We are closing our blog now. Please read this summary of this historic day by Caroline Davies, as the Queen was handed over by her family to the nation for her public farewell.
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A summary of today's developments
Westminster Hall was opened this evening to allow the public to pay their respects to the Queen.
King Charles III earlier led a procession that took the Queen’s coffin to Westminster Hall from Buckingham Palace.
A vigil was then held at the hall and attended by other senior royals as well as leaders from the country’s political parties.
The Queen will lie in state until 6.30am on Monday, when the coffin will be taken to nearby Westminster Abbey for the funeral.
Mourners have been warned the queue to pay their respects to the Queen could last as long as 30 hours.
As of 11pm, the queue is 2.4 miles long, stretching across Lambeth Bridge and up the South Bank towards London Bridge.
At least two people were treated by paramedics after collapsing in the heat while standing in the queue.
People have described their emotions at saying goodbye to the Queen. “I saw the coronation, and the Queen has been with me my whole life. It’s very sad,” one woman told us.
Almost two thirds of people think Britain will change as a result of the Queen’s death, according to a YouGov poll.
President Biden has offered his condolences to the King, telling him that the Queen’s “dignity and constancy” helped strength the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom. The King also spoke to France’s president Emmanuel Macron, president of Ireland Michael D Higgins and the governors general of Australia, Canada and Jamaica, who all expressed their sympathy.
The Foreign Office has continued to prune the guest list for the Queen’s funeral, adding Syria and Venezuela to the list of countries not invited. India’s president will represent his country at the Queen’s funeral on Monday, meaning the prime minister, Narendra Modi, is not expected to be among the hundreds of foreign leaders due to attend the global spectacle.
Crowds waiting to see the Queen’s body lying in state at Westminster Hall are moving “faster than expected” according to mourners who have been waiting since Wednesday afternoon.
The queue, which at 10.30pm was 2.4 miles long and stretched to Southwark Bridge, started forming on Monday.
Barriers and portable toilets have been set up around Westminster as it is expected to see up to one million visitors in the next few days.
Guardian reporter Sophie Zeldin-O’Neill was at Westminster.
The security operation is incredibly extensive with multiples armed officers every few dozen yards - as well as military personnel.
There are Scout and Girl Guide leader volunteers and marshals who signed up months ago not expecting to have to fulfil their commitment so soon.
Those at the front of the queue can see the line snaking over Lambeth bridge and back on itself along the riverside across the water - they won’t get to the front till morning.
The atmosphere inside Westminster Hall is very sombre but dignified.
Almost completely silent despite thousands of people waiting outside - with candles burning, guards standing vigil around the coffin which has a glittering crown and mitre placed on top.
People from all walks of life quietly filing in - some curtseying as they reach the coffin, some crossing themselves, some simply bowing their head; and lots of people dressed in their finery - I saw lots of elegant black dresses with pearls.
Several public figures, dignitaries and celebrities were there, I saw Baroness Karren Brady looking very emotional as she paid her respects.
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The front page of Thursday’s Guardian.
Guardian front page, Thursday 15 September 2022 – 'People disappeared': Izium recalls horror of occupation pic.twitter.com/KT6fHaZOzr
— Guardian news (@guardiannews) September 14, 2022
In a country famous for perfecting the orderly queue, those lining up for a few seconds alongside the Queen’s coffin proved no exception.
By 5pm, when the first members of the public filed into Westminster Hall, the line snaked back through the capital for about 3 miles (5km), crossing the Thames and stretching all the way to London Bridge.
Dr Henry Mumbi, 55, from north-west London, was wearing a Union Jack blazer and trousers as he queued to see the Queen lying in state in Westminster Hall.
Dr Mumbi, who came to England in 1994 and lectures at De Montford University, Leicester, told the PA news agency: “I’m here to appreciate the hospitality and how kind the Queen was, because I’m from a Commonwealth country called Zambia, and I had an issue to do with my status in my own country, but when I came here, the doors were open and my case was sorted out.
“So I’m here to say thank you very much. I’ve been around here for 28 years now, which is more than half of my life.
“It’s my second home. I want to make sure that I participate in such moments to show respect and to acknowledge the fact that I am able to be a part of the community and British society as well.”
India’s president will represent his country at the Queen’s funeral on Monday, meaning the prime minister, Narendra Modi, is not expected to be among the hundreds of foreign leaders due to attend the global spectacle.
A quarter of the 2,000 places at Westminster Abbey have been reserved for heads of state and their partners, with Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron and Naruhito, the emperor of Japan, the best-known guests confirmed as coming from abroad.
Invitations were sent out by the UK to heads of state of nearly every country, so by protocol the invite will have gone to Droupadi Murmu, the first person from India’s tribal communities to hold the largely ceremonial role of president.
In some cases the head of state has chosen to pass the invitation on, with the approval of the Foreign Office. On Wednesday, Turkey said it would be represented by Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, the country’s foreign minister, not the president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Shortly after the arrival of the coffin at Westminster Hall, US President Joe Biden said he had spoken to King Charles III to offer his condolences and shared the “great admiration of the American people” for the Queen.
The King also spoke to France’s president Emmanuel Macron, president of Ireland Michael D Higgins and the governors general of Australia, Canada and Jamaica, who all expressed their sympathy.
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Summary
If you’re just joining us, here’s a quick round-up of the latest from today…
Westminster Hall was opened this evening to allow the public to pay their respects to the Queen.
King Charles III earlier led a procession that took the Queen’s coffin to Westminster Hall from Buckingham Palace.
A vigil was then held at the hall and attended by other senior royals as well as leaders from the country’s political parties.
The Queen will lie in state until 6.30am on Monday, when the coffin will be taken to nearby Westminster Abbey for the funeral.
Mourners have been warned the queue to pay their respects to the Queen could last as long as 30 hours.
As of 9pm, the queue is 2.4 miles long, stretching across Lambeth Bridge and up the South Bank towards London Bridge.
At least two people were treated by paramedics after collapsing in the heat while standing in the queue.
People have described their emotions at saying goodbye to the Queen. “I saw the coronation, and the Queen has been with me my whole life. It’s very sad,” one woman told us.
Almost two thirds of people think Britain will change as a result of the Queen’s death, according to a YouGov poll.
President Biden has offered his condolences to the King, telling him that the Queen’s “dignity and constancy” helped strength the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.
The Foreign Office has continued to prune the guest list for the Queen’s funeral, adding Syria and Venezuela to the list of countries not invited.
How long is the queue?
According to the government tracker, the queue to enter Westminster Hall as of 8.45pm is 2.4 miles long.
The length is down a little from earlier this evening, when it reached a peak of around 2.9 miles.
The queue goes south from the hall, crosses Lambeth Bridge, and turns north up the South Bank towards London Bridge.
The infrastructure put in place along the route allows for a peak length of up to 10 miles.
Some people camped overnight ahead of the Queen’s lying-in-state to make sure they got a chance to pay their respects.
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Almost two thirds of people think Britain will change as a result of the Queen’s death, according to a YouGov poll.
The survey found that 18% of people thought the country would change in the short-term, while 44% thought it would change in the long-term.
Only 27% of people didn’t think it would change.
Do you think Britain will change due to the death of the Queen?
— YouGov (@YouGov) September 14, 2022
It will, in the short term: 18%
It will, in the long term: 44%
It won't: 27%https://t.co/ArkBEX5EYX pic.twitter.com/fFqVzdCOM8
Mourners have been warned the queue to pay their respects to the Queen could last 30 hours. The queue is currently 2.6 miles long, stretching across Lambeth Bridge and up the South Bank towards London Bridge.
