British flag at half mast at embassy in The Hague Photo: ANP

The flag was at half mast at the British embassy in the Hague, candles were burning and some people had left flowers.

Meanwhile, the Dutch front pages were full of images of British Queen Elizabeth II, who died on Thursday afternoon.

The NRC wrote about a queen who outlived everyone else by keeping her silence, who had wanted a brother as a child so that she would not have to be queen – but in the end saw her role as God-given.

The Volksrant called her a beacon of steadfastness in a changing world, coupling an old-fashioned sense of duty with a kind of imperturbability that made her the anchor of a changing nation.

In Trouw, Queen Elizabeth’s life was described as a one full of a ‘deeply felt sense of duty’, but also one full of anecdotes that revealed a certain twinkle in her eye.

A condolence book has been opened at the British Embassy in The Hague.

Members of the public are welcome to visit the Embassy to sign the book between these times. Floral tributes may be laid on the grass opposite the embassy. pic.twitter.com/1CAccXDrQR

— UK in NL🇬🇧🇳🇱 (@ukinnl) September 9, 2022

The Telegraaf front page remembered a ‘monarch of the world’ on its front page, citing her ‘trademark discretion’ but calling Charles III – who is now British King – her polar opposite.

The AD said ‘the Brits have lost a part of their soul’, after losing a queen who had reigned longer than ever before and with such a sense of duty. She was known, the paper said, for both sides of her personality: being both sunny and friendly and also sometimes stubborn and demanding.

The Parool headlined with the tribute of Mark Rutte, that a ‘beacon of calm and stability’ has fallen, saying that she was stately and cold-blooded but also surprising and sharp-witted.

It quoted Amsterdammers such as former director of the Amsterdam Museum Pauline Kruseman recalling her visits, her ‘easy way of communicating, asking questions and being interested’, a manner that demanded respect.

The late Queen Elizabeth II could also, added the Parool, change the spark plug of an engine without batting an eyelid.

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