK you automatically think about the Queen. The life of that woman was really amazing, it's really sad news."

The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of Bristol Councillor Paula O'Rourke said The Queen was "much loved"

One of the condolence books for Her Majesty

The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of Bristol, Councillor Paula O'Rourke, was among the first people to sign the books of condolence.

She said: "One has to say the grief is absolutely palpable of the citizens of Bristol, you can see them as they come to sign the book of condolences or lay flowers.

"There is a sense of communal sense of grief, something that subdued the whole city because her majesty was much loved."

Richard Gunning, who works for the Lord Mayor, shared a personal memory of the Queen when she came to his school.

"I didn't speak to the Queen because she was on the other side of the road but I spoke to the Duke of Edinburgh and he said 'how did you get to be here today?'

"We said we went into a hat and he made the joke about us all fitting into a scout hat and we said no - our names were in the hat."

Mayor Marvin Rees signed the condolence book for The Queen

Shortly after signing the book of condolences, Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees said it was a "huge moment in British history".

He added: "As leaders, our priority now is to support the country through the transition and it will be a major disruption for some people - not just with the country as a whole, but those who feel an intense personal connection the Queen will be feeling real loss."

Ignacio Gasiarato with his sons Jacob and Nicholas, were visiting Bristol when the news broke

Ignacio Gasiarato and his sons Jacob, aged six, and Nicholas, three, were visiting Bristol from Spain when they heard the news The Queen had died.

He said: "We are very sad about the death of The Queen. It is very sad for us, it's painful.

"We will be staying here for the rest of the events throughout the day."