At any one time over the coming days, those marshalling the mourners will include: 779 professional stewards, 100 civil service volunteer marshalls, 40 adult scouts, 30 members of first aid nursing Yeomanry, 10 Red Cross volunteers, 30 multi-faith pastors, six Samaritans volunteers and two British Sign Language interpreters.
Extra police and troops will also be on hand but no numbers have been given. Security along the route includes the deployment of snipers and airport-style security screening near the Palace of Westminster.
Read the full story here:
As the first solemn mourners filed past the Queen’s coffin – saluting, bowing, curtseying and tracing a cross over their chest – among them was a woman using a wheelchair, her lower body still wrapped in a sleeping bag.
Many of those who camped out overnight to get an early glimpse of the coffin, draped in the royal standard and topped with the monarch’s crown and a wreath of white flowers, were moved to tears when they finally got to say goodbye.
Dabbing their streaming eyes with tissues, the hushed atmosphere in Westminster Hall was occasionally punctuated by the sound of sobs and sniffles.
With their footsteps muffled by a thick beige carpet, the only constant noise was the whir of cleaning machines outside the exit disposing of the sand laid down for the horse-drawn gun carriage carrying her coffin.
Wearing numbered yellow wristbands, coded to keep track of their place in the queue, one mourner rubbed her heart. Others took deep breaths as they sought to keep their composure.
As they walked back into the light of day, most mourners turned for one last look, some struggling to avert their gaze.
Some dressed proudly in military outfits, donned with berets and medals, while others came dressed in normal clothes, carrying with them plastic supermarket carrier bags that will have protected their belongings from the rain.
MPs allowed to skip the queue were some of the earliest mourners to pay their respects. Jacob Rees-Mogg, the business secretary, gave a low bow as he exited the hall.
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At about 7am on 9 July 1982, Michael Fagan, a painter and decorator from London, broke into Buckingham Palace and startled Queen Elizabeth as she lay in her bedroom.
The incident remains one of the most famous breaches of royal security in British history, but Fagan was not unique.
The challenge posed by individuals infatuated with the royal family and other public figures is so significant that a little-known and elite unit was formed more than 15 years ago to tackle them.
The death of the Queen last Thursday is expected to put this specialist team of police officers, nurses and forensic psychologists under increased pressure as her funeral and associated events expose the royal family to an intense and prolonged period in the public eye.
Read the full story here:
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Those waiting longest were the first allowed in to see the Queen lying in state in parliament’s Westminster Hall. They endured rain then sun, stringent security and officially sanctioned queue jumping by MPs but they were finally admitted to the hall on time at 5pm on Wednesday.
As they entered many mourners were still wearing their numbered yellow wristbands handed out to mark their place among those waiting in line.
In a reverential hush they descended the steps of the 11th-century hall to pay their last respects to the Queen. Her coffin was draped in the royal standard and topped with the monarch’s crown and a wreath of white flowers.
Some of the mourners had been waiting for up to three days, but it took them little more than three minutes to file past the purple clad catafalque beneath the coffin. A few crossed themselves as they reached the coffin. Most bowed or curtseyed. Some could be seen wiping away tears, but most stoically made their way through the hall on a newly laid fawn-coloured carpet.
Most took one last look back at the coffin before they left the hall. The mourners obediently followed the instruction to stay quiet as they made their way through the hall. Only one audible sob could be heard in the first half an hour of the vigil. Some comforting arms were placed around shoulders of those struggling to hold back tears. And some hands were gripped tightly.
Above the coffin is 600 tonnes of medieval carpentry, regarded as the finest timber-roof in Europe. Its oak hammer beams are decorated with carved shield-carrying angels looking down on the Queen. Her coffin, also of oak, was guarded by six soldiers, four beefeaters and four police officers in white gloves.
The brisk passage of mourners was halted after 20 minutes for a changing of the guards. After a five-minute manoeuvre the mourners continued to solemnly file through.
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As the sun intensified throughout the day, a few people in the crowd needed medical attention.
One woman appeared to faint and was attended to by a paramedic on a bike. She was seen on the floor while the medic took her blood pressure.
Another man collapsed in front of the Palace of Westminster and was initially attended to by Rachel Quail, a doctor who was watching the procession with her three-month-old daughter. He was later treated by three paramedics.
Plainclothes police officers were also active in the crowd and were seen questioning a man shortly before the procession arrived.
Earlier he had been spoken to by officers who could be overheard telling the man he looked “anxious”. The undercover police officers were also heard saying that members of the public had reported him for acting suspiciously.
A second man was also seen being questioned and searched by police.
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Pictures show leaders and deputy leaders from the country’s political parties lined up in Westminster Hall this afternoon.
The prime minister, Liz Truss, and Labour leader, Keir Starmer, stood alongside Kirsten Oswald of the SNP and Ed Davey of the Lib Dems. Also visible are Jeffrey Donaldson of the DUP, Ben Lake of Plaid Cymru, Colum Eastwood of the SDLP, and Caroline Lucas of the Greens.
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Westminster Hall opens to public
The doors of Westminster Hall have now been opened to allow the public to pay their respects to the Queen.
The Queen’s coffin was taken to the hall in a procession from Buckingham Palace this afternoon.
She will now lie in state until 6.30am on Monday, when the coffin will be taken to nearby Westminster Abbey for the funeral.
As of 5pm, a government tracker said the queue was 2.8 miles long.
From Westminster Hall, the queue extends south and crosses Lambeth Bridge before turning north and snaking up the South Bank, ending just after London Bridge.
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Cheryl Thomas set off from Crowthorne, Berkshire, at 5.30am, and had a prime position for the procession at the front of the barrier.
Fighting back tears, the 75-year-old said: “I thought the procession was wonderful, it made me cry. People were respectful and I’m glad there was no shouting.
“I was particularly emotional because I saw the coronation, and the Queen has been with me my whole life. It’s very sad.
“I can’t stop crying. I Ioved the way the Queen didn’t let politics get in the way, she was very cheerful, and she was good for the nation.”
President Biden has offered his condolences to the King, telling him that the Queen’s “dignity and constancy” helped strength the relationship between the US and the UK.
The White House readout of the call said: “President Joseph R Biden, Jr spoke today with King Charles III to offer his condolences on the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
“The president recalled fondly the Queen’s kindness and hospitality, including when she hosted him and the First Lady at Windsor Castle last June.
“He also conveyed the great admiration of the American people for the Queen, whose dignity and constancy deepened the enduring friendship and special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.
“President Biden conveyed his wish to continue a close relationship with the King.”
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King Charles III led a procession behind the Queen’s coffin as it began its journey from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, where it will lie in state.
He was accompanied by Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward and other members of the royal family including Prince William and Prince Harry. The coffin was pulled on a gun carriage of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, draped in the royal standard.
The Foreign Office has continued to prune its invitation list for the Queen’s funeral on Monday revealing neither Syria, nor Venezuela will be asked to the ceremony. As a sign of disapproval the de facto authority in Afghanistan, the Taliban have also been left off the invitation list.
North Korea and Nicaragua - with which the UK has ice cold diplomatic relations - are being asked at ambassadorial level, a signal of disapproval that has already been sent to Iran. Tehran has been told it has been invited at ambassadorial level.
The foreign office has also let it be known to heads of state that if they are unable to attend in person they can delegate the invitation. All holders of the George Cross and Victoria Cross are also being invited to attend.
In the 14 realms, those states that have the Queen as head of state, invitations have been sent to the prime minister, and partner, the Governor General and High Commissioner( the equivalent of an ambassador). Each realm has also been granted permission to choose 10 other dignitaries of their choice to attend.
