World leaders have arrived at Westminster Abbey for 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 shortly.
The abbey’s bell has started to toll once a minute ahead of the service which 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 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.
All public viewing areas for the procession are already full, London’s City Hall said.
Before the service begins, the Queen’s coffin will be conveyed – in the first of three processions throughout the day – 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.
Two of the Queen’s great-grandchildren, Prince George, nine, and Princess Charlotte, seven, will also walk behind the Queen’s coffin.
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 and French President Emmanuel Macron have arrived, while Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska will also 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.
Former prime ministers Theresa May, Tony Blair, David Cameron, Gordon Brown, John Major and Boris Johnson have all entered the historic abbey ahead of the ceremony.
Others who have arrived include Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, the UK’s chief medical adviser Prof Chris Whitty, Wales’ First Minister Mark Drakeford and Northern Ireland’s former first minister Arlene Foster. (BBC)
