The 'secret ingredient' behind Jamie Oliver's 2st weight loss transformation - what he ate

 

Jamie Oliver is renowned in the food industry for his healthy meals and tips for leading a balanced lifestyle. And in some cases, he is speaking from experience as he also managed to drop a whopping two stones and transform himself with a diet plan.

Jessica Williams - 17h ago   Daily Express

The TV chef's weight has fluctuated over the years and he admitted because he spent so much time trying to better other people's lives, he began to neglect his own health.

But with his numerous cookbooks and TV shows highlighting the importance of good, healthy food, he decided to make a change.

He said: "I realised I hadn't spent much time looking after myself.

"I went back to school and started studying nutrition, started travelling to parts of the world to where people live the longest lives and started looking at their lifestyles.

READ MORE: Diet: Expert warns against common mistake

Jamie Oliver lost 2st by increasing his food - what he ate© GETTY

"That was the journey and it's been amazing," he told Loose Women.

He's dropped an incredible two stone during the process and he did it by eating more than he used to.

As a nutritional expert, he explained it's about what a person eats rather than how much they eat.

He said: "I pushed meat down, pushed veggies up, got more sleep and more movement.

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"I lost 12 kilos (two stone) quite quickly and I didn't do it through not eating. I ate a lot, more than I used to!"

While eating more greens is a healthy step forward, Jamie warned that by dropping meat it's important people find protein in other foods so as to ensure they are still getting the right intake of the important micronutrient.

His diet also included healthy fats such as nuts, which he revealed "makes you half as likely to have a heart attack," encouraging people to "feed them to your kids".

Not only that but his weight loss transformation was supported by one surprising food he incorporated into his diet.

READ MORE: Michael Mosley weight loss: Remove three foods to stay slim

Seaweed is believed to be a "secret ingredient" when it comes to losing weight.

Scientists at Newcastle University said alginate, a compound found in common seaweed, would "stop the body absorbing fat" by suppressing the digestion of fat in the gut.

It is also high in fibre, contains fucoxanthin, which is thought to help increase metabolism, and has very few calories.

he explained it's about what a person eats rather than how much they eat© GETTY

He told the Daily Mail: "I thought seaweed was hippy, globetrotting stuff but our ancestors ate seaweed. It's the most nutritious vegetable in the world."

Jamie also cut back on alcohol, removing his mid-week glass of wine and now only drinks at the weekends.

Several studies have revealed that excess alcohol consumption is linked to weight gain, as it contains lots of hidden calories and is renowned for can tricking people into feeling hungry.

Alongside his new heathy eating schedule, Jamie also overhauled his exercise regime and finally found one that works for him and his busy lifestyle.

He admitted in the past he found training "boring" and put on weight as a result, but after moving his workout time to become part of his working day, he realised how beneficial it was for him.

"The minute I did that I got really good at it. It's totally mental," he beamed.

"It's not about getting it right all the time, in fact, it's absolutely vital that you don't get it right all of the time. You've just got to get it right most of the time," he told Men's Health.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/nutrition/the-secret-ingredient-behind-jamie-oliver-s-2st-weight-loss-transformation-what-he-ate/ar-AA120wPS

Face mask can detect airborne Covid in just 10 minutes

A mask that can detect coronavirus in just 10 minutes has been developed by scientists.

The highly sensitive face covering can detect the novel bug in the air and alert the wearer via an app on their phone. It can also pick up swine flu and bird flu.

Telegraph reporters - 14h ago

A highly sensitive face covering can detect Covid in the air and alert the wearer via an app on their phone - Andy Wong /AP© Andy Wong /AP

Those diseases spread through droplets in the air released by infected people when they talk, cough or sneeze.

The tiny, invisible molecules can remain suspended in the air for a long time and people catch the illnesses by breathing in a big cluster of the molecules.

Researchers in China tested the mask in an enclosed chamber by spraying liquid containing virus proteins on to the face covering. The sensor responded to just 0.3 microlitres of the liquid.

That is between 70 and 560 times less than the amount of liquid produced by one sneeze and even less than the amount created by coughing or talking.

The sensor contains aptamers, a type of synthetic molecule that can identify proteins in pathogens. The research model was tested with aptamers that can recognise Covid, swine flu and bird flu.

Once the aptamers bound to the virus proteins in the air, an ion-gated transistor alerted wearers to the pathogens via their phones.

