BUSINESSES are paying tribute to the Queen in special royal window displays.
Photographs with touching messages reflect the affection and appreciation Knutsford retailers feel towards Her Majesty’s 70-year reign.
Traders and staff working in pubs, restaurants, cafes and offices said they wanted to show their respect and admiration for the monarch.
The town’s oldest family business, Arthur Lee Interiors, placed a vase of flowers with an inscription saying ‘In loving memory of Queen Elizabeth II’.
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Vicky Wragg, who runs the 103-year-old store with sister Helen Dufton, said: “It is a time of massive change.
“She will leave a legacy beyond her time.
“No other living person has ever seen or witnessed what she has.
“Nobody else can ever claim to have met so many people.
“She was part of so many great events, the World Cup, visited heads of state across the world and witnessed the first man on the moon.
“It would be incredible for us to see any one of these yet what hits you is that she has seen them all and gets to meet all these people.
“It is never going to happen again.
“The incredible scenes we are seeing now shows how impactful she was in all our lives.”
The Red Cross shop features a picture of the young Princess Elizabeth when she served as a mechanic in the Auxiliary Territorial Service, the women’s branch of the British Army.
Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe has surrounded a picture of the Queen with red roses and Union Jack flags.
Daffern florists has designed a special floral arrangement as a personal tribute.
A hairdressers on Bottom Street has created a video display capturing the Queen's life.
Community groups and voluntary organisations have also paid tribute.
Eileen Podmore, secretary of Knutsford Royal May Day, said: “We would like to offer our sincere condolences to all the members of the royal family.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren who have lost the head of their family, just as we have lost the head of our nation.”
Val Bryant, trustee of Knutsford Heritage Centre, said: "Knutsford Heritage Centre, volunteers and trustees are deeply saddened by the passing of our Queen.
"We are thankful for her 70 years of loyal service to our country. We send our condolences to the royal family."
The town's MP joined colleagues at Westminister to share personal memories.
MP Esther McVey described the Queen as ‘a woman admired around the world who was dutiful, dedicated and who served her country until the very end’.
The Tatton MP said:"I was fortunate enough to have met Her Majesty on many occasions including when I was made a Privy Councillor and got the seals of office as a Secretary of State, and was privileged to spend time with her at Windsor with her beloved horses.
“She was a kind, incredibly caring woman, gentle but steely, diminutive yet imposing, knowledgeable and wise.
“When you met her you knew you were in the presence of greatness.
"She was loved by young and old and at every school visit I have done, children always wanted to know had I met her and what was she like.
“When I tell them I have met her, they squeal with excitement - such was the impact this lady had on people of all ages and across all parts of the country.
"God bless the Queen, may she rest in peace, and God save the King."
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