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King Charles visits Northern Ireland, Queen's coffin begins journey to Buckingham Palace — as it happened

King Charles III has flown to London following his visit to Belfast as Queen Elizabeth II's coffin leaves St Giles' Cathedral on its journey to Buckingham Palace.

Relive the day's events in the blog below.

Key events

To leave a comment on the blog, please log in or sign up for an ABC account.

Live updates

By Peter Marsh

It's time again to move over to the new blog

We're going to close this blog here, as we move into the evening in the UK.

But our live coverage isn't ending. Kate Ainsworth has already fired up the new blog for you, and she'll guide you through the rest of the return of Queen Elizabeth's coffin to Buckingham Palace. You can see the new blog right here.

Thanks so much for reading along with me.

By Peter Marsh

Key Event

The Queen's coffin has been placed on a Royal Air Force aircraft

Princess Anne is now being escorted to the plane herself, which will be seen off at the airport by dignitaries, including Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (pictured below).

By Peter Marsh

How the US marked the death of Queen Elizabeth

The US Ambassador to the UK has shared a compilation of how the United States paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II in the wake of her death.

By Peter Marsh

Queen Elizabeth visited Northern Ireland 22 times, dividing opinion until the end

Throughout Queen Elizabeth's reign over Northern Ireland, local opinions of her were as divided as the territory.

Her rule spanned all the years of The Troubles, in which more than 3,000 died in sectarian fighting.

The ABC's Toby Mann has taken a look Queen Elizabeth's visits to Northern Ireland, and how it compared to other parts of the UK:

By Peter Marsh

When will the republic debate happen?

How long after the queens passing do you think it will be before the inevitable republic debate comes up?

- Greg

There's been plenty of it happening already if you're looking for that conversation Greg! And it's not just happening here in Australia. Scotland may yet take another crack at independence. The death of Queen Elizabeth was met with a mixed response in Jamaica.

Back on the home front, the newly-elected Labor government said in June it would not seek to formally move away from the monarchy in its first term, so don't expect anything until 2025 (and a second term of the Albanese government, which isn't a certainty) at least.

By Peter Marsh

King Charles has left Belfast, and is heading back to London

And like before, you can follow the progress of that flight right here if you're so inclined.

By Peter Marsh

Key Event

Queen Elizabeth II's coffin is leaving St Giles' Cathedral

Earlier, Princess Anne arrived at St Giles' Cathedral. She'll be accompanying the coffin on its return to London.

By Peter Marsh

The Royal Family has shared some footage of the King arriving at St Anne's earlier

By Peter Marsh

The Lying at Rest at St Giles' Cathedral has now ended

In the next few hours, members of the public hoping for a glimpse of the Queen's coffin will line the route the cortege will take to the airport.

By Peter Marsh

Hotel prices in London are surging

Hotel prices in London and airfares to the British capital are soaring as hundreds of thousands of people flock there ahead of Queen Elizabeth's funeral on Monday

Since the announcement of her death, the average rate for a hotel in London increased to $384 ($AUD559) per night from $244 per night, according to Hayley Berg, lead economist at travel startup Hopper.

High-end hotels - Claridge's, the Connaught, The Dorchester, and the Berkeley in the upmarket Mayfair district - were sold out for Sunday night, their websites showed.

Rates had breached 1,200 pounds ($AUD2041) for a five-star hotel on Monday and were expected to double in the next five days as the city's hotel system reaches 95% occupancy levels, HotelPlanner said.

By Peter Marsh

Key Event

The King has arrived at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast for a service

By Peter Marsh

Royal-themed gift shops in London haven't missed a beat

With huge crowds expected to descend on London ahead of Queen Elizabeth's funeral on Monday, royal-themed gift shops have been quick to cash in, rolling out all manner of unofficial merchandise in the hopes of luring in tourists.

To say the quality ... varies ... is an understatement, dear readers.

By Peter Marsh

Key Event

What's happening next?

There are two main things still left to happen before the sun sets in the UK, and rises outside my window here in Australia.

The King and Queen Consort will now attend a service of prayer and reflection at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast. From there, they'll then leave Belfast and return to London.

Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth II's coffin will soon begin its journey from Edinburgh back to London. It will make the journey via Royal Air Force aircraft, landing at RAF Northolt later this evening local time. It will be accompanied by the Queen's only daughter, Princess Anne. From there, the coffin will travel to Buckingham Palace by road, and its arrival at the Palace will be witnessed by the King.

As always, we'll be here to bring you all of that live as it happens. Thanks for reading along.

By Peter Marsh

The scene as King Charles met with members of the Northern Ireland Assembly

By Peter Marsh

Preparations already underway to begin moving Queen Elizabeth's coffin

 What you're seeing here are some of the last people allowed to join the line to pay respects to Queen Elizabeth II's coffin in St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh. In about 30mins, the offical Lying at Rest will end.

At the front of the queue, near the cathedral itself, police are already preparing to move the Queen's coffin on its way to the airport to begin the flight back to England.

By Peter Marsh

WATCH: Sinn Fein's Alex Maskey says the next few days are about paying respects to Queen Elizabeth

Sinn Fein politician pays tribute to The Queen

By Peter Marsh

Who invited the extra 10 Australians to attend the Queen's funeral?

Who chose the 10 Australians who will travel to the Queen’s funeral?

- Suzanne

That would be the Australian Government, Suzanne.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Buckingham Palace had instructed Commonwealth nations to invite 10 "everyday" citizens who'd made contributions to their local communities.

Many of the 10 chosen (you can see the full list here) come from the Australian of Year awards of recent years.

By Peter Marsh

WATCH: King Charles speaks at Hillsborough Castle

Charles speaks at Hillsborough Castle after arriving in Belfast

By Peter Marsh

Key Event

King Charles has spoken in Belfast

He was responding to a condolence motion led by the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Here's some of what he had to say:

"I'm here today at a time of great personal sorrow as we mark the death of my beloved mother. After a life most faithfully dedicated to the duty of which she had been called. It is fitting that we should meet where my mother knew so well. And in whose beautiful rose garden she always took such pleasure. In the years since she began her long life of public service, my mother saw Northern Ireland pass through momentous and historic changes. Through all those years, she never ceased to pray for the best of times for this place and its people," King Charles said.

He said Queen Elizabeth had been a "shining example".

"Now, with that shining example before me, and with God's help, I take up my new duties resolved to seek the welfare of all the inhabitants of Northern Ireland."

By Peter Marsh

What does King Charles III mean for Northern Ireland?

What does King Charles III mean for Northern Ireland?
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