BOX: 11 actions to curb Covid and prevent history repeating itself© Provided by The Telegraph

Dr Yin Fang, study corresponding author, of Shanghai Tongji University, said: "Previous research has shown face-mask wearing can reduce the risk of spreading and contracting the disease.

"We wanted to create a mask that can detect the presence of virus in the air and alert the wearer. Our mask would work really well in spaces with poor ventilation, such as lifts or enclosed rooms, where the risk of getting infected is high.

"In the future, if a new respiratory virus emerges, we can easily update the sensor's design for detecting the novel pathogens."

The team now want to develop the mask to detect diseases even faster and create wearable devices that can help people manage other illnesses such as cancer and heart disease.

The findings were published in the journal Matter.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/medical/face-mask-can-detect-airborne-covid-in-just-10-minutes/ar-AA120M52

How to Grow Gorgeous Mushrooms

An illustrated visit to RI Mushrooms in Kingston, Rhode Island to see how the mushrooms I love to eat are grown

Jet Allen

17 Jul, 2019

Jett Allen

Cartoonist and Illustrator. I write and draw about my life, movies, and culture. Queer/Trans: they/them www.jettallen.com | Insta: @jettdraws

https://tenderly.medium.com/how-to-grow-gorgeous-mushrooms-ea8fca168b94

Feature: China-funded mushroom growing project empowering Zambians

 

by Elias Shilangwa

LUSAKA, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- The desire to ensure the growing and continuous supply of mushrooms prompted Stephanie Sakala, a resident of Lusaka, the Zambian capital, to undergo a mushroom training program financed by China.

Sakala, the Operations Manager at Maiwase Farm, a subsidiary of Kasalari Development Corporation, and two other workers decided to undergo oyster mushroom growing training at the China-Zambia Agricultural Technologies Demonstration Center (ATDC) in March this year.

After undergoing training, she said they started the mushrooming project in June and that she was happy with what has been achieved in such a short time.

She said the training was worthwhile and the knowledge acquired will go a long way in ensuring all-round production of mushroom unlike the traditional way of waiting for the rainy season before seeing mushrooms.

"So far we are impressed. We did not expect this much of a harvest. When we started we thought we would get less than this. We have been overwhelmed with what has come out so far," she told Xinhua.

The farm, she said, managed to harvest 20 kg of oyster mushroom in the first week which moved to 50 kg and later to over 100 kg.

While acknowledging that the market for oyster mushrooms in Zambia was still a challenge, Sakala expressed confidence that with more sensitizations, Zambians will be able to appreciate it because of the benefits it has compared to traditionally grown mushrooms.

She further commended the training center on the training it has been providing because they cater to categories of people regardless of their educational background.

On future plans, she said the farms intend to venture into the growing of other mushrooms such as Button mushrooms as well as the production of seeds as currently there is a challenge in accessing the seeds.

Sydro Simantombwe, another beneficiary of the training program and a worker at Maiwase Farm, expressed gratitude for the training provided, saying he has been empowered with a skill he can use to empower himself.

He said he will use the knowledge acquired to train other people, adding that it was important that the growing of mushrooms throughout the year was encouraged in the country unlike depending on traditional mushrooms.

Theresa Sakala, who participated in the training in 2021, said the training has benefited her because apart from providing her a source of income, it has helped her employ some young people who were helping her.

She encouraged local people in Zambia to consider participating in the training so that they become self-employed instead of waiting for the government to provide them with jobs.

"They need to utilize such opportunities because mushrooming growing is very easy. It just needs commitment. It also has crazy profit," she said.

Diana Kamau, the Mushroom Instructor at ATDC, said she was happy to see people who have trained to put their knowledge into practice.

"I get impressed when I see mushrooms and I always encourage them to continue," said Kamau, who has been training farmers for the past 10 years.

According to her, the demonstration center has been conducting training for an average of 20 farmers per week with farmers coming from different parts of the country.

She was, however, grateful that the demonstration center was working with some civil society organizations that send their people for training so that they could train others in different parts of the country.

The training, she said, has been helpful to the farmers as they are meant to cater to all categories of people.

The ATDC started operating in 2011 as part of the Chinese government initiative mooted in 2006 across Africa to consolidate the China-Africa trade and agriculture cooperation.

The ATDCs are meant to transfer Chinese technology and new methods of production through demonstrations and training, with the ultimate aim of increasing agricultural productivity.

