Tonight, the Royal Family paid a heartfelt final tribute to the Queen when she was laid to rest with her beloved Prince Philip following a day of public ceremonies that were witnessed by as many as four billion people worldwide.
In a post captioned “In loving memory of Her Majesty The Queen,” the royal family has released a never-before-seen picture of the late monarch hiking through heathlands.
The moving social media post also referenced her son King Charles’s first address to the nation, in which he quoted the renowned play Hamlet by William Shakespeare: “May flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest.”
It follows a highly symbolic moment in which the Queen’s crown, orb, and sceptre were removed from her coffin, allowing her to enter her grave “as a simple Christian soul.”
As her 70-year reign formally came to an end this evening, Her Majesty returned to Windsor to be interred in the royal crypt in St. George’s Chapel with her husband, father, mother, and sister.
The Royal Family stood as the Queen was slowly lowered at the conclusion of the brief committal ritual as the Dean of Windsor recited, “Go forth on thy journey from this world, O Christian soul.” In addition, he presented the commendation, which is a prayer in which the departed is committed to God’s mercy.
Prior to the Lord Chamberlain snapping his staff of office, the Dean had put the Queen’s crown and other crown jewels on the altar, indicating the end of the Queen’s public service.
The Garter King of Arms then announced the styles and titles of the Queen as all power passed to her son, the King, before the coffin was lowered to the lament of a lone piper as Britain and the world bid the late queen a fond farewell after 70 years of devotion to the nation.
Charles appeared genuinely saddened as the Queen’s oak casket was lowered into the vault on a day when he appeared tearful multiple times as he bid farewell to his “Mama,” the 12th British monarch to be interred at Windsor.
Her Majesty’s long trip to her ultimate resting place – and to be reunited with the Duke of Edinburgh – began on the day of her death in Balmoral, eleven days ago, and concluded with her private interment next to her’strength and support’ Philip. During a private family ceremony, the King scattered earth on his mother’s coffin.
This private event was commemorated by a tweet from The Royal Family’s official Twitter account, which published a black-and-white photo of the Queen with her family and her beloved Prince Philip, who died in April of last year.
This evening, a representative for Buckingham Palace stated, ‘A Private Burial took place in The King George VI Memorial Chapel, conducted by the Dean of Windsor. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were interred at the King George VI Memorial Chapel.
Following the longest-reigning queen inside the historic church were Charles III, her children and grandchildren, including Prince William and Prince Harry. St George’s was where the Queen sat alone during Prince Philip’s burial last year – one of the most affecting images of the epidemic – and where she had liked to worship for so many years when in Windsor.
It occurred on a day when up to 2 million people flocked to central London to view the casket following the state funeral at Westminster Abbey, which was attended by 2,000 royals, heads of state, and 200 members of the general public. The royal hearse was blanketed in flowers as it travelled from Wellington Arch to Windsor this afternoon, after the Queen was carried through Buckingham Palace for the last time.
This morning, the last of the 400,000 people who saw the Queen lying in state paid their respects before she was brought in a gun carriage from Westminster Hall to the church where she was married and crowned, while an estimated 4 billion people across the world watched on television.
Members of the Royal Family gradually exited St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle after the Queen’s funeral service.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, along with their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte, left the chapel in a car.
Shortly thereafter, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex departed individually, with Harry puffing up his cheeks.
During the ceremony, the Reverend David Conner, Dean of Windsor, read from Revelation 21:1-7. The same text was recited during the funerals of the Queen’s father, King George VI, in 1952, as well as her grandfather, King George V, in 1936, and grandmother, Queen Mary, in 1953.
The reading concludes with the statement, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.” I will give freely to him who thirsts from the source of life’s water.
“He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”
In a sweet gesture, the late Queen’s corgis Muick and Sandy were waiting for her when the hearse wrapped in flowers arrived.
The King, Princess Royal, Duke of York, Earl of Wessex, Prince of Wales, and Duke of Sussex were among those who greeted the coffin as it arrived at the castle following a procession through Windsor’s crowded Long Walk.
As the hearse approached the West Steps of St George’s Chapel, Minute Guns were fired by The King’s Troop to indicate the monarch’s return. The Castle’s Sebastopol bell sounded, which only occurs when a British monarch dies, as the State Hearse completed its journey accompanied by the music of bagpipes.
