Queen Elizabeth II: Mayor of Bristol pays tribute to monarch's sense of duty

Mr Rees said the Queen was able to make people feel special through a smile

Marvin Rees, mayor of Bristol, has paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and praised her commitment to duty.

Speaking to the BBC, the mayor said it was the "special" gift of the Queen to make so many people feel connected to her.

The UK's longest-serving monarch died at Balmoral aged 96 on Thursday after reigning for 70 years.

Mr Rees said the Queen was able to make people feel special through a smile.

Queen Elizabeth II died peacefully at Balmoral on Thursday

Mr Rees said: "Just like everyone I was aware of the Queen's increasing physical vulnerability, we knew she was aging and yet at the same time it was a real shock.

"She has been the prominent backdrop to our country's story.

"It's a major upheaval and will cause us to have a period of significant adjustment."

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Mr Rees also said he had childhood memories of watching the Queen visit Bristol.

He said: "You've got a member of a very old British tradition in the monarchy, that could seem so abstract to the lives of ordinary people and yet so many ordinary people feel a personal connection - that's something so special the Queen achieved.

"The commitment of duty is spoken about but even if you think about the events of this last week, with the new prime minister, she continued in office, continued to perform the duties as Queen right to the very end.

"I think people saw that integrity, that approach to national responsibility and so many responded to it."

The Mayor said he had "great hopes" about King Charles III because of his "significant" work with The Prince's Trust

The Mayor also said he had "great hopes" about King Charles III because of his "significant" work with The Prince's Trust which provided "important interventions" in the lives of young people.

He recollected when the then Prince Charles visited Bristol to discuss how they could expand the support for young people in Bristol and the surrounding areas.

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Mr Rees said he also personally benefitted from the Trust when he was given a grant to contribute towards an exhibition to the Arctic with the British Schools Exploring Society and also a grant towards a masters degree.

He said: "These weren't huge sums of money themselves but they were significant in how they opened up opportunities that changed the trajectory of my life."

"I found King Charles to have a real humility, as well as a steadiness and an authentic commitment to doing good and I value that and warmed to it."

People across Bristol have been signing books of condolence at City Hall and the cathedral.