Hushed respect at Windsor

WINDSOR, England (CNN) -- Hundreds of mourners have paid their respects to Britain's royal matriarch the Queen Mother at Windsor Castle, near London, where she died, aged 101.

The Queen Mother had presided over the monarchy during a turbulent 20th Century which saw Buckingham Palace bombed during the blitz in World War II and an increasingly tarnished royal image as a result of family divorces and scandals.

CNN's Matthew Chance described the atmosphere among mourners at Windsor Castle.

MC: Several hundred people have been arriving at Windsor Castle throughout the day, many laying flowers at the gates. The majority of the people here are locals, but there are others who have made special trips. There was a couple who were on their way to Heathrow Airport to fly out on their holidays who took a diversion to come and pay their respects.

Others are tourists, including a couple from South Africa and a woman from the United States who felt "terrible" that something like this had happened on her arrival.

People have been surprised by the level of the emotion shown, though it is not the same intensity as it was for Diana, Princess of Wales. The emotion for Diana was predominantly that of grief which has not been witnessed here.

All the people we spoke to are not so much saddened, but rather feel sympathy for members of the royal family, in particular the Queen and Prince Charles.

But the overwhelming sense is one of respect -- a hushed respect. It is quite quiet considering the number of people here. Mourners have felt it is their duty to come out and pay their respects in this way. It is difficult to gauge how many flowers have been left because they have been taken inside the castle.

The range of ages here has been surprising because I would have assumed it would be just the older generation, and certainly they are here -- the ones who remember the Queen Mother for the support she gave to the country during World War II and during the blitz.

People of her generation still feel a close affinity with her, but there are a lot of younger people here as well who have a lot of respect for her. She was the grandmother of the nation.

Perhaps those who do not remember her from WWII are probably aware of her being around all through their lives. There is some curiosity, but also a genuine interest.

She has managed to stay aloof of her family's troubles, always to stay above that. The Queen Mother has not been tainted by the sordid details of the divorces and scandals.