Tens of thousands of people lined The Long Walk and clapped as the flower-covered hearse carrying the late monarch’s casket slowly made its way to her Berkshire palace, where she spent the most of her final years – including in seclusion with Prince Philip – before her death.
Giving the Bidding, the Dean of Windsor, said: ‘We have come together to commit into the hands of God the soul of his servant Queen Elizabeth.
‘Here, in St George’s Chapel, where she so often worshipped, we are bound to call to mind someone whose uncomplicated yet profound Christian Faith bore so much fruit. Fruit, in a life of unstinting service to the Nation, the Commonwealth and the wider world, but also (and especially to be remembered in this place) in kindness, concern and reassuring care for her family and friends and neighbours.’
The Dean hailed the late Queen’s “calm and dignified presence” in a “rapidly changing and frequently troubled world.”
He said the monarch’s disposition ‘has given us confidence to face the future, as she did, with courage and with hope’.
Concluding the Bidding, he said: ‘As, with grateful hearts, we reflect on these and all the many other ways in which her long life has been a blessing to us, we pray that God will give us grace to honour her memory by following her example, and that, with our sister Elizabeth, at the last, we shall know the joys of life eternal.’
As the Queen’s coffin moved along the Long Walk towards St. George’s Chapel, thousands of people fell silent, held their phones up, and waved flags.
Those in the back of the crowd could only see the parade through their smartphones mounted on selfie sticks.
As the procession passed, young children sat on their parents’ shoulders and clapped.
The congregation consists of the late monarch’s closest relatives, her former household employees, and foreign royal families.
A wreath from Number 10 bearing the signature of Prime Minister Liz Truss is placed at the chapel’s entrance. The wreath reads, “For a lifetime of devotion and service, we extend our deepest thanks.”
Flowers of different kinds adorn the area surrounding the chapel, including red rose bouquets, pink lily arrangements, potted plants, and wreaths from foreign royals.
Inside one of the chapel’s primary entrances is a flower arrangement of white blossoms in full bloom.
The chapel was decorated with lilies, dahlias, roses, and foliage, such as Eucalyptus and other vegetation from Home Park.
With the exception of one, the Queen selected all of the prayers and hymns for the ceremony, which features a strong thread of tradition throughout.
After a discussion between the King and the Dean of Windsor, David Conner, Westminster Abbey, derived from the Alleluias in Purcell’s O God, Thou art my God, was selected as the song.
Earlier, mourners in Windsor were instructed not to throw flowers at the vehicle carrying the Queen’s coffin, but rather to place their bouquets alongside the “grass moat” near Windsor castle. When crushed into the ground, the flowers may frighten horses, cause safety issues, pose a tripping hazard, and be difficult to clean up, according to security experts and event organisers.
In the King George VI Memorial Chapel, Her Majesty will be interred alongside her late husband Prince Philip following the conclusion of the final public portion of her burial. This evening, the King and other members of the royal family will attend a special funeral service.
In a service attended by over 800 people this afternoon, the royal family bid farewell to their beloved matriarch in the gothic chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle. Crowds of mourners went silent as the state hearse carrying the Queen’s coffin entered the Long Walk for the final leg of her journey.
As the sound of the drummers in the procession became louder, the crowds of people of all ages that surrounded the Long Walk fell silent. Children were placed on the shoulders of parents, and camera phones were held aloft as people fought for a sight of the scene.
During the procession, the Queen’s pet corgis Muick and Sandy and one of her all-time favourite horses made a touching appearance at Windsor.
Two pages in red tailcoats led the young pups, one on a red leash and one on a blue leash, into the quadrangle in preparation for the entrance of the Queen’s coffin. Emma, the Queen’s Fell Pony, had greeted the procession by standing on grass between flower memorials to her late owner along the Long Walk.
Much of the ceremony will have a sensation of looking back, repeating what has been before, and maybe a sense of the consistency and stability for which the Queen will be known forever.
Prior to the final song, the Imperial State Crown, the Orb, and the Sceptre will be taken from the coffin by the Crown Jeweller and delivered to the Dean, who will put them on the altar with the assistance of the Bargemaster and Serjeants-at-Arms.
The movement of the crown from the coffin to the altar is emotional, since in 1953 the crown was removed from Westminster Abbey’s altar and put on the Queen’s head, signalling the beginning of her 70-year reign.
The King will lay The Queen’s Company Camp Colour of the Grenadier Guards on the coffin at the conclusion of the last hymn.
