ALL eyes are on London for the Queen’s state funeral.
VIPs, dignitaries and mourners will gather in the capital to say a final farewell to our late monarch, who died at Balmoral in Scotland on September 8, aged 96.
Timings
At 10.44am, the Queen’s coffin will be taken to Westminster Abbey by gun carriage.
The funeral service will begin at 11am and last for about an hour.
A procession will then set off at 12.15pm to Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner, arriving at 1pm.
The state hearse and royal family will then travel to Windsor, where a committal service will take place at 4pm in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
A private burial service will take place at 7.30pm.
7.32am
Early on Monday morning, police officers formed a ring of security, blocking off streets surrounding the Royal Hospital Chelsea where foreign heads of state are due to gather to be transported in buses to Westminster Abbey.
The home of the Chelsea pensioners was cut off to the public by uniformed officers and security barriers ahead of the dignitaries’ arrival.
Photographers, television cameras and journalists gathered on the edge of the security ring hoping to catch sight of the bus convoy.
7.25am
The second last person to see the Queen lying in state was Sima Mansouri, 55, originally from Iran, who lives in South Croydon, London.
Her love for the Queen dates back to the 1970s, when her cousin was a flower girl for a royal visit in Tehran.
Ms Mansouri said: “It was a boiling hot day and my poor cousin has got very fair skin, blonde hair and blue eyes.
“The Queen came out of her plane and was more concerned with my cousin burning in the sun than being a royal.”
“She said, ‘Can someone please get this little girl out of the sun?’ Then she kissed her and grabbed the flowers.
“I thought it was amazing.”
7.12am
The last person leaving the Queen’s lying in state at Westminster Hall was Chrissy Heerey, a serving member of the RAF from Melton Mowbray.
She said: “It felt like a real privilege to do that.
“I’d already been round once, I went in at 1.15 this morning.
“It’s one of the highlights of my life and I feel very privileged to be here.”
7.10am
With the lying in state coming to an end, the Queen has finished her final duty in Parliament – an institute she visited frequently during her 70-year reign.
She delivered her first Queen’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament on November 4 1952.
As monarch she only missed three state openings — in 1959 and 1963 when she was pregnant with Andrew, the future Duke of York and Edward, who would become Earl of Wessex and then in May this year as her health faltered.
On that occasion the then-Prince of Wales opened Parliament, a role which will be his by right from now on as King.
6.48am
Prince George and Princess Charlotte will attend the Queen’s state funeral, the order of service has shown.
6.45am
The last people who queued through the night to witness the lying in state left Westminster Hall at 6.30am.
Members of parliamentary staff then followed, with Black Rod Sarah Clarke, 56, the last to walk past the coffin.
6.33am
The Queen’s lying in state at Westminster Hall has ended.
6.11am
Dozens of mourners were prevented in the early hours of Monday from advancing any closer to Westminster Hall by police at the entrance to Victoria Tower Gardens next to Lambeth Bridge.
6.08am
Hundreds of people are still streaming out of Westminster Hall after seeing the Queen lying in state.
They are among the final people to see the Queen’s coffin, with the lying in state expected to finish at 6.30am.
They have been waiting for hours, with the queue closing after 10.30pm on Sunday.
6.05am
How to watch on television
The BBC’s special programming will air from 8am until 5pm on BBC One and iPlayer, with BSL signed coverage on BBC Two.
ITV’s programming will start at 9.30am, and all the day’s programming – from 6am to midnight – will be broadcast simultaneously on the main channel and five digital channels and the ITV Hub, the first time the broadcaster has done so.
6am
The Queen’s funeral service will be conducted by the Dean of Westminster, with the sermon given by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Prime Minister and the Secretary General of the Commonwealth will read lessons, while the Archbishop of York, the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and the Free Churches Moderator will say prayers.
Towards the end of the service, the Last Post will sound, followed by two minutes of silence to be observed in the abbey and around the UK.
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