The face of the most famous woman in the world has dominated the front of newspapers in the UK and across Europe, throughout the United States and Asia and in Australia.

The images chosen to record the end of the British monarch's life and her record reign have ranged from warm and intimate to regal to, well, just plain strange.

The full-page photographs and illustrations of Her Majesty chronicle many of the chapters of her 70-year reign: from black and white flashbacks to an elegant young princess crowned at the age of 25 to majestic portraits of a commanding figurehead posing resplendent in full regalia.

While many headlines have offered heartfelt and sombre tributes, some papers opted for quirky and irreverent imagery - including of the back of the Queen's head.

Young, old, colour and black and white, the perspectives reflect differing views around the globe of Britain's longest-serving monarch, and the notion of royalty itself.

The Times of London marked the momentous end of the second Elizabethan age with the striking official portrait of the Queen from her coronation in 1953, with the simple words: "A life in service."

The UK's irreverent red top Daily Star switched its masthead to a solemn black over the same coronation portrait.

Its headline offered a simple expression of gratitude: "You did your duty, Ma'am".

The Sun also swapped its usual screaming red top, in its case for regal purple.

Alongside an engaging black and white close-up from recent years , the newspaper said: "We loved you Ma'am".

The Daily Mail wore its heart on its sleeve too, proclaiming "Our hearts are broken" under a 1952 portrait of the Queen.

Taken while she was still Princess Elizabeth, the photograph shows her looking straight into the camera with a resolute gaze.

London's Daily Telegraph opted for a black and white photo and reprised her message of condolence to families of the victims of the September 11 attacks: "Grief is the price we pay for love."

In Australia the commemorative front pages of The Canberra Times and the 13 regional daily mastheads of publisher ACM show the Queen looking contemplative in profile - a familiar perspective of the monarch from her decades decorating the nation's currency and postage stamps.

The back page of ACM's special souvenir tribute carries a photo of the young Queen and a quote from her Christmas broadcast in 1957, the first to be televised: "I cannot lead you into battle. I do not give you laws or administer justice but I can do something else: I can give you my heart and my devotion to all these old islands, and to all the peoples of our brotherhood of nations."

Inside the commemorative keepsake edition, ACM newspapers such as the Newcastle Herald and Bendigo Advertiser also acknowledge the ascension of King Charles III with an official archive portrait of the new monarch and the headline "Long live the King".

Saturday's edition of Bathurst's Western Advocate revisits a royal visit to the central NSW town with an archive photo of the Queen shaking hands with the local station master.

The broadsheet The Australian offered a recent black and white portrait of a grinning Queen headlined "Elizabeth the great".

In Canada the National Post opted for an illustration, The Globe and Mail reached back to a 1947 portrait of Elizabeth posing three days before her 21st birthday while the Calgary Sun went boldly with Her Majesty in vibrant yellow.

Like The Times and the Daily Star, The Guardian in the UK featured the powerful colourised coronation portrait captured by Sir Cecil Beaton showing the Queen wearing her crown and carrying her sceptre.

Blick in Zurich, Switzerland, also went for regal, but showed a bejewelled Elizabeth with her eyes closed.

The monochrome front page of the UK's Daily Express mourned "Our beloved Queen is dead" and "the loss of a truly great and inspirational monarch".

USA Today celebrated the enduring American fascination with the Royal Family with a 1954 portrait and the headline "Her reign has ended".

The Mirror in the UK offered a recent photo of the Queen, showing her in trademark profile, with the simple words, "Thank you."

The Star in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, offered a royal wave and a farewell, "Goodby Queen E".

London's Financial Times abandoned its regular business coverage for a front page given over almost entirely to a smiling and shimmering Queen, who is described as a woman of "grace, humanity and fortitude".

Het Parool in Amsterdam featured an almost whimsical expression from the Queen in lavender hat and frock.

In Scotland, The Herald showed the Queen striking a magnificent pose in the highlands.

"Her Majesty was rarely happier than when she was here in Scotland, at her beloved Balmoral," Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said. "I hope it will be a source of comfort to her family that she spent her final days in a place that she loved so much."

DeMorgen in Brussels, Belgium, had the Queen with her eyes closed while El Pais in Montevideo, Uruguay, showed the back of the head of Britain's head of state. .

Frettabladid in Iceland reached back to an early official portrait while Politken in Copenhagen, Denmark, featured an illustrated caricature on its front page.

The Daily Sun in Florida offered a colourised portrait of the young Elizabeth while Mexico's La Razon showed an elderly "Isabell II" standing in a striking field of red poppies.