The closing date for RSVPs is tomorrow, and the precise guest list is likely to be revealed tomorrow.
Officials are still working on a seating plan that will reflect seniority and status. Arrangements are also being made for VIPs to visit the Queen’s coffin to pay their personal respects over the weekend.
A dress rehearsal of the arrivals by car is due to be held on Thursday evening.
Foreign Office staff will also organise a condolences book for VIPs to sign at Lancaster House. The foreign secretary James Cleverly will host a reception for guests at nearby Church House immediately after the service.
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“I felt so moved,” said Shirley Negal, 66, as she sat front row watching the procession.
Negal made her way to Buckingham Palace from Kent at 4am. Her parents went to the Queen’s coronation, and she felt she should come and represent her family, she said.
“We sat here and we could hear the music and feel the power from it and the whole crowd was silent, it was so beautiful, it was so moving,” she said. “You can’t get that feeling from the television.”
“I feel very thoughtful, it’s very thought-provoking,” she added. “It’s made me feel that the family are grieving in front of the eyes of the world and that must be so hard for them, but I’m glad I came to pay my respects.”
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The King and members of the royal family have now left Westminster Hall following the service.
During the service, the senior royals stood in formation facing the coffin. The King and Queen Consort stood together, with the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence behind them, then the Duke of York alone, and in the next row the Earl and Countess of Wessex.
Behind them were the Prince and Princess of Wales, with the Duke of Sussex behind William, and the Duchess of Sussex directly behind Kate.
In a moment, Westminster Hall will be closed for approximately an hour before members of the public are allowed to enter to pay their respects to the Queen.
The queue of mourners waiting to see the Queen’s lying-in-state has stretched beyond Blackfriars Bridge and has reached the Tate Modern gallery.
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“It was very moving. I’ve been close to tears, still am,” said Janet Elizabeth Rockley, wearing a red hat with a union jack trim.
“It was very solemn, very quiet, and I think that showed a great deal of respect for her.”
Rockley, originally from Nottingham, came from her London apartment this morning and secured a front-row seat looking through the barriers onto the procession.
She was born months before the coronation and takes her middle name after the late monarch. And she’s proud, she said, of what the Queen has done with the commonwealth, in unifying people.
“I think her principles, her values, the integrity and decency, I’ve tried to follow all my life, and I’ve been very proud to call her my Queen,” she said.
During the service, we heard from the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, followed by the dean of Westminster, David Hoyle.
The cross of Westminster has been placed on the Queen’s coffin inside Westminster Hall. Also on the coffin lies the imperial state crown, worn by the Queen when she left Westminster Abbey after her coronation. It was also used on other state occasions, including the state opening of parliament.
Made of gold, the imperial crown is set with 2,868 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, 269 pearls and four rubies. It contains some of the crown jewels’ most famous pieces, including the Black Prince’s Ruby, the Stuart Sapphire, and the Cullinan II diamond.
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Watching on from balconies, clambering up walls and stood dedicatedly for hours in the street, thousands clapped and shouted “hip hip hooray” as the Queen’s coffin finished its journey down Whitehall.
Some in the crowd were wearing berets and medals, many others with small, patriotic adornments to their outfits.
Very somber tone from the crowd, punctuated by cries of “hip hip hooray”. pic.twitter.com/iKbTlyP2Iv
— Aubrey Allegretti (@breeallegretti) September 14, 2022
As the sun glinted through the trees lining the Queen’s final passage before the lying-in-state, MPs and Foreign Office staff watched on from their terraces.
A hushed silence from the crowd was punctuated only by the sound of marching and musicians accompanying the coffin.
Police stayed with their backs turned, guarding the procession, which remained entirely peaceful and subdued until it turned out of sight into the Palace of Westminster, when applause broke out.
Thousands out to witness the Queen’s carriage passing down Whitehall and into parliament. pic.twitter.com/YY8UojRxSh
— Aubrey Allegretti (@breeallegretti) September 14, 2022
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The Queen’s coffin has been placed on the catafalque in Westminster Hall to lie in state until her funeral on Monday morning.
A service has now begun, led by the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.
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The Queen’s coffin was brought into the estate of the Palace of Westminster via the Carriage Gates entrance and passed through New Palace Yard.
The crowd outside parliament applauded once the procession had passed through the gates into the Palace of Westminster.
The coffin is now being carried inside the Palace of Westminster.
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“It’s a very, very moving time,” said Dilip Gunawardena, 73, who came from Herefordshire to stand among the crowds as the procession passed.
“It is respect to the lady, the mum, she was a charming lady, we will never be able to replace her,” he said. “I’m glad that I came, I fulfilled what I wanted to do.”
Originally, Gunawardena’s plan was to queue for Westminster Hall but he had a change of heart due to the long wait. “I’m not that young either,” he quipped.
“I come from Sri Lanka, and have been settled here from 1974,” said Gunawardena, who was also present for the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales. “It’s two different scenarios, but on both occasions it was great and humble.”
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Queen arrives at Palace of Westminster
The procession of the Queen’s coffin has arrived at the Palace of Westminster.
The coffin will now be placed on the catafalque with a short service held by the Archbishop of Canterbury to follow.
After a service lasting around 20 minutes, the Queen’s lying in state will begin, lasting for four days and ending on the morning of the state funeral on 19 September.
The King and the Queen Consort will return to Buckingham Palace.
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The Queen’s coffin travels from Buckingham Palace to parliament after flying from Edinburgh to Northolt on Tuesday.
The Queen’s coffin has been draped with the Royal Standard and adorned with the Imperial State Crown on a purple velvet cushion and a wreath of white flowers.
The flowers consist of white roses, spray white roses, white dahlias and foliage, including pine from the gardens at Balmoral and pittosporum, lavender and rosemary from the gardens at Windsor.
The Queen Consort, the Princess of Wales, the Duchess of Sussex and the Countess of Wessex have departed from Buckingham Palace by car for Westminster.
The journey from the palace to Westminster Hall is expected to take 38 minutes.
The procession passes the Horse Guards Parade, the Cenotaph and Downing Street, as well as a statue of the Queen’s parents King George VI and the Queen Mother which overlooks The Mall.
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As the Queen’s coffin passed, some were quick to break from the crowd and follow it further along The Mall.
Upon sighting the coffin, with the crown resting atop, others removed their hats in a show of respect.
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Big Ben is tolling at one-minute intervals as the procession makes its way to the Palace of Westminster.
During the procession, the band of the Scots Guards and the band of the Grenadier Guards are performing a number of different marches, including Beethoven’s Funeral March No 1, 2 and 3, Mendelssohn’s Funeral March and Chopin’s Funeral March.
Also forming part of the procession are loyal members of the late Queen’s staff, including two of the Queen’s Pages and the Palace Steward, who are walking directly in front of the coffin.
The pall bearers are 10 former and serving armed forces equerries to Elizabeth II, who were at her side in uniform throughout her reign, supporting her at engagements and organising her public diary.
Other members of the Queen’s household who are in the procession included her top aide, private secretary Sir Edward Young.
Master of the Household at Buckingham Palace, Vice Admiral Sir Tony Johnstone-Burt, is also in the procession.
Crowds of people stand reverently still along the Mall as the procession makes its way from Buckingham Palace.
In silence, children perch on their parent’s shoulders, while others unfold stools to see above the sea of people.
Many holding their phones at arm’s height to capture the passing band, some with their hands over hearts.
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You may have already spotted that King Charles III and his siblings Princess Anne and Prince Edward, as well as his son Prince William, are wearing military uniforms at the procession.
