The Queen was laid to rest following 70 years of service after family, friends and the nation said a fond farewell to the late monarch. The Northern Echo reporter Daniel Hordon travelled to London to be a part of history

The Queen's funeral marked a day of immense sadness for the United Kingdom - but what could have been a day of sorrow became an uplifting celebration as a nation united in grief paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

The streets were packed with mourners, from all corners of the UK and further afield, all lining up to pay their respects.

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My day started at Newcastle Central Station as I boarded the first train at 4.45am, put on especially for the occasion. I had expected it to be busy with people squashed in the aisles and cramped seats, but there were only a handful of people on board when I got on.

But as we called at each stop and the train started to slowly fill, it wasn’t just passengers that were boarding, there were people with a story, people who had felt compelled to travel to the capital.

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As one of my fellow passengers said: "She was our Queen, she was everybody's Queen."

And everybody's she most certainly was. People from all walks of life came together on their journey to mourn. From three generations of one family to former servicemen clad with medals. Friendships were formed and the sense of community was incredible.

People who had never met joined together to spend their day mourning together. And on a wider level a whole country was joined together in paying its respects.

The Queen was continuing to unite us as she had for the last 70 years.

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I, like many, had a struggle to get anywhere near the procession route or palaces and so along with thousands of people, I filed into Hyde Park to watch the service on the big screens.

But the moment was no less special. Relatives and partners stood embracing each other as they watched the emotional service, some shedding a tear, and when the minute's silence began, you could hear a pin drop in the park despite it being packed with mourners as far as the eye could see.

I may not have seen anything of note going on directly in front of my eyes but that didn't matter.

The overwhelming sense from speaking to people travelling to London was that it was just being there which was important.

To say you were in London on the day of the Queen's funeral is enough. I felt honoured and privileged to be there.