Yahoo News Queen funeral latest: All public viewing areas now full - watch live
Queen Elizabeth's funeral ceremony begins at 11am
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All public viewing areas for the Queen's funeral procession are full and people are being diverted to the big screen in Hyde Park.
In a statement, City Hall said: "All procession viewing areas are now full. There is no entry to any new arrivals.
"Please follow the advice of stewards and police. If you are in the area or about to arrive, use the dedicated walking route to Hyde Park to watch Her Majesty The Queen's state funeral and procession."
The Royal family, including Prince George and Princess Charlotte, will be among the 2,000 people gathered at Westminster Abbey to remember the late monarch on Monday morning, before a committal service at Windsor Castle.
The service will begin at 11am.
Follow for live updates.
10:00 AM
Danish and Spanish contingent arrive in Chelsea
A Danish and Spanish contingent arrived in Chelsea in a convoy at 9.45am.
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, who is now Europe's longest reigning monarch, and King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain, are expected to attend.
The Spanish royals waved as they passed by the small crowd of members of the public and media gathered on the pavement.
09:59 AM
Yeomen of the Guard
09:58 AM
Master tailor talks to Telegraph
Corporal William Morrison, the master tailor said the "main thing we've been doing is fitting out all of the officers that are in the vigil for her majesty's coffin because they're sort of coming from everywhere, having not been based here.", writes Catherine Lough.
"They have gold belts to make sure their medal loops are on, make sure the gold that's hanging from their shoulder boards are sewn on correctly," he said, adding preparations for the team of four had taken over ninety hours over the last week.
Of the other three, they are on the parade themselves which has meant "self-sacrifice" on his part doing some of the work solo.
"For me, medals falling off, would be a bit of a nightmare considering that they're also very valuable and very personal to the individual, so that wouldn't be great," he said, adding that he used "very very strong thread" to stop this happening.
He had served in Afghanistan before becoming a tailor for the last seven years following a back injury from weight-lifting and riding. "I tried my hand at tailoring when the space became available and actually really enjoyed it".
09:57 AM
Big Ben will bong, Parliament insist
Big Ben will sound during the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, Parliament's authorities have insisted, after the Great Bell failed to ring on Sunday night for the minute's silence for the late Monarch, writes Christopher Hope.
The Great Bell is due to play a major part in today's proceedings, tolling 96 times to mark the former sovereign's age.
Big Ben had been meant to toll to mark the beginning of the National Moment of Reflection at 8pm on Sunday and the bell was supposed to strike once to mark the start of the minute's silence and once more at 8.01pm to mark its end.
09:54 AM
Strong military presence on Constitution Hill
There is a strong presence of former military personnel among the crowds of mourners on Constitution Hill, outside Buckingham Palace, writes Henry Bodkin.
Among them was 25-year Royal Navy veteran Dave Mills, who served in the Falklands and first Gulf wars. He was brimming with pride His son Tim, who followed his father into the Navy, will be marching alongside the Queen's coffin later this morning.
As Chief of Parade Staff, Portsmouth, he has been responsible for training the gun carriage detachment ahead of the big day.
"I just spoke to him 10 minutes ago," said Mr Mills, 66, his chest festooned with medals. "I think there are a few nerves, but I'm extremely proud of him. He's got the best job here. He's been training for this moment for five years. He left Portsmouth at 1am this morning. "
09:53 AM
Grenadier Guards rehearsing in Victoria Barracks
The band of the Grenadier Guards are busy rehearsing in Victoria Barracks, Windsor today, Defence Editor Danielle Sheridan writes.
They will be playing as part of the procession along the Long Walk later this afternoon.
09:52 AM
Penny Mordaunt arrives
Christopher Hope is outside the Abbey:
Buses six, seven and eight have arrived outside Westminster Abbey. One contained Cop 26 minister Alok Sharma and Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt.
Two contained diplomats including two representatives from the Vatican City.