But neither the King’s brother Prince Andrew and his other son Prince Harry are wearing military uniforms. That is because neither Harry nor Andrew are working members of the royal family.
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The Queen’s coffin is being transported on the George Gun Carriage, which carried King George VI’s coffin from Sandringham Church to Wolferton Station in February 1952.
The gun carriage was also used during the funeral of the Queen Mother in 2002.
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Behind the Queen’s coffin, her son the King leads the procession in line with the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex.
Behind them are the Queen’s grandsons in a line - Peter Phillips, the Duke of Sussex and the Prince of Wales.
They are followed by the Queen’s son-in-law Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of Gloucester, the Queen’s cousin, and her nephew the Earl of Snowdown.
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Queen leaves Buckingham Palace for final time
The royal procession of the Queen’s coffin has begun its journey from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall.
The Queen left the palace for the last time, with King Charles III and other senior members of the royal family walking behind her coffin to her lying in state.
Pulled on a gun carriage of The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, the coffin was draped with a royal standard. The imperial state srown is resting on top of the coffin.
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The royal procession of the Queen’s coffin has begun from Buckingham Palace to make its journey to Westminster Hall.
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Procession of Queen’s coffin begins soon
The procession of the Queen’s coffin from Buckingham Palace is scheduled to start at 2.22pm.
The coffin will be taken from Buckingham Palace’s Bow Room and placed on a gun carriage of The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, to be taken to Westminster Hall for her lying in state. The imperial state crown and a wreath of flowers will be placed on the Queen’s coffin.
In a tribute to his late mother, the King will lead a procession behind the gun carriage to Westminster Hall.
King Charles’s three siblings – Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward – as well as his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, will also walk in the procession.
Camilla, the Queen Consort, and Catherine, the Princess of Wales, will travel by car, as will Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.
The procession will travel via Queen’s Gardens, the Mall, Horse Guards and Horse Guards Arch, Whitehall, Parliament Street, Parliament Square and New Palace Yard.
There will be a gun salute from Hyde Park during the procession, with one round fired every minute.
The coffin is due to arrive at Westminster Hall at 3pm. It will then be taken into the hall, the oldest building in parliament, as the King and other royals follow behind. The Speakers of both Houses of Parliament, Black Rod and two of the Queen’s most senior advisers, will lead the procession.
The Queen’s closed coffin will rest on a raised platform, called a catafalque, in Westminster Hall and will be draped in the Royal Standard with the orb and sceptre placed on top.
The archbishop of Canterbury will conduct a service of about 20 minutes, assisted by the dean of Westminster.
The Queen’s lying in state will begin at 5pm, lasting for four days and ending on the morning of the state funeral on 19 September.
The King and the Queen Consort will return to Buckingham Palace.
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Here is the scene at Buckingham Palace currently. City Hall in London is saying that all the viewing spaces for the procession this afternoon are now full.
Guardian political correspondent Aubrey Allegretti brings us this from the lobby this morning:
There are no plans for next Monday’s bank holiday marking the Queen’s funeral to be made annual, Downing Street has said.
The PM’s spokesperson said bank holidays were regularly reviewed, but the government had to strike the right balance between giving people time off for important occasions and the sizeable hit to the economy, given concerns from businesses.
After some firms such as McDonalds announced they were closing for the day, No 10 was asked whether other companies should follow suit or give workers the day off.
They said firms should treat it like a standard bank holiday, and added there was “no one-size-fits-all approach”.
After fears were raised about cancelled cancer appointments, Liz Truss’s spokesperson said 999 and 111 services remained available and NHS trusts should be in touch with patients who might be affected.
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Hannah Ellis-Petersen is in Delhi for the Guardian, where she has reported on the complicated legacy of the British monarchy in India:
The somewhat muted response to the Queen’s death in India reflects her complex position in a nation where the British monarchy is still seen as a lasting symbol of colonial rule that pillaged its lands for 200 years. India’s last viceroy before independence was the Queen’s distant cousin Lord Louis Mountbatten – also Prince Philip’s uncle – who oversaw the bloody partitioning of the country into the separate nations of India and Pakistan.
After news of the Queen’s death broke, a national day of mourning was declared and all flags were lowered to half-mast. But though multiple Bollywood stars sent effusive condolences over the Queen’s death on social media, there was otherwise little public outpouring of grief.
Jyoti Atwal, a professor of history at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, said that in India, the institution of the monarchy was still lambasted as a symbol of British rule. Hours before the death of the Queen was announced, Modi oversaw the renaming of Rajpath, a central avenue in Delhi that during the colonial period had been named in honour of King George V, Queen Elizabeth’s grandfather. Modi said Rajpath was a “symbol of slavery”, which would now be erased.
However, Atwal said that on a personal level, the Queen’s visits to India, particularly her first in 1961, had earned her much affection and admiration – many people can still recall watching her riding through the streets of Delhi in her royal coach buggy.
Read more of Hannah Ellis-Petersen’s report from Delhi here: ‘There hasn’t been closure’: India mourns Queen but awaits apology
The ceremonial gun carriage that will be used in today’s procession has just left Wellington Barracks, to head to Buckingham Palace. It will then collect the Queen’s coffin, and her children including the new King and some of her grandchildren will follow it in procession to Westminster Hall.
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Here are a couple of pictures of the gun carriage that will bear the Queen’s coffin in the ceremonial procession in a little under an hour.
Colour- and number-coded wristbands have begun being handed out to the line of mourners already stretching to Westminster Bridge.
The 10-mile line will wind all the way back to Southwark Park, and include 3 miles of zig-zagging metal fences in the park.
When at capacity, the entrance to the queue will be shut. It will start to be wound down in anticipation of the 6:30am deadline for seeing the Queen’s lying-in-state, and organisers cannot guarantee everyone in it in those final hours will get to the front.
About 1,000 people will be on hand to help maintain the safety of those waiting in line for hours, with updates about the start of the queue and expected length shown on large screens along the route as well as on the social media feeds of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
At any one time, those marshalling the mourners will include: 779 professional stewards, 100 civil service volunteer marshals, 40 adult scouts, 30 members of first aid nursing Yeomanry, 10 Red Cross volunteers, 30 Multi-faith pastors, six Samaritans volunteers and two British Sign Language interpreters. Extra police and military personnel will also be on hand but no numbers have been given.
500 portable toilets have been installed along the route, too, with people handed colour- and number-coded wristbands to allow them to leave the queue to get food and drink then retake their spot.
When mourners make it to the front at Lambeth Bridge, they will be taken over in batches to Victoria Tower Gardens to be checked by security, told to turn all phones off and deposit large bags.
Once inside Westminster Hall, they will splinter in to two lines, filing past either side of the Queen’s coffin.
The queue will be self-policed in terms of speed, and there are no plans for queue-jumpers to be forcibly ejected.
An accessible queue, which there has never been before for such an event, starts at the Tate Britain. People will not be required to provide proof of their disability.
Organisers are optimistic the weather will not go south but are not planning to provide umbrellas or extra shelter – and those in the queue are encouraged to look after themselves.
Updated
Emine Sinmaz is in Westminster for the Guardian:
Amaya Valadez, who turns nine on Sunday, is missing a day of school to watch the procession from Westminster.
“I’m here to watch because she’s done a lot of things for us,” said the schoolgirl from Brixton, south London, as she waved a flag of the Queen.
Amaya said she felt sad when she heard the news of the Queen’s death. “It felt like ‘what?!’” Amaya exclaimed with wide eyes. “I was confused and sad because she’s been a Queen for 70 years. My mum cried and I cried a little bit.
