Retired Cloughton blacksmith: 'The Queen will never be forgotten'
Alan Readman met the Queen on four occasions
Public viewing of Queen Elizabeth II's coffin begins today after arriving at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Scotland.
It will rest in the throne room until this afternoon, when it will be moved to St. Giles' Cathedral.
People have been warned of long waits, and photography and recording is strictly prohibited.
Princess Anne will fly to London with her mother's body tomorrow.
Alan Readman is a retired blacksmith in Cloughton near Scarborough.
He has met the Queen before and said: "We were lucky enough through being tenants to meet the Queen on four occasions between 1975 and 2010. You can appreciate, well I can, the fact that Her Majesty wanted to end her days in beautiful countryside of Balmoral.
"She was a model. A model of believing, her faith and obviously had to be there in great strength for her to achieve what we and everybody else could see until that sad day. She'll never be forgotten.
"Her Majesty was coming along to a coffee morning up at the town farm. I was asked to attend that but then I realised that I can't be stood in the blacksmith shop in a suit and tie, so I left my working clothes in part of the workshop where all the security guards were. They weren't going to let me in! Eventually they cleared me and I'm not sure if the Queen, even though she had seen me with a tie and shirt, she probably didn't know it was the same fella. I had a leather apron on.
"I've never seen security like it. They came to the blacksmith shop and she was also coming to the farm just up the road, but the security guys came with sniffer dogs and I was there all the time, but I couldn't work. They weren't in the way but it was inappropriate for somebody to be welding when there were these dogs running around.
"I didn't realise how in-depth security had to be. All the drains and manhole covers had to be lifted within a certain distance of the perimeter walls. Every nook and cranny upstairs in the loft, which I built myself, but they went up there, took the dogs up there and check it all out.
"I hope the new King has sufficient rubbed off her ability in so many aspects. Being King or Queen there is a bit of a mountain to climb but I hope not. I hope people are supportive."