The mushroom project is just one of the training programs being provided by the ATDC.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/world/2022/08/10/feature-china-funded-mushroom-growing-project-empowering-zambians

Man harvests the magic of mushroom farming as second income

 

Compiled by LIEW JIA XIAN and BENJAMIN LEE

WHILE many people see mushrooms as just food, Hasrulizad Hasmuti saw them as an opportunity for a secondary source of income.

19 Jul 2022

The farm foreman at Felda Tenggaroh 5 in Johor said he had always been interested in growing mushrooms, so he started doing it at the site of a former petrol station in his village during his free time.

He invested RM400 and scored double returns of RM800.

“After I saw the amount I earned from the first batch, I bought more blocks so that I could grow more mushrooms, and now I can earn up to RM7,000 a month from the business,” the 42-year-old told Utusan Malaysia.

The father of four also said it was easy to grow and harvest mushrooms compared with other corps.

“When I come back from work, I would stop by the mushroom farm to tend to it for a while.

“It is really simple. I do not need to use any pesticides or buy big farming tools or equipment.

“The only tricky part is keeping the temperature consistently cold to ensure the best quality,” he added.

Hasrulizad said he was now using his knowledge and experience to help others in his area and hoped that more people would become mushroom entrepreneurs like him.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/07/19/man-harvests-the-magic-of-mushroom-farming-as-second-income

Mushroom farming brings siblings RM10,000 a month

 

Handsome harvest: Muhamad Lokman Hakim with his sisters Puteri Nurin Sabirah (centre) and Puteri Nurin Darwisyah proudly showing the oyster mushrooms they cultivate in Kuala Krai, Kelantan. — Bernama

• Friday, 16 Sep 2022

• 
  

KUALA KRAI: Three siblings from Kampung Desa Kasih here have been generating almost RM10,000 a month from the sale of oyster mushrooms that they have been cultivating since last year.

Muhamad Lokman Hakim Md Sabri, who is a technician, said he had initially cultivated oyster mushrooms just to fill his spare time. Eventually, his two sisters, Puteri Nurin Darwisyah, 23, and Puteri Nurin Sabirah, 20, decided to help him cultivate the mushrooms as a side income.

“We started buying blocks of oyster mushrooms at RM1.60 per unit and as of now we have 3,000 blocks,” he told Bernama at his residence here yesterday.

Muhamad Lokman Hakim, 25, said residents and traders around Kuala Krai kept them busy as they had to meet the demand of nearly 30kg of mushrooms per day.

“We did not expect the sale of oyster mushrooms to be so popular, and in addition to having regular customers, we also sell them online using social media platforms to increase our income.

“To get maximum yield and quality, the temperature of the mushroom nursery or house needs to be humid. The environment must be clean too,” he said, adding that he harvested the mushrooms twice a day, in the morning and evening.

Muhamad Lokman Hakim expressed hope that he would receive assistance from related agencies as he was planning to sell blocks of oyster mushrooms to help anyone interested in mushroom cultivation.

“To produce oyster mushroom blocks, we need three materials, which are rubber wood dust, rice bran and agricultural lime, which are all mixed and blended using a machine. The material is steamed for six hours in a barrel and then cooled for 24 hours. After that, it is stored in a humid temperature room,” he said.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/09/16/mushroom-farming-brings-siblings-rm10000-a-month?

NATION 15 Sep 2022

Siblings generate almost RM10,000 a month from...

NATION 19 Jul 2022

Man harvests the magic of mushroom farming as second income

WORLD 10 Aug 2022

Feature: China-funded mushroom growing project empowering...

BBC Obituary: Queen Elizabeth II

The long reign of Queen Elizabeth II was marked by her strong sense of duty and her determination to dedicate her life to her throne and to her people.

9 September 2022

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61605149

She became for many the one constant point in a rapidly changing world as British influence declined, society changed beyond recognition and the role of the monarchy itself came into question.

Her success in maintaining the monarchy through such turbulent times was even more remarkable given that, at the time of her birth, no-one could have foreseen that the throne would be her destiny.

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born on 21 April 1926, in a house just off Berkeley Square in London, the first child of Albert, Duke of York, second son of George V, and his duchess, the former Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.

Baby Elizabeth with her parents at her christening

Both Elizabeth and her sister, Margaret Rose, who was born in 1930, were educated at home and brought up in a loving family atmosphere. Elizabeth was extremely close to both her father and her grandfather, George V.

At the age of six, Elizabeth told her riding instructor that she wanted to become a "country lady with lots of horses and dogs".