“I think my first memory of her was seeing her on the tv and we also came for the platinum jubilee.”
Her mother, Adriana Valadez, who is originally from Mexico, added: “I am alone in the UK so in a way the Queen was like a grandma for me, she represented stability. I was very sad when she died and I’m expecting to feel emotional today so I have tissues. We were up at 6.30am to make sure we have a good place.”
The 48-year-old said she had taken her daughter out of school for the procession, adding: “I told the school we here to pay our respect to the Queen. Maybe Amaya can talk to her classmates about today when she’s back at school.”
There is growing controversy over the arrests or removal by police of people protesting against the monarchy near crowds paying their respects to Queen Elizabeth II. The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, this morning said that protesters should respect those mourning the Queen and not “ruin” their opportunity to say goodbye to the monarch. Here is the video clip.
Updated
The BBC has announced that it will be offering a dedicated live stream of the Queen’s lying-in-state, available on its website, red button interactive TV service and on the BBC Parliament channel. The stream will commence at 5pm this evening.
This is Martin Belam taking over the live blog for the next hour or so. You can reach me at martin.belam@theguardian.com
Queue for Queen’s lying in state could be 10 miles long
The queuing infrastructure for the Queen’s lying-in-state is 10 miles in length, it is understood.
This includes 6.9 miles from Victoria Tower Gardens to Southwark Park, with a further three miles inside Southwark Park.
It is understood that not everyone who makes the queue will be guaranteed to get to see the Queen’s lying-in-state.
To help avoid disappointment, entry to the back of the line may be closed early, to ensure as near as possible that those already waiting are able to file past the Queen’s coffin.
Entry to the queue will also be paused for a time if the queuing infrastructure cannot take any more people.
Updated
Opposite the Palace of Westminster, Rachel Quail, 44, cradled her three-month-old daughter Roberta, known as Bobby.
“I’m here to pay my respects to her majesty, I’ve been an avid follower for many years,” said Rachel, an NHS doctor from Sandy, Bedfordshire.
“I admire the care the Queen has given to the country and it will be something to tell Bobby in years to come.
It’s also a way to honour Charles but it’s mostly to pay tribute to the Queen. We came to the Queen mother’s lying-in-state and to all the jubilees and I want Bobby to experience it too.
I am an avid follower and I believe in the royal family’s dedication so Bobby will hear me talk about it and hopefully she’ll follow in my footsteps in being a fan.
I would love to do the lying state but the queue would be too much with a baby, but I’m still considering it.
I’m also coming back for the funeral on Monday so hopefully Bobby and I will find a good spot to watch the procession.
Updated
Thousands of police officers have been deployed in London for the Queen’s lying-in-state and for her funeral as millions of people are expected to pay their respects to the late monarch.
The security operation in the wake of the Queen’s death and surrounding her funeral is expected to be the biggest the UK has ever seen.
Officers will guard the route when the Queen’s coffin is moved from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster this afternoon, and then for the state funeral at Westminster Abbey.
There will be uniformed police and plain clothes officers mingling with the crowd and reserves of the Territorial Support Group present.
In a statement, deputy assistant commissioner Stuart Cundy said:
We know there are some people who want to protest on a range of issues even at this time of national mourning. People have a right to freedom of expression and we must balance the rights of protesters with those of others who wish to grieve and reflect.
Police officers and the overall policing operation exists to keep people safe; as part of that work, police officers will approach and speak to people – please don’t be alarmed. They may also ask people to move if they are blocking access.
Updated
With fallen leaves afoot and helicopters whirring overhead, throngs of people lined The Mall towards Buckingham Palace, patiently awaiting the procession of the late Queen’s lying in state this afternoon.
Gnanendra Dnanasegaran, 63, came from west London at 10.30am to watch the procession and be a part of history.
When asked about his relationship to the late Queen, Dnanasegaran, who was born in Chennai, India, and has lived in London for 40 years, replied:
I’m part of the Commonwealth country, she’s my only monarch.
“I didn’t want to miss this, this is once in a lifetime,” he said, sipping from a Red Bull can to stay more alert for when the procession passes.
He added that he respects King Charles, but said he feels he needs to be more of an example to others. “People expect more than what he is now,” he said.
The monarchy shouldn’t be abolished, added Dnanasegaran, who is Christian. “Throughout the history and the past they helped so many humans,” he said. “This is the greatest gift God gave to this country.”
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Five million people followed the route of the Royal Air Force flight carrying the Queen’s coffin from Edinburgh to London on Tuesday, making it the most tracked flight in history, according to the website Flightradar24.
More than 4.79 million people watched on the flight tracking site and app with another 296,000 watching on a YouTube live stream, it said.
Flightradar24 said 6 million people attempted to click on the flight on its website within a minute as the C-17 Globemaster aircraft prepared to take off on Tuesday. This caused “unprecedented strain”, according to the company, and caused the website to crash.
The plane carrying the Queen spent one hour and 12 minutes in flight. It landed at RAF Northolt, about six miles from Heathrow in west London. From Northolt, it was taken to Buckingham Palace.
The previous record was when 2.2 million people followed a flight carrying the US speaker of the house, Nancy Pelosi, to Taiwan last month.
Updated
Sarah Barnes travelled from Leicestershire with her sister-in-law Carol Barnes, 66, and Carol’s daughter Clare Fell, 41. Draped in union jack flags, the trio pitched up on Whitehall around 6.30am.
“We left Leicestershire at 4.30am and we’re here to pay our final respects to the Queen,” said Sarah, 56, from Sutton in the Elms.
We all felt we wanted to be here and it didn’t matter how long it would take. We’re royal fans - we’ve been to the royal weddings, we’ve been to the jubilees, and we were on The Mall for the platinum jubilee and we were interviewed by the world but this is a different atmosphere.
It feels more sombre, more reflective and I don’t think it’s going to seem real until we see the hearse. Scotland have gone through it but we haven’t see that yet. It’s strange because we have to celebrate the king but we haven’t really mourned our Queen yet, but it’s all part of our wonderful history.
I was devastated when I heard the news about the Queen. Everybody knew she was getting old, but we saw her two days ago welcoming Liz Truss and she looked okay. You almost felt she’s immortal.
Clare said the atmosphere “definitely feels different” to the gaiety of the platinum jubilee, which made her unsure about wearing a flag. But Sarah said she was proud to have it tied around her waist.
Updated
Scotland’s Makar, or laureate, Kathleen Jamie, has penned a beautiful poem that foregrounds the mountain of Lochnagar, which rises above the Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire and on whose slopes the Queen was often seen walking.
Written in four rhyming stanzas, Jamie said she chose the “old-fashioned” form “to represent the virtues that many people found in the Queen, of constancy and tradition”.
Lochnagar
The alder boughs hang heavy,
Red weighs the rowan-trees
That line the well-loved path which climbs
To Lochnagar from Dee
And knows at last the open hill,
Those ancient wind-honed heights
Where deer stand shy and sky-lined,
Then vanish from living sight,
Where grief is ice, and history
Is distant roiling skies,
Where weather chases weather
Across the lands she strived
To serve, and served supremely well,
Till the call came from afar:
Back to the country kept in her heart,
the Dee, and Lochnagar.
Updated
People who wish to see the Queen lying in state in parliament’s Westminster Hall have been told to brace for long queues.
Updated
Claire Varker and her friend Shelley were enjoying champagne in a pub when they learned of the Queen’s death. A silence swept across the pub and some people began to cry, they recalled. They left 10 minutes afterwards feeling the setting inappropriate for reflection.
