The King received the Queen’s coffin at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday evening, where it will rest overnight after arriving in England for the first time since the monarch’s death.
Thousands of people, armed with umbrellas and raincoats, lined the A40 Westway and streets of west London, eager to see their Queen before she lies in state at Westminster Hall in the lead up to the funeral on Monday.
As the specially-designed hearse travelled from RAF Northolt to Buckingham Palace on a dark and rainy Tuesday night, lights illuminuted the Queen’s coffin for mourners to catch their first glimpse of her since her death.
Many ran from their homes and jumped out of vehicles to make sure they didn’t miss the historic moment.
As the Queen passed through the gates of Buckingham Palace, crowds who had been waiting for hours cheered and clapped.
The Princess Royal had accompanied the Queen as she travelled by RAF aircraft from St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh to England. She was met by Prime Minister Liz Truss at RAF Northolt in west London.
In statement released on Tuesday evening she said: “I was fortunate to share the last 24 hours of my dearest Mother’s life. It has been an honour and a privilege to accompany her on her final journeys. Witnessing the love and respect shown by so many on these journeys has been both humbling and uplifting.”
Princess Anne thanked the public for “support and understanding offered to my dear brother Charles as he accepts the added responsibilities of The Monarch”.
Earlier the King and Queen Consort had flown back to London after spending the day in Northern Ireland, hearing condolences from ministers and shaking hands with members of the public following a service at Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast.
The King told MPs in Northern Ireland: “My mother felt deeply, I know, the significance of the role she herself played in bringing together those who history had separated and extending a hand to make possible the healing of long-held hurts.
“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.”
The Queen’s coffin has been laid to rest in the Bow Room at Buckingham Palace where members of the Royal Family will pay their respects.
While they spend quiet moments there, people will spend the night waiting in line to be among the first to see her lying in state in Westminster Hall.
The Royal Family said in that statement that on Wednesday, the coffin will be “borne in Procession on a Gun Carriage of The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery to the Palace of Westminster”.
A procession will begin at around 2.20pm, with the coffin travelling from Buckingham Palace along The Mall, Horse Guards Road, across Horse Guards Parade and onto Whitehall to Parliament Square and into the Palace of Westminster.
King Charles and other members of the royal family will walk behind in a journey taking 38 minutes.
Dedicated ceremonial viewing areas will be set up along the route to allow the public to pay their respects.
These will be at the Green Park side of The Mall; the St James’s Park side of The Mall and Horse Guards Road; Horse Guards Parade ground; Whitehall (West), Parliament Street (West), and Great George Street; Whitehall (East), Parliament Street (East), and Bridge Street.
The Queen will lie in state at Westminster Hall until Monday morning, before a state funeral service begins at 11am. Many mourners are expected to pay their respects during the public holiday.
The hearse will take the Queen’s coffin from London to Windsor after the state funeral on Monday for the committal service in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