She was said to have shown a remarkable sense of responsibility from a very early age. Winston Churchill, the future prime minister, was quoted as saying that she possessed "an air of authority that was astonishing in an infant".

Despite not attending school, Elizabeth proved adept at languages and made a detailed study of constitutional history.

A special Girl Guides company, the 1st Buckingham Palace, was formed so that she could socialise with girls of her own age.

Increasing tension

On the death of George V in 1936, his eldest son, known as David, became Edward VIII.

However, his choice of wife, the twice-divorced American Wallis Simpson, was deemed to be unacceptable on political and religious grounds. At the end of the year he abdicated.

Princess Elizabeth, with her parents and younger sister Margaret, at the time of her father's "very, very wonderful" Coronation

Princesses Elizabeth (right) and Margaret broadcast to the nation in World War Two

A reluctant Duke of York became King George VI. His Coronation gave Elizabeth a foretaste of what lay in store for her and she later wrote that she had found the service "very, very wonderful".

Against a background of increasing tension in Europe, the new King, together with his wife, Queen Elizabeth, set out to restore public faith in the monarchy. Their example was not lost on their elder daughter.

In 1939, the 13-year-old princess accompanied the King and Queen to the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth.

Together with her sister Margaret, she was escorted by one of the cadets, her third cousin, Prince Philip of Greece.

Obstacles

It was not the first time they had met, but it was the first time she took an interest in him.

Prince Philip called on his royal relatives when on leave from the navy, and by 1944, when she was 18, Elizabeth was clearly in love with him. She kept his picture in her room and they exchanged letters.

The young princess briefly joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) towards the end of the war, learning to drive and service a lorry. On VE Day, she joined the Royal Family at Buckingham Palace as thousands gathered in The Mall to celebrate the end of the war in Europe.

"We asked my parents if we could go out and see for ourselves," she later recalled. "I remember we were terrified of being recognised. I remember lines of unknown people linking arms and walking down Whitehall, all of us just swept along on a tide of happiness and relief."

After the war, her desire to marry Prince Philip faced a number of obstacles.

The King was reluctant to lose a daughter on whom he doted, and Philip had to overcome the prejudice of an establishment that could not accept his foreign ancestry.

Princess Elizabeth's wedding to Philip Mountbatten brightened the post-war gloom

But the wishes of the couple prevailed and on 20 November 1947 the couple married in Westminster Abbey.

The Duke of Edinburgh, as Philip had become, remained a serving naval officer. For a short time, a posting to Malta meant the young couple could enjoy a relatively normal life.

Their first child, Charles, was born in 1948, followed by a sister, Anne, who arrived in 1950.

But the King, having suffered considerable stress during the war years, was terminally ill with lung cancer, brought about by a lifetime of heavy smoking.

In January 1952, Elizabeth, then 25, set off with Philip for an overseas tour. The King, against medical advice, went to the airport to see the couple off. It was to be the last time Elizabeth would see her father.

Elizabeth heard of the death of the King while staying at a game lodge in Kenya and the new Queen immediately returned to London.

"In a way, I didn't have an apprenticeship," she later recalled. "My father died much too young, so it was all a very sudden kind of taking on and making the best job you can."

Personal attack

Her Coronation in June 1953 was televised, despite the opposition of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and millions gathered around TV sets, many of them for the first time, to watch as Queen Elizabeth II made her oath.

With Britain still enduring post-war austerity, commentators saw the Coronation as the dawn of a new Elizabethan age.

World War Two had served to hasten the end of the British Empire, and by the time the new Queen set off on a lengthy tour of the Commonwealth in November 1953, many former British possessions, including India, had gained independence.

Her Coronation was the first to be broadcast live on British TV

Elizabeth became the first reigning monarch to visit Australia and New Zealand. It was estimated that three-quarters of Australians turned out to see her in person.

Throughout the 1950s, more countries hauled down the union flag and the former colonies and dominions now came together as a voluntary family of nations.

Many politicians felt that the new Commonwealth could become a counter to the newly emerging European Economic Community and, to some extent, British policy turned away from the Continent.

Her visit to the US in 1957 was just one of many overseas tours

But the decline of British influence was hastened by the Suez debacle in 1956, when it became clear that the Commonwealth lacked the collective will to act together in times of crisis. The decision to send British troops to try to prevent Egypt's threatened nationalisation of the Suez Canal ended in an ignominious withdrawal and brought about the resignation of Prime Minister Anthony Eden.

