Guests at the first state funeral since 1965 begin to arrive ahead of the service at 11:00 BST.
Image source, ReutersThe doors of Westminster Abbey have opened ahead of the state funeral of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.
King Charles III will lead a sombre procession behind his mother’s coffin on the short journey from Westminster Hall to the Abbey later.
The first state funeral to be held since Sir Winston Churchill’s in 1965 will begin at 11:00 BST.
It marks the end of 10 days of events across the UK since the Queen’s death.
As London city prepares for as many as one million visitors for the historic occasion, roads and bridges are closed to traffic and an unprecedented security operation is under way.
Before the service begins, the Queen’s coffin will be conveyed in procession through Parliament Square, a distance of about 820ft (250m).
The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex will once more walk side-by-side behind their father, the King, who will walk alongside his siblings, the Queen’s four children.
The State Gun Carriage will carry the coffin, drawn by 142 sailors. A guard of honour will stand in the Square made up of all three military services, accompanied by a Royal Marines band.
The final people to attend the Queen’s lying-in-state paid their respects at Westminster Hall just after 06:30 – after four-and-a-half days and a queue which stretched as far as Southwark Park in south-east London.
Some 2,000 mourners will bid farewell to the Queen at the state funeral, including 500 dignitaries – with presidents, prime ministers and foreign royalty among the guests.
US President Joe Biden, as well as French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska will be at the Abbey.
There will also be members of many European royal families, including Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Denmark, as well as the Emperor and Empress of Japan.
But it will not only be royals and politicians in attendance. About 200 people who were recognised in the Queen’s birthday honours also received invitations.
Knife crime campaigner Natalie Queiroz told BBC Breakfast she was “totally speechless” when she was asked to attend.
“I think it reflects Her Majesty because she wanted to constantly be in touch with her people and even on her final moments she’s made sure that her people are here represented.
“It’s not just heads of state, not just royalty, and I think that represents our Queen – who will be really, really massively missed,” she said.
Barbara Crellin, a volunteer emergency responder, said she “just cried and cried” when she was invited and described herself as “so humbled and privileged to be here”.
Millions of people will be watching the funeral across the country and most workplaces are closed for a bank holiday.
For those not invited big screens have been put up in cities in all four nation’s of the UK, while some cinemas, pubs and other venues are also showing the once-in-a-generation event.
Since taking the throne, the King has visited the four nations of the UK, where he has received condolences and met with politicians and the public at the start of his reign.