The pair, seated on their jackets on the paved path along The Mall, came on the train from Somerset this morning to pay their respects to the late Queen.
“There were many days where I just felt sad, and morose, and in disbelief,” recalled Shelley, 46 in the days following the monarch’s death.
I think it’s just something we’ve grown up with,” said Varker, 46, of the royal family. “It’s just always there, isn’t it? Being English, British, it’s something that’s in your culture.
Updated
Tony Semmence, 68, arrived at Buckingham Palace from Dorset at 8.30am, encouraged by his daughter who “dragged him along”.
Semmence was shocked upon learning of the Queen’s death. Perched on a stool behind a row of people on The Mall, he said it was incredible the monarch stayed the distance to welcome a new prime minister.
“King Charles … it’s a shame because he’s now mourning for his mother and he’s got to do all these regal things,” added Semmence. “When’s he going to have time to grieve, really?”
Accompanied by family members, Semmence said they will await the procession and spend the rest of the day wandering London.
“That’s all we’re doing, paying our respects to someone who’s been loyal to country for 70 years.”
Updated
On Whitehall, Sheila Ralph has a front-row view of the procession. She travelled from Trowbridge, Wiltshire, last night and headed to Westminster at 8am. The retired 66-year-old says she has come prepared in a waterproof and with a chair and plenty of water.
“The Queen is a wonderful example of duty and someone all of us can aspire to,” she said.
I’m a gold Duke of Edinburgh award holder so it’s important to be here. She’s been Queen all my life. She worked until she was 96 and it can’t have been easy for her. It was a sense of duty that made her keep going. It would’ve been my mother’s 102nd birthday on the day she died so I found it very emotional.
Updated
On Wednesday morning thousands poured into Green Park, pressing themselves against the barriers lining The Mall to catch a glimpse of the procession later today, as the Queen’s casket makes its way from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall.
Armed with chairs, blankets and snacks, people from across the country arrived in the day’s early hours, with the intent of paying their respects to the late monarch and royal family members.
Marcia Lewis arrived on the train from Birmingham this morning and is one of many to assemble chairs behind the barriers on Mall Road from 7.30am, to watch as the procession makes its way to Westminster Hall later today.
“We just thought we wanted to be a part of history, we’ve never done this before,” said Lewis, 58.
“I didn’t think it would affect me as much when she died but indeed, I did have a tear,” added Lewis, who said she burst into tears upon learning of the Queen’s death on Thursday. “I think it just brought back memories, because my mom passed away recently.”
Further down the road, Becky Sclater, 33, her mother Lesley Evans, 61, were sitting on the ground awaiting the procession for the monarch’s lying in state. The pair of self-described royalists, woke up at four this morning in the Midlands, and came to pay their respects and lay flowers in Green Park.
Evans said they came to be part of something, to be part of history. “It’s like an extended part of your family.” Through turbulence and highs and lows throughout the years, the Queen was a source of calm, she added.
“We need the monarchy, and I don’t think people understand the importance of that steadfast side,” said Sclater, whose husband served in the RAF and police force.
“I think this probably shown that even people who aren’t monarchists have seen we’ve lost something,” added Evans. “It’s something to be proud of, sometimes we don’t always have a lot to be proud of.”
Updated
Disability rights campaigners have described access arrangements for the Queen’s lying in state in Westminster Hall in London as “disappointing”.
People with pre-existing medical conditions have been told to prepare for significant wait times including possibly overnight, in guidance that has been criticised as not a reasonable adjustment as required by the Equality Act.
The government has demonstrated a “breathtaking” lack of awareness around the needs of disabled people wishing to attend the lying in state this week, the head of Disability Rights UK, Kamran Mallick, said.
Mallick said:
The threat of confiscation of food, drink and portable shelter such as unfoldable umbrellas is in breach of the Equality Act. Many disabled people use these to double up as walking sticks. Disabled people often need food and water on the go, or to take with medication.
He added:
How ironic that our monarch should sign the Equality Act into law over a decade ago, and end her life herself disabled, and yet still the government cannot enact the laws around equity of accessibility which she brought into being.
Updated
King Charles has arrived at Buckingham Palace, after departing Clarence House earlier.
The King waved as he drove past thousands of well-wishers lining The Mall.
Later today, he will lead a procession behind his late mother the Queen’s coffin as it travels to Westminster Hall for her lying in state.
Updated
Queen Elizabeth II was a “legend” with the power to speak “to the soul of the whole world”, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said.
The late British monarch “was a constant throughout turbulent and transforming events in the last 70 years, stoic and steadfast in her service”, the EU chief said in a major speech in Strasbourg today.
She said:
More than everything, she always found the right words for every moment in time. From the calls she made to war evacuees in 1940 to her historic address during the pandemic. She spoke not only to the heart of her nation but to the soul of the world.
Updated
People who wish to protest against the monarchy should respect those mourning the Queen and not ruin their opportunity to express their private thanks, Keir Starmer has said.
Amid controversy over a small number of protesters being removed by police or arrested, the Labour leader told BBC Breakfast the right to protest and disagree was a British tradition, but he called for it to be done “in the spirit of respect”.
“Respect the fact that hundreds of thousands of people do want to come forward and have that moment. Don’t ruin it for them,” he said.
“The word I’d use around that issue is respect,” he said.
I think if people have spent a long time waiting to come forward to have that moment as the coffin goes past or whatever it may be, I think respect that, because people have made a huge effort to come and have that private moment to say thank you to Queen Elizabeth II.
Starmer’s plea for respect comes as the campaign group Republic wrote to police forces to raise concerns about arrests of anti-monarchy protesters in recent days and serve notice that it expects protests before the coronation to be allowed to go ahead peacefully.
Photograph: Kevin Coombs/Reuters
Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, has announced that the date of the Queen’s funeral, Monday 19 September, will be a federal holiday and national day of mourning.
The national day of mourning is “an opportunity for Canadians from coast to coast to coast to commemorate Her Majesty”, Trudeau said in a statement published last night.
To mark the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, September 19th will be a National Day of Mourning in Canada. On the same day, there will also be a national commemorative ceremony to honour Her Majesty’s life and service. More details here: https://t.co/Vh31Qr7KQq
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) September 13, 2022
In Canada nearly 90% of workers fall under provincial jurisdiction and are not eligible for federal holidays. Trudeau said he was working with the country’s provinces to arrange a possible public holiday.
Trudeau said:
We have also chosen to move forward with a federal holiday on Monday. We will be working with the provinces and the territories to try and see that we’re aligned on this. There are still a few details to be worked out, but declaring an opportunity for Canadians to mourn on Monday is going to be important.
Updated
King Charles III will inherit his mother’s considerable wealth alongside assets belonging to the crown. One of the richest people in the world, Queen Elizabeth II inherited much of her fortune but is credited with having made some astute investments during her long life and reign.
The sovereign and the wider royal family have three main sources of income, the crown estate, the Duchy of Lancaster and Duchy of Cornwall, much of it derived from centuries-long ownership of land and property across the country, including in central London, and even the seabed around swathes of the British Isles, amounting to assets with a combined value of more than £17bn.
Flights at Heathrow airport will be delayed today to ensure silence is observed in the skies as the ceremonial procession of the Queen’s coffin moves from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall.
This could mean some cancellations or flights being rescheduled between 1.50pm and 3.40pm, with further changes expected on the day of the funeral, Monday 19 September.
In a statement, the airport said “out of respect” for the mourning period it will be making “appropriate alterations to our operation”.