09:51 AM
Queen's son arrives
The Queen's son, food critic Tom Parker-Bowles, has arrived at Westminster Abbey for the Queen's state funeral.
Carole and Michael Middleton, parents of the Princess of Wales, are also among the invited guests to have arrived at the church.
Meanwhile Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer arrived at Westminster Abbey shortly before 9.40am, shortly before London Mayor Sadiq Khan and his wife Saadiya.
09:48 AM
Bell begins to toll
Westminster Abbey's tenor bell has started to toll once per minute for 96 minutes in a nod to the years of the Queen's life.
"The tenor bell is the largest of the Abbey's ten bells and is traditionally tolled upon the death of a member of the Royal Family," the Abbey's Twitter account posted.
09:47 AM
Jordanian and Swedish dignitaries arrive
Diplomatic cars belonging to Jordan and Sweden drove through the police cordon in Chelsea at 9.30am.
King Abdullah II and Queen Rania, of Jordan, and King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden are among foreign royals to attend.
09:46 AM
Organ music echoes around Abbey
The catafalque in the Abbey where the Queen's coffin will rest was covered with a dusky blue fabric with a subtle pattern of flowers and birds. The cloth is reserved only for state funerals.
Organ music echoed around as guests chatted to one another, holding their pristine orders of service, which were printed with a royal coat of arms on the front.
Read more about the music at the service here.
09:44 AM
Guests take their seats
09:41 AM
King Philippe of Belgium arrives
King Philippe of Belgium and his wife Queen Mathilde arrived in Chelsea in a diplomatic vehicle ahead of the funeral.
The King was dressed in ceremonial uniform with a gold collar.
09:37 AM
Parliament 'almost entirely locked down'
Ben Riley-Smith, Political Editor, writes from Parliament:
Parliament is almost entirely locked down this morning as tight security measures are adopted for the day of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
Those who usually work on the estate have been urged to stay away, with parliamentary staffers getting blocked from entering by policemen.
This morning the late Queen’s coffin will be processed from Westminster Hall along the short distance across Parliament Square to Westminster Abbey.
There are a number of positions in Parliament that would overlook the route, but access has been closed off ahead of the day’s commemorations.
Whitehall has similarly been disrupted, with barriers covering the streets to funnel visitors who have come to catch a glimpse of proceedings.
09:33 AM
Scene at The Mall
09:32 AM
Police leave posts on The Mall to applause
Police briefly left their posts at the barriers of The Mall and began to walk down the route towards Trafalgar Square.
As they walked in formation, the crowds cheered and applauded them.
09:25 AM
Sir Keir Starmer: 'When the nation gets the chance, it comes together'
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said the funeral of the Queen will be a day for reflection and respect. Speaking ahead of the service at Westminster Abbey, Sir Keir told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "I think today will be about reflection and deep respect. The whole world I think will be wanting to pay their respects."
Sir Keir said he believed the events of the past 10 days would help bring people together. He said: "The public have been incredible - to see those queues, to see people everywhere across London. It showed the United Kingdom for what it really is, this fantastic country able to convene and bring people together."
He added: "In politics recently we have spent so much of our time on the divisive, the divisions, and actually, you know what, when the nations gets the chance it comes together. In the last 10 days that has been incredible."
09:22 AM
Abbey's falcon patrols church
As the bulk of the congregation filled the seats, there was buzz of chatter and excitement ahead of the solemn occasion. An hour or so before the start of the service, the Abbey's Falconer carried his Harris falcon, Rufus, though one of the side rooms.
The 15-year-old hooded bird has been patrolling the church since Thursday in a bid to control the number of pigeons for fear they could disrupt the device.
Falconer Wayne Davis from Corby Northamptonshire who has been helping the abbey since 1998 said: "It's surreal. I've never witnessed anything like this. I've been involved in the Olympics, Wimbledon but this is different. We've been proactive. I've been up in the roof controlling the pigeons. He usually has bells on but they're too noisy so I've had to take me them off today."
09:19 AM
Funeral flowers feature myrtle - same as used in Queen's wedding bouquet
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.
