People have been left heartbroken after seeing the striking difference between the Mall during the Platinum Jubilee and today, as mourners now stand where happy celebrations took place just months ago.
As the Queen left Buckingham Palace for the final time this afternoon, crowds gathered to watch the funeral procession.
The late monarch's coffin was carried by a gun carriage of the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery to Westminster Palace, where she will lie in state for four days ahead of the state funeral on Monday.
Thousands of mourners watched on in silence as the cortege made its way through central London. But many have said their sorrow was heightened to see the Mall transformed so completely in just a matter of months.
For the latest updates as the world mourns the Queen and King Charles III's reign begins, follow our live blog
Where families and well-wishers recently gathered to celebrate 70 years of the Queen's reign, crowds instead gathered to bid farewell respects to the late monarch.
The Mall, with its proximity to Buckingham Palace was of course a key location for many of the summer's celebratory events, which included Trooping the Colour and the Platinum Party at the Palace.
It has also been a place of coming together for many years - the landmark site is somewhere people would flock to in order to catch a glimpse of the late Queen on the balcony, surrounded by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Pointing out the sad contrast, one Twitter user shared a side by side photo comparing the Mall during the two occasions. "Heartbreaking that these are three months apart," she wrote.
Other mourners also shared their sadness at watching the "emotional scene" unfold.
"Watching Queen Elizabeth II carried down the Mall on a gun carriage from #BuckinghamPalace to Westminster Hall, just amazingly beautiful but such a sad emotional scene, can’t begin to think what Monday will be like," read one message.
Someone else tweeted: "It all suddenly feels real, seeing the Queen’s cortège procession on The Mall. I think it’s seeing her crown on top of her coffin and her family following that hits the most."
And a third said: "Such an emotional procession. The Queen’s coffin on a gun carriage proceeds down The Mall followed by her children and grandchildren to Westminster Hall where she will lie in state. The Royal family delivers Her Majesty to her people."