A Heathrow spokesperson added:
Passengers will be notified by their airlines directly of any changes to flights. We anticipate further changes to the Heathrow operation on Monday September 19, when Her Majesty’s funeral is due to take place, and will communicate those in more detail over coming days. We apologise for the disruption these changes cause, as we work to limit the impact on the upcoming events.
Updated
A civil service trade union has criticised the decision to give King Charles’s staff redundancy notices during the period of mourning as “nothing short of heartless”.
The Guardian reported on Monday that up to 100 employees at the King’s former official residence, including some who have worked there for decades, received notification that they could lose their jobs following his accession to the throne.
Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), said:
While some changes across the households were to be expected, as roles across the royal family change, the scale and speed at which this has been announced is callous in the extreme. Least of all because we do not know what staffing the incoming Prince of Wales and his family might need.
He added that the union, which represents some palace workers, was working to ensure staff have “full job security”, and that it continued to support other royal staff concerned that their “futures are thrown into turmoil by this announcement at this already difficult time”.
Clarence House, located next to St James’s Palace in central London, is the official London residence of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. The offices of King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, will move to Buckingham Palace and staff had expected to be transferred.
Some people in the crowd outside Buckingham Palace on Monday night were shocked at the Guardian’s revelations about the handling of redundancies at Clarence House.
Read the full story by my colleagues Rachel Hall and Emily Dugan here:
Updated
Japan’s emperor and empress will attend Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral next week at the invitation of the royal family, a Japanese government spokesperson has confirmed.
The Japanese government accepted the invitation for Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako to travel to Britain to pay their respects to the late Queen, because of close relations between the two countries’ royal families, chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said.
Traditionally, a Japanese emperor does not make appearances at funerals at home or abroad because of a cultural belief that considers death impure. The decision for Naruhito to attend the Queen’s funeral underscores the importance and the bond between the royal and imperial families.
Matsuno said:
During Queen Elizabeth’s 70-year reign, the British royal family and the Japanese imperial family have maintained friendly relations for three generations.
The imperial couple are scheduled to leave Japan on Saturday and return home on Tuesday, he said.
Japan’s prime minister, Fumio Kishida, and other government officials are not planning to attend the funeral, Matsuno added.
Updated
A new university to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II should be located in Milton Keynes or elsewhere after a national competition, says the head of the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) in a speech today.
Nick Hillman, Hepi’s director, says that increasing long-term demand for university places means creating a new institution would be justified, and suggests Milton Keynes as the largest location in the country without a campus university, although it is home to the Open University.
Hillman says:
We have universities named after King George IV [King’s College London], Queen Victoria [Queen’s University Belfast] and Queen Mary. We also have a number of Oxbridge colleges named after royals. How fitting it would be if we were now to found a new university in the late Queen’s memory.
I tentatively suggest we might want to investigate the possibility of doing that … in Milton Keynes, which was formally designated as a city earlier this year as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. If this seems unfair to other parts of the UK, I wonder if we could have a competition, as with city status, to determine where such a new university or universities might go.
If this all sounds mischievous or opportunistic, I would merely ask if not now, then when? We cannot sensibly serve the future growing demand for higher education from existing institutions alone.
Hillman notes that at the start of Queen Elizabeth’s reign in 1952 there were only 18 mainstream universities in the UK, and now there are more than 140. The number of fulltime students 70 years ago was around 80,000 - while University College London and Manchester universities now have as many students combined, and there are more than two million in total studying in UK higher education in 2022.
Updated
Hundreds of people are queuing to see the Queen lying in state at Westminster Hall, which begins today.
Updated
The Queen will lie in state at Westminster Hall in London from today at 5pm until 6.30am Monday 19 September. Here’s what that means and how you can be involved.
What exactly is meant by the term ‘lying in state’?
Lying in state is usually reserved for sovereigns, current or past queen consorts, and sometimes former prime ministers. During the formal occasion, the closed coffin is placed on view, as thousands of people queue to file past and pay their respects.
When and where will the Queen lie in state?
The late monarch’s lying in state in Westminster Hall opens to the public at 5pm on Wednesday and it will be open 24 hours a day until it closes at 6.30am on Monday 19 September – the day of the Queen’s funeral. Westminster Hall is the oldest building the parliamentary estate, it dates back to 1099 and has been the site of key events, such as the trial of Charles I, coronation banquets, and addresses by world leaders.
What can people expect to see?
The closed coffin will be draped in a royal flag, usually a personal standard, and will rest on a raised platform called a catafalque, flanked by a military guard around the clock. A crown and other regalia are traditionally placed on top of a sovereign’s coffin. Each corner of the platform is watched 24 hours a day by units from the Sovereign’s Bodyguard, Foot Guards or the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment.
Will the royal family be there?
It is likely that the Queen’s children or even grandchildren will honour her with a vigil and join the guard over the coffin at some point – a tradition which has been called the Vigil of the Princes. Should the Princess Royal stand guard for the Queen, she will be the first female member of the royal family to do so.
Will there be a queue?
Yes. Government guidance says there will be a queue that is expected to be very long. People will need to stand for “many hours, possibly overnight” with very little opportunity to sit down as the queue will be continuously moving. As large crowds are expected, there are likely to be road closures and delays on public transport.
Will security be tight?
Visitors will go through airport-style security and there are tight restrictions on what you can take in, with people allowed just one small bag with one simple opening or zip.
Is there anything I need to bring?
Official guidance suggests that people should bring suitable clothing for the weather, food and drinks to have while queueing, a portable power bank for your mobile phone and any essential medication. People are also advised to “dress appropriately for the occasion to pay your respects”, banning clothes “with political or offensive slogans”. People will not be allowed to bring flowers or other tribute items, including candles, soft toys, and photographs. Also banned are banners, flags, hampers, blankets and folding chairs. The government guidance says people should not film, photograph, use mobile phones or other handheld devices in the security search area or within the Palace of Westminster. Queue-jumpers and anyone drunk will be removed from the queue by stewards and police patrolling the lines.
Updated
Guardian columnist Andy Beckett has written today about how there is no single “national mood” in the aftermath of the Queen’s death, in a country where support for the monarchy has fallen significantly over the last decade.
The idea that the whole country is mourning the Queen and welcoming her successor is a fiction: energetically disseminated, seductive for many in a time of division, but a fiction nonetheless. There is no single ‘national mood’ about the royal family, and there never has been, whatever most journalists and politicians say. Instead there is an assortment of feelings, even right outside Buckingham Palace.
In the short term, the Queen’s passing will probably boost support for the monarchy, he adds.
But over the longer term, the reign of her more divisive, less historically resonant son may cause that surge to fade, and the decline in royal popularity to resume, even accelerate. With Charles, known for his impatience with staff and extravagant lifestyle, the sense of entitlement, which is as fundamental to the royal family as a sense of duty, is more obvious.
The poorer country that the UK is likely to become over the next few years may also be less tolerant of one of the world’s most lavish monarchies. The Queen’s old-fashioned, relatively plain public persona, and the length of her reign – to an extent, she continued to be judged by rather deferential, mid-20th century standards – means that modern Britain’s appetite for a less self-effacing ruler has not yet been tested.
Updated
What happens today
Hello, I’m Léonie Chao-Fong and I’ll be bringing you the latest developments in the wake of the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Here is what to expect today:
Today will see the first big ceremonial in London as the Queen’s coffin is borne on a gun carriage from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall for her lying in state.
In a tribute to his late mother, the King will lead a procession behind the gun carriage to Westminster Hall. King Charles’s three siblings – Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward – as well as his sons Prince William and Prince Harry will also walk in the procession. Camilla, the Queen Consort, and Catherine, the Princess of Wales, will travel by car, as will Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.