This embroiled the Queen in a political crisis. The Conservative Party had no mechanism for electing a new leader and, after a series of consultations, the Queen invited Harold Macmillan to form a new government.

The Queen also found herself the subject of a personal attack by the writer Lord Altrincham. In a magazine article, he claimed her court was "too British" and "upper-class" and accused her of being unable to make a simple speech without a written text.

His remarks caused a furore in the press and Lord Altrincham was physically attacked in the street by a member of the League of Empire Loyalists.

Nevertheless, the incident demonstrated that British society and attitudes to the monarchy were changing fast and old certainties were being questioned.

From 'the Monarchy' to 'the Royal Family'

Encouraged by her husband, notoriously impatient with the court's stuffiness, the Queen began to adapt to the new order.

The practice of receiving debutantes at court was abolished and the term "the Monarchy" was gradually replaced by "the Royal Family".

The Queen was once more at the centre of a political row when in 1963, Harold Macmillan stood down as prime minister. With the Conservative Party still to set up a system for choosing a new leader, she followed his advice to appoint the Earl of Home in his place.

It was a difficult time for the Queen. The hallmark of her reign was constitutional correctness, and a further separation of the monarchy from the government of the day. She took seriously her rights to be informed, to advise and to warn - but did not seek to step beyond them.

It was to be the last time she would be put in such a position. The Conservatives finally did away with the tradition that new party leaders just "emerged", and a proper system was put in place.

The documentary Royal Family gave an unprecedented look behind the public face of the monarchy

By the late 1960s, Buckingham Palace had decided that it needed to take a positive step to show the Royal Family in a far less formal and more approachable way.

The result was a ground-breaking documentary, Royal Family. The BBC was allowed to film the Windsors at home. There were pictures of the family at a barbecue, decorating the Christmas tree, taking their children for a drive - all ordinary activities, but never seen before.

Critics claimed that Richard Cawston's film destroyed the mystique of the royals by showing them to be ordinary people, including scenes of the Duke of Edinburgh barbecuing sausages in the grounds at Balmoral.

But the film echoed the more relaxed mood of the times and did much to restore public support for the monarchy.

By 1977, the Silver Jubilee was celebrated with genuine enthusiasm in street parties and in ceremonies across the kingdom. The monarchy seemed secure in the public's affection and much of that was down to the Queen herself.

Two years later, Britain had, in Margaret Thatcher, its first woman prime minister. Relations between the female head of state and female head of government were sometimes said to have been awkward.

Scandals and disasters

One difficult area was the Queen's devotion to the Commonwealth, of which she was head. The Queen knew the leaders of Africa well and was sympathetic to their cause.

She was reported to have found Thatcher's attitude and confrontational style "puzzling", not least over the prime minister's opposition to sanctions against apartheid South Africa.

Year by year, the Queen's public duties continued. After the Gulf War in 1991, she went to the United States to become the first British monarch to address a joint session of Congress. President George HW Bush said she had been "freedom's friend for as long as we can remember".

The Windsor Castle fire contributed to the Queen's "annus horribilis"

However, a year later, a series of scandals and disasters began to affect the Royal Family.

The Queen's second son, the Duke of York, and his wife Sarah separated, while Princess Anne's marriage to Mark Phillips ended in divorce. Then the Prince and Princess of Wales were revealed to be deeply unhappy and eventually split up.

The year culminated in a huge fire at the Queen's favourite residence, Windsor Castle. It seemed a grimly appropriate symbol of a royal house in trouble. It was not helped by a public row over whether the taxpayer, or the Queen, should foot the bill for the repairs.

The Queen described 1992 as her "annus horribilis" and, in a speech in the City of London, appeared to concede the need for a more open monarchy in return for a less hostile media.

"No institution, city, monarchy, whatever, should expect to be free from the scrutiny of those who give it their loyalty and support, not to mention those who don't. But we are all part of the same fabric of our national society and that scrutiny can be just as effective if it is made with a measure of gentleness, good humour and understanding."

The institution of monarchy was very much on the defensive. Buckingham Palace was opened to visitors to raise money to pay for the repairs at Windsor and it was announced that the Queen and the Prince of Wales would pay tax on investment income.

The Queen was committed to the Commonwealth throughout her reign

Abroad, the hopes for the Commonwealth, so high early in her reign, had not been fulfilled. Britain had turned its back on its old partners with new arrangements in Europe.