The Lord Chamberlain will simultaneously “break” his Wand of Office and set it on the coffin.
This is done to achieve symmetry with the three eliminated Instruments of State.
The coffin, which will be put on a purple-velvet-draped catafalque, will be carefully lowered into the royal crypt while the Dean of Windsor exclaims, “Go forth upon thy journey from this world, O Christian soul.”
The Sovereign’s Piper will play A Salute to the Royal Fendersmith from the doorway between the Chapel and the Dean’s Cloister as he walks slowly towards the Deanery in the Cloister, causing the music inside the Chapel to gradually diminish.
During the ceremony, the King will occupy the seat held by the Queen when she visited the chapel, which is located closest to the altar.
Several compositions that were previously performed during the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh and other important royal ceremonies will be performed throughout the ceremony.
As the mourners wait for the ceremony to begin, the organ piece Schmucke Dich, O Liebe Seele (BWV 654) by JS Bach will be performed with a number of others.
Another piece will be Rhosymedre by Vaughan Williams, a royal family favourite that was played during the wedding of Diana, Princess of Wales, and Charles, and at Philip’s death.
Nimrod by Sir Edward Elgar was performed during the 1953 coronation of the Queen and will also be performed prior to the start of the committal.
Lord Sentamu, the former archbishop of York, allegedly helped create the initial order of ceremony for the state burial of Queen Elizabeth.
The minister informed BBC News that the Queen knew the psalms by memory, and that Psalm 121, which was also chanted at the Queen Mother’s funeral in 2002, would be recited during her burial.
The ceremony will conclude with Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in C Minor (BWV 546), which was also performed at the conclusion of Philip’s burial.
The Rector of Sandringham, the Minister of Crathie Kirk, the Chaplain of Windsor Great Park, and the Dean of Windsor will offer prayers.
The Choir of St George’s Chapel, consisting of 11 men, one women, and 13 boys, will sing throughout the service under the direction of James Vivian, director of music, while Luke Bond, assistant director of music, will play the organ.
The majority of the service’s music was created by Sir William Harris, who was the organist at St. George’s Chapel from 1933 until 1961, through the majority of the Queen’s youth.
It is thought that Sir William trained the young Princess Elizabeth to play the piano, since she often visited the organ loft to see him play.
Crowds flung flowers and applauded today as the Queen’s coffin was brought to Windsor Castle to be reunited with her beloved Prince Philip and her parents in the historic splendour of St George’s Chapel.
In astonishing and poignant scenes, an estimated 2 million mourners lined the streets to bid goodbye to Britain’s longest reigning queen, Elizabeth II, as her hearse travelled from West London to Berkshire under showers of flowers.
The state funeral for King Charles’s mother at Westminster Abbey concluded with two minutes of silence, the Last Post, and the national hymn. This afternoon, the monarch seemed distraught as he saluted as the hearse carrying his mother exited Wellington Arch.
On a day of grandeur and heartbreaking symbolism, Charles, his siblings, and his children, along with the enormous throng that flooded The Mall, Whitehall, and Parliament Square to bid goodbye to the adored queen as her coffin was brought from the Abbey on a gun carriage, wore expressions of anguish.
Members of the Royal Family, including the King, marched behind the throng while others, including the Princess of Wales, her children George and Charlotte, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, went by in cars.
The moving events followed an exceptional and dramatic state funeral attended by 2,000 VIPs, royals, prime ministers, and several hundred ordinary Britons selected by the Queen, who passed away 11 days before. The Archbishop of Canterbury said that the Queen had touched “many lives” and been a “joyful” figure for many.
She was the head of state, but she was also a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, and the wreath on her casket had a message from the King. The message said: ‘In loving and devoted memory.’
Hundreds of soldiers, sailors, and airmen marched to sad funeral music or lined the path as the corpse was carried on a gun carriage after the funeral. This was a sight not seen in many years. Charles and his siblings, the Princess Royal, Duke of York, and Earl of Wessex, followed by the monarch’s three grandchildren, Peter Phillips, Duke of Sussex, and Prince of Wales, stood behind her coffin.
In a poignant gesture, Buckingham Palace servants stood outside the residence’s gates and observed as the late monarch was taken past for the final time.
Members of the Royal Family, including the King, marched behind the masses while others, including the Princess of Wales, her children George and Charlotte, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, passed the people in cars.
In the shadow of Apsley House, the old residence of the Duke of Wellington, the sailors who had pulled the carriage bearing the queen’s casket stopped.
