The National:

OUT of the goodness of its heart, Marks and Spencer will be closing nearly all of its UK stores on Monday out of respect for the Queen.

Also out of the goodness of its heart, the store chain will be staying open in areas where it expects "millions" of hungry customers.

On September 19, the late Queen Elizabeth will be laid to rest in a funeral ceremony.

The day has been made a bank holiday, and a raft of UK stores will close their doors as a mark of respect.

However, it seems M&S has different levels of respect depending on where you are.

If you happen to be in Windsor or London – where the shop expects to see “millions” of mourners – then an unspecified number of stories will helpfully remain open, at least until 10:30am.

The chain’s CEO, Stuart Machin, framed this as “supporting customers as they show their respects”.

Apparently the customers showing their respects anywhere other than Windsor or London will have to manage without M&S’s help.

What’s more, the chain will be offering more sturdy “support” to customers in the busiest areas.

Their four stores “closest to Westminster Abbey and St George’s Chapel, Windsor” will reopen after the funeral service, no doubt looking to offer much needed support to those hungry mourners.