Queen Elizabeth II's funeral as it happened: Queen's coffin lowered into Royal Vault

Britain held a minute's silence on Sunday in a final tribute to Queen Elizabeth II before her grand state funeral, after her son King Charles III welcomed world leaders at Buckingham Palace.

US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron were among the stream of dignitaries who paid tribute at the late monarch's coffin, Biden crossing himself and touching his heart as he stood on a gallery in London's historic Westminster Hall.

Members of the public filed by as time ticked down for them to pay their last respects to the only sovereign most Britons have ever known before she is laid to rest on Monday.

A day before the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, Ukraine's first lady Olena Zelenska met Britain's Princess of Wales Catherine at Buckingham Palace.

This is not the first time both the women have met each other, they had previously met in 2020 when Zelenska visited Britain with her husband.

In the absence of her husband President Volodymyr Zelensky, Olena Zelensky will represent Ukraine on Monday at Westminster Abbey.

The meticulously planned events during Monday's state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II will follow a precise timetable.

- 6:30 am (0530 GMT) -

The lying-in-state ceremony formally ends at Westminster Hall and the doors close to the public, ready for the transfer of her coffin to nearby Westminster Abbey.

- 8:00 am -

Doors open at Westminster Abbey for some 2,000 guests, including world leaders such as US President Joe Biden to Japan's reclusive Emperor Naruhito.

- 10:35 am (approx) -

Bearers lift the coffin from the catafalque, a raised platform where the queen's flag-draped coffin has lain in state, and carry it to the state gun carriage waiting outside the North Door of Westminster Hall.

- 10:44 am -

The state gun carriage sets off on a short procession from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey, drawn by 142 junior enlisted sailors in the Royal Navy.

- 10:52 am -

The gun carriage arrives at the West Gate of Westminster Abbey, followed on foot by the queen's eldest son and successor, King Charles III, and other royals. 

Bearers lift off the coffin and carry it into the abbey.

- 11:00 am -

The state funeral starts, conducted by the Dean of Westminster, David Hoyle, with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby giving the sermon.

- 11:55 am (approx) -

The Last Post bugle call sounds, followed by a national two-minute silence.

- 12:00 pm (approx) -

The service closes with the national anthem "God Save the King" and a Lament, a musical expression of grief.

- 12:15 pm -

The coffin is drawn on the gun carriage towards Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner near Buckingham Palace. 

It is followed by the king, senior royals and a procession including detachments from the armed forces of the Commonwealth grouping of 56 nations that the queen headed.

The "Big Ben" bell at the UK parliament and gun salutes fire at one-minute intervals throughout.

- 1:00 pm (approx) -

The coffin arrives at Wellington Arch, is moved to the royal hearse and sets off for Windsor Castle, west of London.

- 3:06 pm -

The hearse arrives at Windsor and make its way to the castle via the sweeping Long Walk avenue to the castle.

- 3:40 pm (approx) -

The king and senior royals join the procession on foot from the Quadrangle at Windsor Castle before the cortege halts at St George's Chapel at 3:53 pm.

- 4:00 pm -

The televised committal service starts with royals, prime ministers and former and current members of the queen's household attending. 

After about 45 mins, the coffin is lowered into the royal vault to a lone piper's lament.

- 7:30 pm -

A private burial service is held at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, with the queen laid to rest alongside the remains of her father King George VI, her mother, also called Queen Elizabeth, and the ashes of her younger sister, Princess Margaret.

Her late husband Prince Philip's coffin will also be interred there at the same time.

A line of four blue camping chairs mark the spot Wendy Bingley will spend more than 24 hours chatting to passersby, eating sandwiches and, around midday on Monday, watching Queen Elizabeth's funeral procession pass by.

Closer to parliament, where Elizabeth's body is lying in state, others have already spent a night on the pavement to witness the grand military procession and gun carriage that will convey the coffin towards Wellington Arch.

US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visited Westminster Hall earlier today to pay their last respects to the longest-reigning monarch of British history. 

Biden reportedly crossed himself and put his hand on his heart as he stood quietly where the Queen is lying-in-state at Westminster Hall. He called her a “decent” and “honest” person and went on to sign the condolence book for the royal family. 

“Out hearts go out to the Royal Family,” the US President said. 

(Image: AFP)

According to a recent update by the UK government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the wait time for the Queen's lying-in-state queue is 8 hours. 

Meanwhile, the decision of stopping the entry into the queue is yet to be made.  

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades were among the many world leaders paying their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth.

Polish President Andrzej Duda on Sunday met UK PM Liz Truss. He is in UK top attend funeral of Queen Elizabeth.

Arsenal, Brentford, Everton and West Ham all paid their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday afternoon (September 18) as the Premier League resumed this weekend.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will not be present for Queen Elizabeth the Second's funeral, said Reuters quoting a source in British foreign office.

Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth's second son paid tribute to her. He said he would treasure forever her love, compassion, care and confidence

"Mummy, your love for a son, your compassion, your care, your confidence I will treasure forever," he said.

King Charles the Third has begun greeting dignitories as they arrive for Queen Elizabeth's funeral. Here in this image, he can be seen with Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea James Marape.

(Image: AFP)

Windsor Castle staff is decorating the procession route with flowers

King Charles meeting the prime minister, Liz Truss, in the 1844 room at Buckingham Palace earlier today.

Britain was gearing up Sunday for the momentous state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II as King Charles III prepared to host world leaders and as mourners queued for the final 24 hours left to view her coffin.

The first members of the public were already camping out in advance to catch a glimpse of Monday's grand farewell at Westminster Abbey, which is expected to bring London to a standstill and be watched by billions of viewers worldwide.

US President Joe Biden flew in late Saturday, one of dozens of heads of state arriving as Britain stages its biggest-ever policing operation around the historic funeral for its longest-reigning monarch.

The pair are due to sit down soon at around 12:15 BST in Buckingham Palace's 1844 Room - often dubbed the most important room in the Palace.

In its latest update, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) told people on Twitter that a decision is being made about when to close the line. It's expected to be some time this afternoon.

Government officials also said the current wait time is at least 13 hours.

Public viewing of the Queen lying in state will officially close at 06:30 (local times) tomorrow, four and a half hours before the late monarch's state funeral is due to begin at Westminster Abbey.

The gun carriage will carry Queen Elizabeth's coffin at her funeral on Monday (September 19). It was first used at the funeral of Queen Victoria in February 1901. Horses were to pull the carriage that day but freezing weather led to fears the horses would panic on the icy roads and spill the coffin.

Jagjot Singh Rubal, an Indian painter gives final touches to a painting of Queen Elizabeth II made as tribute to the Britian's late monarch. 

Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Makaso arrived at London's Stansted airport to
attend Queen's funeral. 

Brunei's sultan Hassanal Bolkiah departs for London to attend Queen Elizabeth II's funeral. 

South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol and first lady Kim Keon-Hee departs for UK for Queen Elizabeth II's funeral. 

Taiwan's de facto ambassador in London received a "special invite" to sign the book of condolence for Britain's Queen Elizabeth, the island's foreign ministry said, adding he was given the same treatment as other dignitaries.

Britain, 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.

In a statement on Sunday, 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", it added.

The ministry noted 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".

Here are 10 people, places and things named in honour of Britain's King Charles III. He was known as Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, before his accession to the throne on September 8.

Read more

US President Joe Biden is expected to pay tribute at the coffin of Queen Elizabeth in London on Sunday, joining hundreds of thousands of people who have filed past the late British monarch as she lies in state.

Biden will later join King Charles and scores of other world leaders and royals from around the globe for a reception ahead of the grand state funeral for Elizabeth on Monday.

Elizabeth's body has been lying in state at the historic Westminster Hall since Wednesday, and people from all walks of life and from around the world have been filing past in a constant, emotional stream, many queuing overnight and some for up to 24 hours.

Britain's new Queen Consort Camilla paid tribute Sunday to Queen Elizabeth II for carving her own role as a "solitary woman" in a world dominated by men.

In her first public comments broadcast since her mother-in-law Queen Elizabeth's death, King Charles III's wife told the BBC: "It must have been so difficult for her being a solitary woman... there weren't women prime ministers or presidents. She was the only one, so I think she carved her own role."

US President Joe Biden arrived in Britain late Saturday ahead of Queen Elizabeth II's funeral, an AFP photographer on board Air Force One said.

Biden's plane arrived at London Stansted Airport outside the capital just before 10:00 pm (2100 GMT).

He is expected to pay his respects at Queen Elizabeth's coffin and meet the new King Charles III on Sunday ahead of Monday's state funeral.

However, a planned meeting with Britain's new Prime Minister Liz Truss has been cancelled.

Instead, they will hold a "full bilateral meeting" at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, her Downing Street office said.

Queen Elizabeth's state funeral on Monday will be shown by around 125 cinemas across Britain, while parks, squares and cathedrals will also set up viewing screens for the huge ceremonial event, the government said on Saturday.

The funeral service at Westminster Abbey and related processions across London will also be shown live on television by the BBC, ITV and Sky, the culture department said in a statement.

Commonwealth leaders gathered at London's Lancaster House on Saturday (September 17) to sign an official book of condolence for the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Leaders from nations as far apart as Canada, Sri Lanka, and Australia signed the book.

The Commonwealth, a club of 56 countries that evolved out of the British Empire after World War Two and which presents itself as a partnership of equals, mattered hugely to the late queen, who as its head made numerous visits to member states and cultivated friendly ties with their leaders.

