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Hello, I'm Anita Rani and welcome to Woman's Hour from BBC Radio 4.

Welcome.

Today on Woman's Hour, we celebrate the life of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-raining

monarch in British history whose devotion to the job was undeniable.

She was an extraordinary woman, the most famous woman on earth.

But as well as being the Queen, she was also a working mother.

She became a mum to Charles at the age of 22, a grandmother, a great grandmother,

who had to navigate her duty to the country, life in the public eye, as well as living

through turbulent times within her family, with the world looking on and more specifically,

looking to and at her.

When we've been through turbulent times as a country, we've also looked to and at her.

Here she is addressing the nation in lockdown.

We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return.

We will be with our friends again.

We will be with our families again.

We will meet again.

Her passing will be felt in so many ways in the coming days and weeks as we adjust to

a world without her constant presence and step into a new era of King Charles III.

In the next hour, we'll think about the Queen as a woman and we'll be speaking to a variety

of women about what she meant to them.

But of course, this programme wouldn't be what it is without your input.

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