Members of the Royal Family observed and saluted the bearer party as they removed the casket from the State Gun Carriage and put it into the rear of the vehicle. The majority of the procession party formed a line on the grass close to the monument and stood in silence while the casket was moved. The national anthem was then performed as the hearse left the scene.
As the Queen’s coffin passed the Albert Memorial in Kensington on its route to Windsor, spontaneous clapping and three spontaneous shouts erupted. As the hearse drove away, members of the public watching from behind a fence threw flowers into the road. Others displayed Union flags as the convoy of trucks passed.
Following the departure of the casket and the royal family, Westminster Abbey’s bells started to toll. The muffled peal will continue throughout the day, which happens only after a monarch’s burial.
As the Queen’s coffin passed the Albert Memorial in Kensington on its route to Windsor, spontaneous clapping and three spontaneous shouts erupted. As the hearse drove away, members of the public watching from behind a fence threw flowers into the road. Others displayed Union flags as the convoy of trucks passed.
Following the departure of the casket and the royal family, Westminster Abbey’s bells started to toll. The muffled peal will continue throughout the day, which happens only after a monarch’s burial.
In the front row were the King, the Queen Consort, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York, and the Earl and Countess of Wessex.
Behind them came the Princess and Prince of Wales, followed by Prince Charlotte and Prince George and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
The King and the male royals, with the exception of the Dukes of York and Sussex, who were not in uniform, saluted the coffin, while some of the female royals curtsied.
The Queen’s coffin, escorted by the King, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Sussex, the Duke of York, and the Princess Royal, started its journey towards Wellington Arch just after noon, where it was remounted on the State Gun Carriage.
The King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, fired Minute Guns in Hyde Park as Big Ben tolled for the length of the mournful march through the city. As the funeral procession of Queen Elizabeth II passed the Cenotaph in London, the King, the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal, and the Earl of Wessex saluted the monument to British and Commonwealth troops lost in the First and Second World Wars. Princes Andrew and Harry did not participate.
As the parade passed by and people started to move on, the audience in Whitehall burst into a chant of “hip, hip, hooray” and a wave of applause. The Queen was then carried past Horse Guards Parade, where throughout her reign Her Majesty presided over several Trooping the Colour events.
The Queen then made her last ascent of The Mall as the funeral procession continued towards Buckingham Palace. The sombre tableau was drenched in sunlight, with the chimes of Big Ben punctuating the accompanying music of the military bands.
On its approach to Wellington Arch, where her hearse to Windsor was waiting, Her Majesty’s coffin passed Buckingham Palace for the last time. An original entryway to Buckingham Palace, the arch was eventually transformed into a triumph arch celebrating the Duke of Wellington’s victory over Napoleon.
A massive bronze sculpture above the arch depicts the angel of peace descending onto the four-horse chariot of battle.
There was a hush from the crowd in Whitehall, as the funeral procession moved past the Cabinet War Rooms, the Cenotaph and Downing Street. Some emerged from balconies and windows, clad in black, while those on the street craned their necks and clutched cameras as they awaited the chance to say goodbye to the monarch.
Mounties of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police lead the procession followed immediately by representatives of the George Cross foundations from Malta, the former Royal Ulster Constabulary, and four representatives from the NHS.
The route is being lined by the armed forces from Westminster Abbey to the top of Constitution Hill at the Commonwealth Memorial Gates.
Mounties of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police lead the procession followed immediately by representatives of the George Cross foundations from Malta, the former Royal Ulster Constabulary, and four representatives from the NHS.
The emotional King Charles III and his grief-stricken family had surrounded the Queen’s coffin at her state funeral in Westminster Abbey in a moving and majestic farewell to the late monarch today in an extraordinary service followed by a national two minute’s silence and the Last Post.
Her Majesty made her final and saddest journey from Westminster Hall to the church where she married and was crowned as Britain mourned its longest-serving monarch and the royals bade goodbye to a beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.
Her coffin was placed close to the altar with her crown, orb and sceptre on its top surrounded by flowers chosen by the King from gardens she loved. A card in the flowers on top of the coffin read simply: ‘In loving and devoted memory. Charles R.’
The Archbishop of Canterbury hailed the Queen’s ‘abundant life and loving service’ as he delivered the sermon at her state funeral, adding: ‘She was joyful, present to so many, touching a multitude of lives.’