Now that she is gone, the baton passes to her son King Charles, as she had hoped and as was agreed by Commonwealth leaders in 2018, but stepping into her shoes will not be straightforward for the new monarch, who is far less popular.

King Charles met leaders of the realm at Buckingham Palace on Saturday (September 17) ahead of the late Queen's state funeral that is likely to be one of the biggest ceremonial events ever held in Britain.

King Charles separately held talks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Prime Minister of Bahamas Philip Davis.

There has been an outpouring of emotion across the country and 10 days of choreographed events since the queen died at her summer estate in the Scottish highlands after 70 years on the throne.

Nearly 100 presidents and heads of government will attend Monday's funeral ceremony.

Republican movements may be expanding in former British colonies around the world, but in the tiny Caribbean paradise of Antigua and Barbuda, people feel very differently about their leaders' efforts to sever the last tie. 

The first of the 14 nations that Queen Elizabeth II's son, Charles, now rules over, Antigua and Barbuda, publicly floated the possibility of displacing the British monarch as its head of state a few days after her passing. 

According to Prime Minister Gaston Browne, doing so would not be "an act of hostility" but rather "the final step to complete the circle of independence," and he expects to hold a referendum on the subject within the next three years.

On Saturday, United States President Joe Biden headed to London to attend Queen Elizabeth II's burial. 

The state funeral, the first in Britain since Winston Churchill passed away in 1965, will begin at 11:00 am on Monday at Westminster Abbey in London (1000 GMT). 

Along with more than 2,000 other guests, Biden will attend the solemn and historic event among several hundred foreign leaders.

Camilla has taken on the role of Queen Consort to her husband King Charles III with a minimum of fuss after gradually overcoming public opposition.

King Charles III, in his first speech to the nation on September 9, thanked his "darling wife" Camilla for her support. 

The couple finally married in 2005 after a long-running love affair that was at times adulterous. 

Queen Elizabeth II's death means that around 600 of her favourite brands risk losing their royal warrant and must now await the approval of her successor King Charles III.

Fortnum and Mason teas, Burberry raincoats, Cadbury chocolate and even broomstick and dog food manufacturers are among those facing the loss of royal prestige.

If they do not gain the new monarch's stamp of approval, they will have two years to remove the seal that marks them as preferred suppliers to the sovereign.

Earlier today, the King met London’s Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, and expressed his gratitude to the emergency staff for their work during the Queen’s mourning period and ahead of the funeral.

He was also briefed by the duo Jane Connors, deputy assistant commissioner and Commander Karen Findlay, who have been and are leading the police operations in and around London during and ahead of the funeral on Monday.

On Saturday, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the country’s Vice President Wang Qishan will attend Queen Elizabeth's funeral following the invitation by the British government.

This comes a day after BBC reported that the Chinese delegation visiting London for the Queen’s funeral is banned from viewing the Queen lying-in-state, as some parliamentarians had raised concerns about inviting Chinese representatives.

In a surprise appearance, the King and the Prince of Wales greeted mourners waiting in line to see the Queen’s lying in state.

As Charles and William appeared, hundreds of people waiting in line at Lambeth in southeast London clapped and applauded. 

In an effort to speak with the King and the heir to the throne as they shook hands with those closest to them, many people took pictures and pressed up against the metal barriers.

Click here to read more

The estimated wait time for Queen's lying-in-state queue has gone down from 24 hours to 16 hours. 

Earlier today, the UK government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), indicated that the queue is in London's Southwark Park while the estimated time was at least 24 hours. 

However, according to a recent update, the queuing time is now up to 16 hours. 

The government has also said that if the park reaches capacity, the entry to the queue will be paused. 

At the invitation of the British government, Pakistan Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will represent Pakistan at the state funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in London on 19 September 2022.

Turning a moment of sorrow into a business opportunity, mourners that wore wristbands required to attend Queen Elizabeth II's lying-in-state are now selling them for as much as $400. The different coloured wristbands have been distributed by the authorities so that individuals can leave for water, food, and toilet and return to their spot without creating a ruckus.

Click here to read more

After much controversy, Prince Harry has been allowed by King Charles III to wear his military outfit. According to reports, Prince William, the Prince of Wales, will stand at the head of the coffin, and Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, will stand at its foot for the 15-minute vigil on Saturday. 

Just when a thaw appeared in the relationship between the top Royals and Duke and Duchess of Sussex, a Telegraph report claimed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had been uninvited from Queen Elizabeth II's pre-funeral functions.

Click here to read more

A man was detained by police after a witness said he "ran up to the Queen's coffin" in Westminster Hall. The Metropolitan Police said, "Around 10 pm on Friday 16 September, officers from the Met's Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command detained a man in Westminster Hall following a disturbance. He was arrested for an offence under the Public Order Act and is currently in custody."

The live feed showing the Queen lying in state was briefly cut during the incident. The Guardian reported that the suspect ran up the steps to the coffin and managed to touch it.