The Scottish parliament met on Wednesday to allow MSPs to pay their respects to the Queen Mother.

The debate, which lasted a half-hour, began with a minute's silence, after which presiding officer Sir David Steel opened the motion.

"We meet today to pay tribute to the life and work of a great daughter of Scotland, whose lifetime spanned the entire 20th century and her public service, as Duchess of York, as Queen's Consort, especially during the second world war and as Queen Mother was itself a fulfillment of her Strathmore family motto," he said.

Tributes were then made by first minister Jack McConnell, who described the special parliament meeting as "a celebration of the life of a remarkable woman, because she herself celebrated life in so many ways".

"The size and scale of their [the royal family's] loss is a measure of the life she lived and the many admirable qualities she displayed so tirelessly in times of difficulty and in times of happiness," he said.

"She had Scotland in her heart, and Scots everywhere will retain a place in their hearts for Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother."

"The Queen Mother's life was a life of public service, it was a life led to the full and was a life that was closely associated with Scotland," said John Swinney, leader of the Scottish Nationalists.

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Jim Wallace said: "She had a natural affinity with Scotland, and in return enjoyed the great affection of the people of Scotland."

Scottish Conservative leader David McLetchie praised the Queen Mother for taking the role of Queen in the 1930s, after the abdication of Edward VIII."We should always remember that the responsibility of being Queen was not something for which she had been prepared or which she expected or sought but one which was thrust upon her by events," he said."The fact that she rose so magnificently to this enormous challenge of providing such steadfast support to her husband, King George VI, was a tribute to her sense of duty and her steely resolve."

The Lord Provosts of Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh were at the Holyrood parliament, while deputy Lord Provost Jean Macey represented Glasgow.

Representatives from countries including France, Germany, Russia and the United States were also in attendance.