State trumpeters from the Household Cavalry sounded the Last Post following the Archbishop of Canterbury’s commendation over the Queen’s coffin and a blessing pronounced by the Dean of Westminster. Two minute’s silence followed across the country before Reveille was sounded by the trumpeters before the National Anthem was sung by the congregation.
Prince Charles looked tearful at points of the service while his sister Princess Anne looked at him with concern and care before fixing her own stare on her mother’s coffin and crown. Prince Andrew looked moved – having been fighting back tears as the family marched behind the Queen’s coffin through Parliament Square.
King Charles III sat at the head of the family next to Princess Anne, with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex behind him in the second row, after more than a week leading the monarchy and the nation in mourning his mother the Queen.
Prince William, who marched with his brother behind the coffin, was on the front row next to Prince George, who was reading the order of service during the Archbishop of Canterbury’s sermon, before singing hymns, while Princess Charlotte was seen whispering to her mother, who with William decided to bring them to say goodbye to their great-grandmother.
The King looked very emotional during the singing of the national anthem at Westminster Abbey. Charles remained silent during the song, while his siblings and members of the royal family sang along. Gripping his ceremonial sword, Charles looked downcast as he started straight ahead while a piper played Sleep, Dearie, Sleep.
The UK’s most important church, packed with 2,000 VIPs including prime ministers, presidents and the Queen’s family, was serene aside from the sound of hymns and prayers in a funeral service Her Majesty has curated herself before she died.
On an highly emotional occasion for Britain and the world, the Queen was carried in her oak coffin to the gun carriage used by her parents and was followed through Parliament Square by her son, the King, and her relatives including the Prince of Wales and Duke of Sussex. Andrew, the Duke of York, appeared to be crying. Outside the Abbey an estimated 2million people are in central London along procession routes and watching on big screens.
The Queen’s funeral drew to a close with a lament played by The Sovereign’s piper and her coffin has been carried from Westminster Abbey to be placed on the State Gun Carriage.
The strains of the lament, ‘Sleep, dearie, sleep’, could still be heard echoing through the abbey as the piper walked off.
Shortly after, as the organist played Bach’s Fantasia in C minor, soldiers of the bearer party entered from the South Quire Aisle.
As the bearers moved slowly through the abbey to place the coffin once more on the gun carriage, they were followed in procession to the Great West Door by The King and Queen Consort along with other members of the Royal Family.
The State Gun Carriage carrying the Queen’s coffin began its funeral procession from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey at around 10.45am, arriving just before 11am. A single toll from Big Ben signalled the start of the service at Westminster Abbey, where kings and queens have been crowned and buried since 1066. Her Majesty will be laid to rest at Windsor next to her beloved husband Prince Philip and her parents, George VI and the Queen Mother.
Despite the huge crowds, there was absolute silence as around 200 pipers and drummers of Scottish and Irish Regiments, the Brigade of Gurkhas and RAF played as the procession went through Parliament Square. The Queen’s own piper played a lament that echoed through the heart of London.
Walking behind the carriage were the King and his siblings, followed by the Prince of Wales, Duke of Sussex and Peter Phillips. The State Gun Carriage has also been previously used for the funerals of King Edward VII, King George V, King George VI, Winston Churchill, and Lord Mountbatten.
There was complete silence from the crowd close to Parliament Square, as the State Gun Carriage carrying the Queen’s coffin slowly moved past. The crowd, momentarily still and with phones held aloft to capture the moment, was around 10-people thick in places, as tens of thousands thronged the streets to say goodbye to the monarch and witness a moment of history.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte travelled to Westminster Abbey in the same car as the Queen Consort, with the Princess of Wales arriving with them. They arrived at the church shortly after some of the Queen’s grandchildren including Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
World leaders including Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron arrived at Westminster Abbey around an hour before the service began. The congregation of 2,000 sat in solemn silence as Her Majesty arrived.
State trumpeters from the Household Cavalry have sounded the Last Post following the Archbishop of Canterbury’s commendation over the Queen’s coffin and a blessing pronounced by the Dean.
Two minute’s silence followed across the country before Reveille was sounded by the trumpeters. The National Anthem is now being sung by the congregation.
In his sermon at the state funeral of the Queen, the Archbishop of Canterbury has told mourners the ‘grief’ felt around the world over her death ‘arises from her abundant life and loving service’, adding: ‘She was joyful, present to so many, touching a multitude of lives.’
