Queen Consort Camilla has paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, saying she '"carved her own role".
"It must have been so difficult for her being this solitary woman," she said. "There weren't woman prime ministers or women presidents. She was the only one. So I think she carved her own role."
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Key events
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Live updates
By Dannielle Maguire
Time to wrap this blog up
But that ABC's coverage will be continuing, with a fresh blog to kick off later this evening.
Thank you for joining us today.
By Dinah Boucher
Queen Elizabeth's state funeral is tomorrow. How can I watch it in Australia?
About 2,000 people are expected to attend what will be the first state funeral to be held in the UK since Winston Churchill's in 1965.
The Queen's state funeral will be held from 11am (8pm AEST) on Monday, September 19 at Westminster Abbey in London
ABC TV's live coverage of the Queen's funeral will begin at 5pm AEST with a special one-hour news event hosted by Jeremy Fernandez.
The official funeral service will begin at 8pm AEST on ABC News and ABC TV.
By Dannielle Maguire
What happens to the flowers left in Hyde Park and Green Park?
They'll be composted and used in gardens across the Royal Parks — so people are being asked to unwrap their flowers before laying them down.
The labels and cards will be separated from flowers and stored, but it's unclear where.
There are two zones for floral tributes set up in Hyde Park and Green Park, which aren't far from Buckingham Palace.
Here's where floral tributes are being laid in Green Park:
And here's the designated area for Hyde Park:
How long will they remain in the park?
Here's the royal Parks website on that:
Tributes will be left on site until all ceremonial activity has taken place.
It is expected that all floral tributes will be removed from park areas from seven to fourteen days after the date of the funeral.
Tributes will be monitored throughout and if floral tributes have deteriorated, they will be removed and taken to the Hyde Park nursery for processing to prepare them for composting.
By Dannielle Maguire
Chinese factory churning out British flags since the Queen's death
Ninety minutes after Queen Elizabeth II died, orders for thousands of British flags started to flood into a factory south of Shanghai.
More than 100 employees at Shaoxing Chuangdong Tour Articles Company set aside other work and put in 14-hour days making nothing but British-themed flags.
They turned out at least 500,000 the first week, according to general manager Fan Aiping.
By Dannielle Maguire
Expect queues outside Westminster Abbey in the days after the Queen's state funeral
Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral will be held at Westminster Abbey on Monday.
It will be open for people to visit on Wednesday and Thursday.
Here's what the church's website says:
This is an opportunity for visitors to pay their respects.
You will not be able to fully tour the Abbey and some areas will be closed.
There will be no charge for entry and no booking is required.
Please bear in mind that there could be long queues.
When necessary movement will be managed to enable as many people as possible to visit.
Daily services will also resume on Wednesday.
Westminster Abbey will reopen for its it regular tours on Friday.
By Dannielle Maguire
ANALYSIS: Queen Elizabeth II had plans for her own funeral, with special touches different to other royals
Here's a snipped from a piece written by The Australian Women's Weekly royal correspondent and editor-at-large Juliet Rieden:
"There will be many special touches that were specifically requested by the late Queen, including the playing of a lament by her personal piper, who used to serenade the Queen every morning with a harmonious wake-up call outside her bedroom window.
"The music for the service and the readings were also all chosen by the sovereign and the service in Westminster Abbey will end with a national two-minute silence."
By Dannielle Maguire
The queue is now down to 12 hours
The estimated queuing time to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state in Westminster Hall is at least 12 hours.
This is the last full day of the Queen lying in state before her state funeral on Monday.
Members of the public will be able to view the Queen's coffin up until 6.30am on Monday.
By Dannielle Maguire
Taiwan's 'special invitation' by the UK government
Taiwan's de facto ambassador in London received a "special invite" to sign the book of condolence for Queen Elizabeth II
The UK, like most countries, has no diplomatic ties with Chinese-claimed Taiwan, though they have close unofficial ones.
Democratically governed Taiwan is largely excluded from most international events and bodies due to Beijing's objections.
Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said its representative in London, Kelly Hsieh, was "specially invited" by the British government to sign the condolence book at Lancaster House, which is run by the country's foreign office.
The invitation came "based on the importance attached to Taiwan-Britain relations and the precious friendship between the two peoples", a statement said.
The ministry noted Ms Hsieh "enjoyed the same treatment as the heads of state, representatives and members of the royal family of other countries who have gone to Britain to mourn".
Taiwan has not said whether it will be allowed to send anyone to the Queen's state funeral.
Britain is inviting a representative from North Korea to attend the funeral, but Afghanistan, Syria and Venezuela will not be given an invitation, a foreign office source said on Wednesday.
Russia, Myanmar and Belarus have also not been asked to attend.
Reuters
By Dannielle Maguire
The queue is now down to 13 hours
The estimated queuing time for the line to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state has got down to at least 13 hours.
Now, 13 hours is still quite a long time to be standing in line, but that's the shortest wait time I've seen for this queue while I've been blogging.
Of course, it's nearly 3am in London and it's about 10 degrees Celsius right now, so perhaps people are waiting until closer to sunrise to join the queue.
By Dannielle Maguire
ANALYSIS: After Queen Elizabeth II's death, Indigenous Australia can't be expected to shut up. Our sorry business is without end
Here's a snippet of today's piece from Stan Grant:
"My people have a word, Yindyamarra — its meaning escapes English translation.
"It is a philosophy — a way of living — grounded in a deep respect.
"I have sought to show Yindyamarra to those for whom this moment is profound.
"This is their 'sorry business' and I respect that.
"But it will pass.
"For Indigenous people, our sorry business is without end."
By Dannielle Maguire
Who's going to Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral?
Reuters has put together a list of just some of the people who will be at the Queen's state funeral on Monday.