The Queen still saw value in the Commonwealth and was deeply gratified when South Africa, where she had come of age, at last threw apartheid aside. She celebrated with a visit in March 1995.

At home, the Queen sought to maintain the dignity of the monarchy while public debate continued on whether the institution had any future.

Death of Diana, Princess of Wales

The Queen faced criticism after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales

As Britain struggled to find a new destiny, she tried to remain a reassuring figure, and with a sudden smile could lighten a solemn moment. The role she valued above all was that of symbol of the nation.

However, the monarchy was shaken and the Queen herself attracted unusual criticism after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in a car accident in Paris in August 1997.

As the public crowded around the palaces in London with tributes of flowers, the Queen seemed reluctant to provide the focus that she had always tried to do during great national moments.

Many of her critics failed to understand that she was from a generation that recoiled from the almost hysterical displays of public mourning that typified the aftermath of the princess's death.

She also felt as a caring grandmother that she needed to comfort Diana's sons in the privacy of the family circle.

Eventually, she made a live broadcast, paying tribute to her daughter-in-law and making a commitment that the monarchy would adapt.

Losses and celebrations

The deaths of the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret, in the Queen's Golden Jubilee year, 2002, cast a shadow over nationwide celebrations of her reign.

But despite this, and the recurring debate over the future of the monarchy, a million people crowded into The Mall, in front of Buckingham Palace, on the evening of the jubilee.

The wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton was a happy occasion

In April 2006, thousands of well-wishers lined the streets of Windsor as the Queen performed an informal walkabout on her 80th birthday.

And in November 2007, she and Prince Philip celebrated 60 years of marriage with a service attended by 2,000 people at Westminster Abbey.

There was yet another happy occasion in April 2011 when the Queen attended the wedding of her grandson, William, Duke of Cambridge, to Catherine Middleton.

In May that year she became the first British monarch to make an official visit to the Irish Republic, an event of great historical significance.

In a speech, which she began in Irish, she called for forbearance and conciliation and referred to "things we wish had been done differently or not at all".

Referendum

A year later, on a visit to Northern Ireland as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, she shook hands with the former IRA commander Martin McGuinness.

It was a poignant moment for a monarch whose much-loved cousin, Lord Louis Mountbatten, had been killed by an IRA bomb in 1979.

Her handshake with Martin McGuinness was a landmark moment

The Diamond Jubilee brought hundreds of thousands of people on to the streets and culminated in a weekend of celebrations in London.

The referendum on Scottish independence, in September 2014, was a testing time for the Queen. Few had forgotten her speech to Parliament in 1977 in which she made clear her commitment to a United Kingdom.

"I number kings and queens of England and of Scotland, and princes of Wales among my ancestors and so I can readily understand these aspirations. But I cannot forget that I was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland."

In a remark to well-wishers at Balmoral on the eve of the Scottish referendum, which was overheard, she said she hoped people would think very carefully about the future.

Once the result of the vote was known, her public statement underlined the relief she felt that the Union was still intact, although recognising that the political landscape had changed.

"Now, as we move forward, we should remember that despite the range of views that have been expressed, we have in common an enduring love of Scotland, which is one of the things that helps to unite us all."

In later years the Queen withdrew from much of public life though she appeared on the balcony at Buckingham Palace for her Platinum Jubilee in 2022

On 9 September 2015 she became the longest reigning monarch in British history, surpassing the reign of her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria. In typical style she refused to make any fuss saying the title was "not one to which I have ever aspired".

Less than a year later, in April 2016, she celebrated her 90th birthday.

She continued with her public duties, often alone after the retirement of the Duke of Edinburgh in 2017.

There were continued strains on the family - including her husband's car accident, the Duke of York's ill-judged friendship with convicted American businessman Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Harry's growing disillusionment with life in the royal family.

These were unsettling moments, presided over by a monarch who demonstrated that she was still firmly in control. There was also the death of Prince Philip in April 2021, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, and her Platinum Jubilee a year later.

Although the monarchy might not have been as strong at the end of the Queen's reign as it was at the start, she was determined that it should continue to command a place of affection and respect in the hearts of the British people.

On the occasion of her Silver Jubilee, she recalled the pledge she had made on a visit to South Africa 30 years before.

"When I was 21, I pledged my life to the service of our people and I asked for God's help to make good that vow. Although that vow was made in my salad days, when I was green in judgement, I do not regret, or retract, one word of it."

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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61605149