The Most Rev Justin Welby said: ‘People of loving service are rare in any walk of life. Leaders of loving service are still rarer. But in all cases those who serve will be loved and remembered when those who cling to power and privileges are forgotten. The grief of this day – felt not only by the late Queen’s family but all round the nation, Commonwealth and world – arises from her abundant life and loving service, now gone from us.’
He said: ‘We will all face the merciful judgement of God: we can all share the Queen’s hope which in life and death inspired her servant leadership. Service in life, hope in death. All who follow the Queen’s example, and inspiration of trust and faith in God, can with her say: ‘We will meet again.”
The Archbishop, standing in the church where kings and queens have been crowned since 1066, added: ‘People of loving service are rare in any walk of life. Leaders of loving service are still rarer.
‘But in all cases those who serve will be loved and remembered when those who cling to power and privileges are forgotten. The grief of this day – felt not only by the late Queen’s family but all round the nation, Commonwealth and world – arises from her abundant life and loving service, now gone from us. She was joyful, present to so many, touching a multitude of lives.’
He also said that the Queen had declared on her 21st birthday ‘that her whole life would be dedicated to serving the nation and Commonwealth’.
‘Rarely has such a promise been so well kept. Few leaders receive the outpouring of love we have seen’, the Archbishop added.
There were cheers and clapping as Prince William, the Princess of Wales and their children George and Charlotte were swept into Parliament Square. King Charles III and Queen Consort, Camilla arrived minutes later.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex travelled down The Mall with a police escort. Harry was seen looking sombre as he was driven in a Range Rover from Wellington Arch, down Constitution Hill and on The Mall towards St James’ Palace.
He then stood side by side with his brother, before the royals entered Westminster Hall, where the Queen had been lying in state.
The UK’s most important church began filling up from 8am as the congregation arrived up to three hours early – including Kate Middleton’s parents – as huge crowds of mourners packed the procession route outside and tens of thousands more went to Windsor, where Her Majesty will be buried later.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte travelled to Westminster Abbey in the same car as the Queen Consort, with the Princess of Wales arriving with them. They arrived at the church shortly after some of the Queen’s grandchildren including Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
Michael and Carole Middleton were among hundreds of VIPs who arrived at the UK’s most important church – where Her Majesty married Prince Philip and had her coronation.
2,000 royals, world leaders and hundreds of members of the public have began filing into the Abbey as billions around the world will watch Her Majesty’s state funeral.
Most of the VIPs arrived by coach, meeting at the Royal Hospital Chelsea before being put on a bus into Central London. Britain’s ministers – past and present – were among the first arrivals including Nadham Zahawi, Ben Wallace and Jacob Rees-Mogg. But US President Jo Biden went to the Abbey in The Beast – his bomb-proof limousine.
Michael and Carole Middleton, the parents of Kate, the Princess of Wales, arrived two hours early for the service, followed by Tom Parker Bowles, the son of Queen Consort, Camilla. They were also on a bus together – despite their close links to the Royal Family. Celebrities at the funeral include TV personality Bear Grylls.
Funeral flowers in the abbey featured myrtle – which was used in the Queen’s wedding bouquet as is royal tradition. The huge white and green displays of blooms included asiatic lilies, gladioli, alstroemeria, eustoma and foliage of English oak, weeping birch and the sprigs of myrtle.
Around the coffin will stand the four tall yellow candles which usually rest around the grave of the unknown warrior at the entrance to the historic church.
And outside hardy royal fans defied no-camping rules, as people of all ages set up tents, deck chairs and even a makeshift minibar to grab premium seats for the spectacle that will see 2million flood into the capital. By 8.30am member of the public were told that the procession route was full and began diverting people to Hyde Park to watch on the big screens.
The doors of Westminster Abbey opened at 8am, ahead of the arrival of the first mourners for the funeral of the Queen. The King’s Guards trooped through the gates of Abbey, with two soldiers stationed at the metal gates awaiting the start of proceedings.
Amid concerns that London will be ‘full’ today – and a lack of hotel rooms – scores of people began bedding in to line The Mall in central London over the weekend, despite rules – seemingly loosely enforced – preventing people from setting up camp.
This morning, before dawn, stewards told campers to take down their tents. Huge crowds have also formed in Windsor, where the Queen will be buried this evening.
Several who slept in central London overnight said friends and family told them they were ‘mad’ to carry out the overnight vigil, but insisted they would not miss the occasion.
