Touching farewells for Princess

Though comparatively few in number, many of the public left touching personal messages and tributes to the Princess the day after she died in hospital following a stroke at the age of 71.

Ten books were laid out on tables draped in black cloth in the entrance to the state apartments. Some had more than a dozen signatures written in by the time the doors were closed at 6:00 p.m. (1 p.m. ET).

The members of the public who came to pay their respects were from all over Britain. One had even put down an address in New York.

Among the heartfelt messages, one wrote: "Goodbye to our lovely princess." Another wrote: "Rest in peace, a most wondrous royal princess."

"With sympathy. You gave much joy to many people" one mourner wrote. Another said: "God bless your family with peace despite troubles."

And another wrote: "God bless. I’m sorry you could not marry the man you loved. Be happy now."

CNN’s Hala Gorani reported that other well-wishers were outside Margaret’s home, Kensington Palace, to show their sympathy.

A number left flowers though nowhere in the numbers that had marked the death of Princess Diana four-and-a-half years ago.

Members of the public also were being encouraged to leave messages on the royal family’s Web site for an enigmatic royal figure who, in the words of her nephew Prince Charles, "loved life and lived it to the full."

Prime Minister Tony Blair praised the "sense of service" Princess Margaret had shared with the rest of the royal family.

"The thing that people understand about the royal family is the sense of service that they have," Tony Blair told the Sky News programme Sunday with Adam Boulton.

"Princess Margaret had it. Before she was ill she did an enormous amount of public service, of charity work."

Led by the royal family, churchgoers throughout Britain remembered Margaret at Sunday services across the country.

She was remembered for her "beauty and creativity" in a church service held on the Sandringham Estate, eastern England.

The Duke of Edinburgh and about 80 parishioners attended Sunday’s regular service in the 13th Century St Mary Magdalene Church to pay their respects to the Princess.

Canon George Hall, 64, who regularly takes the weekly service in Sandringham, paid tribute to the 71-year-old Princess, remembering her "love of life and all beautiful things."

The Queen Mother, supported by Prince Charles, said private prayers for her daughter at a private chapel at Sandringham.

The 101-year-old royal matriarch, who has been unwell with a cold, was said to have spent a day of personal reflection. (FULL STORY)