And just like the queue winding its way along the Thames right now, this list isn't short.
So before I get into it, I'll list the countries that Reuters reports were not invited:
- Afghanistan
- Belarus
- Myanmar
- Russia
- Syria
- Venezuela
We already know Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern will be there, but here's who else is on the list:
ROYAL ATTENDEES
- Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan
- King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands
- King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain
- Juan Carlos, former king of Spain
- King Philip and Queen Mathilde of Belgium
- Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary
- King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden
- King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway
- King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
- Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah
- Jordan's King Abdullah
- Crown Prince of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah
- King of Lesotho, Letsie III
- Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein
- Grand Duke of Luxembourg Henri
- Malaysian Sultan Abdullah of Pahang
- Prince of Monaco, Albert II
- Crown Prince of Morocco, Moulay Hassan
- Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq al-Said
- Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani
- King of Tonga, Tupou VI
NATIONAL LEADERS
AFRICA
- Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa
- Yemi Osinbajo, Vice President of Nigeria
- Nana Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana
- Ali Bongo, President of Gabon
AMERICAS
- Joe Biden and Jill Biden, President and first lady of the United States
- Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
- Jair Bolsonaro, President of Brazil
- Paula-Mae Weekes, President of Trinidad and Tobago
- Sandra Mason, President of Barbados
- Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica
- Floyla Tzalam, Governor General of Belize
- Susan Dougan, Governor General of St Vincent and the Grenadines
ASIA
- Droupadi Murmu, President of India
- Wang Qishan, Vice President of China
- Ranil Wickremesinghe, President of Sri Lanka
- Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh
- Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand
- Yoon Suk-yeol, South Korean President
EUROPE AND MIDDLE EAST
- Emmanuel Macron, President of France
- Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of Germany
- Sergio Mattarella, President of Italy
- Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland
- Micheál Martin, Taoiseach (prime minister) of Ireland
- Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of Portugal
- Alexander Van der Bellen, President of Austria
- Katalin Novak, President of Hungary
- Andrzej Duda, President of Poland
- Egils Levits, President of Latvia
- Gitanas Nauseda, President of Lithuania
- Sauli Niinisto, President of Finland
- Katerina Sakellaropoulou, President of Greece
- George Vella, President of Malta
- Nicos Anastasiades, President of Cyprus
- Charles Michel, President of the European Council
- Ursula von der Leyen, President of European Commission
- Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO
- Isaac Herzog, President of Israel
- Mohammad Shtayyeh, Palestinian Prime Minister
By Dannielle Maguire
Watch: Camilla pays tribute to Queen Elizabeth II
By Dannielle Maguire
South Korea's President has left for London
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee have boarded a plan for the UK.
They'll join a long list of world leaders who will be in London for Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral on Monday.
By Dannielle Maguire
WATCH: Anthony Albanese's meeting with King Charles III
By Dannielle Maguire
The wait time in the queue has jumped up to 16 hours
The line to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state has grown.
Two-and-a-half hours ago, it was down to 14 hours — the shortest wait I'd seen in my time on the blog.
But now it's at least 16 hours from joining the queue at Southwark Park to walking past the Queen's coffin in Westminster Hall.
Keep in mind that it's 1.30am and about 11 degrees Celsius in London right now.
By Dannielle Maguire
Man charged over Friday night's 'disturbance' in Westminster Hall
Yesterday, we reported that a man was arrested after allegedly trying to touch Queen Elizabeth II's coffin.
Late on Saturday night, the Metropolitan Police putting out a statement saying the man, 28-year-old Muhammad Khan, had been charged.
He was charged with "behaviour indenting to cause alarm, harassment or distress", the statement said.
He'll appear at in custody at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
By Dannielle Maguire
Queen Consort Camilla's tribute to Queen Elizabeth II to be broadcast later today
A BBC broadcast airing just before Sunday's national minute's silence will feature a tribute from the Queen's daughter in law.
The Queen ascended to the throne in 1952, when Camilla was four years old.
Here's what Camilla told the British broadcaster:
"She has been part of our lives forever.
"I'm 75 now, and I can't remember anybody except the Queen being there.
"It must have been so difficult for her being this solitary woman.
"There weren't woman prime ministers or women presidents.
"She was the only one.
"So I think she carved her own role.
"She's got these wonderful blue eyes that when she smiles, they light up her whole face.
"I'll always remember that smile ... that smile is unforgettable."
By Dannielle Maguire
It's now Sunday in the UK
It has just ticked past midnight in London and the final full day of Queen Elizabeth II lying state has begun.
That's scheduled to come to an end at 6.30am on Monday, local time.
We're expecting the queue to close to new participants at some point later on Sunday.
The accessible queue has already been closed after all time slot allocations were exhausted.
By Dannielle Maguire
Victoria extends Commonwealth Games invitation to King Charles III
The Victorian government says it plans to formally invite the new king to follow in his late mother's footsteps and open the 2026 Commonwealth Games in regional Victoria.
Queen Elizabeth II opened the games in 2006 when they were held in Melbourne.
A government spokesperson said at an "appropriate and respectful time" King Charles III will be invited to visit the state and formally open the 2026 Commonwealth Games:
"The Victorian government extends its sincere condolences to His Majesty King Charles III and the royal family in their time of mourning following the passing of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
"As is appropriate, the state government respects the period of national mourning and will adhere to the relevant protocols at this time."
The 2026 games are due to be held across regional centres including Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong and Gippsland.
Here's more from the government spokesperson:
"Victorians have many happy memories of her majesty's time in our state, opening our games, visiting our regional cities and towns and her affection for our state and its people will always be remembered.
"Victoria and the royal family have a deep and enduring connection, one which will only be strengthened as we embark on our shared journey to celebrate Victoria 2026."
Reporting by Sian Johnson
