Few flowers and just a trickle of mourners for the tragic princess

The message seemed to say it all: "God bless. I'm sorry you could not marry the man you loved. Be happy now."

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Princess Margaret

The unknown author was among the steady trickle of mourners who had come to remember the privileged but ultimately sad life of Princess Margaret yesterday. But while the paucity of numbers could not but draw parallels with the mountainous floral outpouring on the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, the sentiment was heartfelt.

They had come to St James's Palace to sign the books of condolence laid out on tables draped in black cloth in the entrance to the state apartments. By 6pm, some had only a dozen or so signatures. While her death brought grief to the Royal Family, it was not, it seemed, a cause for national mourning.

The Queen will continue her official engagements and is due to appear in public on Tuesday to reopen the Salvation Army's Booth House at Whitechapel, east London. A tour, by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, to Jamaica, New Zealand and Australia will also go ahead from 18 February.

The Princess, aged 71, had been in poor health for some time and her death was not unexpected. She died at 6.30am on Saturday at the King Edward VII Hospital in London. She had suffered a third stroke on Friday afternoon but, on the advice of doctors, remained at Kensington Palace, where she had nursing care. But she developed heart problems during the night and was taken by ambulance to hospital at 2.30am. She died peacefully in her sleep, four hours later, with her children, Lord Linley and Lady Sarah Chatto, at her bedside.

The Queen was kept informed throughout the night and news of the Princess's death was passed to the Queen Mother, who has been ill at Sandringham with a persistent cold.

Family and close friends were expected to pay their respects before the coffin is moved, early in the week, to the Queen's Chapel at St James's Palace, where it will remain until Thursday.

Tony Blair praised the "sense of service" Princess Margaret had shared with the rest of the Royal Family. "Before she was ill, she did an enormous amount of public service, of charity work," the Prime Minister said.

The Prince of Wales paid tribute on Saturday to his "Darling aunt" who "had such a dreadful time in the last few years with her awful illness".