The coffin will leave Buckingham Palace at 2.22pm and arrive at Westminster Hall at 3pm. The procession will travel via Queen’s Gardens, the Mall, Horse Guards and Horse Guards Arch, Whitehall, Parliament Street, Parliament Square and New Palace Yard.
There will be a gun salute from Hyde Park during the procession, with one round fired every minute. Viewing areas for the public along the route will open at 11am on the day.
After a service conducted by the archbishop of Canterbury lasting around 20 minutes, the Queen’s lying in state will begin, lasting for four days and ending on the morning of the state funeral on 19 September. The King and the Queen Consort will return to Buckingham Palace.
Those wishing to pay their respects will be able to file solemnly past the Queen’s coffin 24 hours a day from 5pm on Wednesday until 6.30am on the day of the funeral - Monday 19 September.
Senior members of the royal family are expected to pay their own moving tribute, standing guard at some stage around the coffin – a tradition known as the Vigil of the Princes.
At the lying in state, the Queen’s closed coffin will rest on a raised platform, called a catafalque, in Westminster Hall and will be draped in the Royal Standard with the orb and sceptre placed on top. Each corner of the platform will be guarded around the clock by a vigil of units from the Sovereign’s Bodyguard, the Household Division, or Yeoman Warders of the Tower of London.
Updated
Summary
Officials are preparing for a queue stretching up to five miles long as huge numbers of people wait to pay respects to the Queen lying in state at Westminster Hall.
The Queen made a final journey home to Buckingham Palace on Tuesday night, as her coffin was received by her family in a small private ceremony. Outside the palace thousands of well wishers cheered as the state hearse entered the palace gates.
The coffin stayed overnight in the Bow Room, where the Queen had entertained foreign royalty, high-profile figures and dignitaries during her reign.
On Wednesday afternoon, the coffin will be taken in a silent procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on a gun carriage of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery. King Charles, his sons Princes William and Harry, and other senior royals will follow on foot.
A short service will be held at Westminster Hall after the procession. It will be open to the public from 5pm. Officials have warned that anyone planning to attend the lying in state should be prepared to stand in queues for many hours.
In other developments:
Dozens of Clarence House staff have been given notice of their redundancy as the offices of King Charles and the Queen Consort move to Buckingham Palace. One source said: “Everybody is absolutely livid…All the staff have been working late every night since Thursday, to be met with this.”
British authorities protected Prince Andrew from US prosecutors investigating his relationship with the financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to a new book by a US attorney who led the investigation in New York.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is providing information on road closures and the route of today’s queue on its Twitter account. It is also expected to give updates on the length of the queue.
What's happening today?
— Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (@DCMS) September 14, 2022
2.22pm: Procession of Her Majesty's coffin from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster
5pm: Her Majesty The Queen's Lying-in-State opens
Find out more about how, when and were to view:https://t.co/qd1lrLScA8 pic.twitter.com/6kqZs9fFJ5
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to file past the Queen’s coffin to pay their respects during the lying in state. At some stage, senior members of the royal family are expected to stand guard around the coffin, in the tradition known as the Vigil of the Princes.
Members of the public will be able to file past the coffin 24 hours a day during the lying in state from 5pm on Wednesday until 6.30am on the day of the Queen’s state funeral, Monday 19 September.
At the lying in state, the Queen’s closed coffin will rest on a raised platform, called a catafalque, in Westminster Hall and will be draped in the Royal Standard with the orb and sceptre placed on top. Each corner of the platform will be guarded around the clock by a vigil of units from the Sovereign’s Bodyguard, the Household Division, or Yeoman Warders of the Tower of London.
Those wishing to attend will be required to queue for many hours, possibly overnight, as large crowds are expected. There will be airport-style security and tight restrictions on what can be taken in, with only small bags permitted. Details of what is and is not permitted can be found on the DCMS website.
Dozens of Clarence House staff have been given notice of their redundancy as the offices of King Charles and the Queen Consort move to Buckingham Palace after the death of the Queen, write Pippa Crerar and Caroline Davies.
Up to 100 employees at the King’s former official residence, including some who have worked there for decades, received notification that they could lose their jobs just as they were working round the clock to smooth his elevation to the throne.
Private secretaries, the finance office, the communications team and household staff are among those who received notice during the thanksgiving service for the Queen, at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh on Monday, that their posts were on the line.
Many staff had assumed they would be amalgamated into the King’s new household, claiming they were given no indication of what was coming until the letter from Sir Clive Alderton, the King’s top aide, arrived. One source said: “Everybody is absolutely livid, including private secretaries and the senior team. All the staff have been working late every night since Thursday, to be met with this. People were visibly shaken by it.”
PA Media reports some further details on today’s procession.
The imperial state crown and a wreath of flowers will be placed on top of the Queen’s coffin, it says, while the procession will begin at 2:22pm.
The King will follow the coffin on foot, joined by his sons the Prince of Wales and Duke of Sussex, as well as the Duke of York, the Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex.
Anne’s son Peter Phillips and her husband Vice-Admiral Sir Tim Laurence will also walk in the procession, as well as the Duke of Gloucester and the Earl of Snowdon.
The Queen Consort, the Princess of Wales, the Countess of Wessex and the Duchess of Sussex will travel by car.
Viewing areas for the public along the route will open at 11am on the day, with large crowds expected to attend.
The procession is expected to arrive at Westminster Hall at 3pm. A service lasting around 20 minutes will be led by the archbishop of Canterbury accompanied by the dean of Westminster.
Updated
Here is the Guardian’s roundup of today’s front pages, many of which show the moment Queen’s coffin was driven through the gates of Buckingham Palace on Tuesday night.
The Guardian’s front page also carries pointers to stories inside on anger about the sacking of some members of King Charles’s staff, and how the queue to see the Queen lying in state could stretch for five miles. It leads, however, on “Johnson’s junk food rules under threat as Truss targets read tape”.
Guardian front page, Wednesday 14 September 2022: Johnson’s junk food rules under threat as Truss targets red tape pic.twitter.com/7Kcypy6efY
— The Guardian (@guardian) September 13, 2022
Updated
Officials have set out the formal plans for a queue up to five miles long for people to pay respects to the Queen lying in state, a complex logistical exercise including toilets, first aid and round-the-clock refreshments on the route.
With hundreds of thousands of people expected to queue for many hours to get the chance to view the Queen’s coffin in Westminster Hall, volunteers from groups including the Scouts and Salvation Army have been drafted in to help.
Official guidance to the public coming to London warns those thinking of attending to expect “very long” queues, very possibly overnight, and to especially consider this if bringing children.
People will be issued with coloured and numbered wristbands, showing their place in the queue and meaning they can leave it to use toilets or fetch food and drink.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which is leading on the arrangements, plans to provide live updates on the length of the queue, and where it begins at any given time. It will be closed if the numbers waiting are too great to ensure those in the line will reach Westminster in time.
It’s 6.10am in London, where the Queen’s coffin will today be brought on horse-drawn gun carriage from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall. She will then lie in state there for four days until her funeral on Monday.
King Charles, his sons Princes William and Harry, and other senior royals are expected to walk in silence behind the hearse as it travels through the streets of London.
The coffin will leave Buckingham Palace at 2.22pm and arrive at Westminster Hall at 3pm. The procession will travel via Queen’s Gardens, the Mall, Horse Guards and Horse Guards Arch, Whitehall, Parliament Street, Parliament Square and New Palace Yard.
A vigil will then be held at the Westminster parliament complex, before members of the public are allowed in from 5:00 pm. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to queue for many hours to visit. Airport-style security measures have been put in place.