Among them were school friends Christine Manning, 75, and Dianne Donohue, 73, from Leek in Staffordshire, who slept in a pop-up tent.
Mrs Donohoe, a retired housewife and grandmother-of-three, said: ‘Yes, the advice was not to camp but we disobeyed. We’ve had a good catch-up, we’ve enjoyed it.
‘We were sleeping in the tent and at 4.30am I woke up and asked Chris if she was awake, she was, so we had a whisky and lemonade and a pork pie. A couple more hours’ sleep, then onto the prosecco.
‘We had to take our tent down at 7am because the police told us to, but we couldn’t do it, so we had to get some lad to help us.
‘We’re out of pork pies sadly but we’ve got sausage rolls, and we’ve got some gin now the whisky’s run out – we’re chipper.’
Miss Manning, a retired waitress, added: ‘My kids said we were mad.
‘Well, ‘mental’ is the word they used. They said we were idiots for doing this.
‘I said it had to be done.’
Among those at the top of the Long Walk were Windsor Castle warden Shannon Carroll, 27, and her pals Samantha Geraghty, 24, and Heidi, 26, who declined to give her surname.
Shannon told MailOnline they had arrived at 6am after getting up at 4am to walk from nearby Maidenhead where they all live.
She added:’I’m here to pay my respects to an incredible woman who also happens to be my boss. I’ve worked at the Castle for five years and it’s the least I can do.
‘The Queen was a great employer and an inspirational leader. I don’t think we will ever see anyone like her again.’
Shannon said:’I queued up for 12 hours overnight Friday into Saturday and that was a very poignant and sombre experience.
‘It was incredibly quiet and still but it was at the same time very respectful and I wouldn’t have missed it for anything.’
Heidi said:’We are prepared for the day with snacks and drinks and it looks like it will stay dry. We will have a great view of the procession as it comes up the Long Walk and goes into the castle.
‘When we go here there were quite a few people here already but up the front where we are was surprisingly empty. I think we have the best spot to see history in the making.’
Samantha said: ‘It was an early start but well worth it. We will have a great view but we will have to watch the funeral service itself on our phones as we can’t see the big screens.’
The Mall was a frenzy of activity yesterday, as people arrived to lay flowers nearby, get a glimpse of Buckingham Palace and Horse Guards Parade, and bag their vantage points for the funeral procession as it makes its way from Westminster to Windsor.
Tim Thompson, 35, from New Brunswick in Canada, and Charlie Shirley, 36, from north London, also slept in a tent on the Mall.
The pair became friends after being sat next to each other for William and Kate’s wedding in 2011, and resumed their same spot together on Saturday.
Miss Shirley said: ‘We do all the royal events together, it’s like we’re a family.
‘I saw Tim at the Queen’s Jubilee and we said that the next time we see each other would probably be at the Queen’s funeral – we didn’t expect it to be three months later.’
Mr Thompson said: ‘I keep four days’ holiday a year for royal events, so I had to be here.’
American businesswoman Nicole Alford, 40, paid around £1,300 for a last-minute flight to London on Thursday, and said she would camp out until after the funeral.
She said: ‘You don’t come all this way and then watch it on the TV. I want a front-seat of history.
‘My mom said: ‘I can’t believe you’re doing that.’
‘I said: ‘I can’t believe you didn’t think I would do that.’
‘Everybody thinks I’m crazy, but I managed five-and-a-half hours’ uninterrupted sleep on my first night camping out here, so I’m fine.’
Semi-retired teacher Ian Rhodes, 66, and his wife Sue, 58, from Alton in Staffordshire, arrived at the Mall at 11am yesterday to claim their spot – although they said they would sleep in deckchairs rather than pitch a tent.
Mr Rhodes said: ‘The only other time I’ve queued overnight for anything was when Stoke City got to Wembley for the cup final in 1972, and I waited overnight at the club shop with my friends to get tickets.
‘People have said we’re mad, but sanity is relative.’
Mrs Rhodes said the couple’s two adult sons were a bit concerned about their parents ‘roughing it’ overnight in London, but said: ‘I told them we were going to do it anyway – when has their mother ever done what she was told?’
Paulette Galley, from Boston in Lincolnshire, said she was determined to stay on The Mall overnight.
The 54-year-old kitchen assistant, originally from south London, said: ‘I might not get any sleep but I don’t care. She was my Queen, and I want to pay my respects to her.
‘There is no way I wouldn’t be here.’