09:19 AM
Stunning shot from inside Westminster Abbey
09:17 AM
Key timings for this morning
10.35am: Bearer party of Queen’s Company, 1st Bn Grenadier Guards lifts coffin from catafalque and places it on state gun carriage first used for funeral of Queen Victoria
10.44am: Coffin, drawn by 142 Royal Naval Ratings, begins short journey to Westminster Abbey, with members of the Royal family following on foot
10.52am: Coffin arrives at West Gate of Westminster Abbey, where it is carried inside for the State Funeral and placed on a catafalque
11.00am: Funeral service begins
11.55am: Last Post is sounded in Westminster Abbey followed by national two minutes’ silence
12pm: State funeral service ends with a lament played by the Queen’s Piper
09:15 AM
All public viewing areas already full
All public viewing areas for the Queen's funeral procession are full, London's City Hall said.
London's City Hall said public viewing areas for the procession of the Queen's coffin from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch are full.
A statement on Twitter said: "All procession viewing areas are now full. There is no entry to any new arrivals.
"Please follow the advice of stewards and police. If you are in the area or about to arrive, use the dedicated walking route to Hyde Park to watch Her Majesty The Queen's state funeral and procession."
09:15 AM
Middletons arrive by bus
Christopher Hope is outside Westminster Abbey
The mother of the future Queen has arrived by bus.
Carole and Michael Middleton - parents of the Princess of Wales - have just arrived in the fifth bus to pull up outside the Great West door of Westminster Abbey.
Other guests on the bus containing 50 guests including dozens of people who looked like Lords Lieutenants with their partners, included Tom Parker-Bowles, the son of Camila, the Queen.
09:12 AM
Order of service in full
Guests are filing into Westminster Abbey ahead of the state funeral today.
The service is conducted by The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle MBE, Dean of Westminster.
The service is sung by the Choir of Westminster Abbey and the Choir of the Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace, (Joseph McHardy, Director of Music) under the direction of James O’Donnell, Organist and Master of the Choristers, Westminster Abbey.
Before the service, the tenor bell is tolled every minute for 96 minutes, reflecting the years of Queen Elizabeth II’s life.
09:11 AM
Artist who painted Queen in 2013 remembers 'incessantly chatty' monarch
An artist who painted a portrait of the late Queen in 2013 (below) has set his easel up at the foot of the Wellington Arch. Dan Llywelyn Hall spent a “memorable” day with Her Majesty, writes Eleanor Steafel.
“She was incessantly chatty. I was sent in there with a job to disarm her and find the human behind this public figure we all know.
“In a split second there was one moment when… it was like a divine intervention thing, she made this gesture with her hand. She was twiddling her rings which is a well known thing in a lot of the portraits.
“It was this idea of oath and diving right that got my attention.”
Mr Llywelyn Hall, along with fellow artist Simon Paige have been here since 6am painting, hoping to commemorate the moment the funeral procession pauses by the arch - it’s here the Royal family will watch as the Queen's coffin is transferred to the new state hearse, before it begins its journey to Windsor Castle.
The pair spent the night in the park, painting haunting pictures of the piles of flowers.
“It was like a vigil for these pyres of flowers, says Llywelyn Hall. “We were like ghosts walking through them.”
“It had a magical feel to it,” adds Paige. “It was quite quiet. It felt very much like that silence before something was about to happen.
“At the moment it’s full of anticipation. But last night there was a presence, there was a sense of something. I could have spent a lot of time there.”
09:09 AM
Italian president among last to arrive in Chelsea
The Italian president Sergio Mattarella was among the last to arrive in Chelsea in a chauffeur-driven Maserati with the number plate ITA 1.
Meanwhile, a crowd of onlookers had gathered on the pavement to spot the heads of state assembling.
09:07 AM
Northern Ireland service taking place
A service of remembrance is taking place at Royal Hillsborough Fort in Co Down ahead of the funeral of the Queen.
The service features the Hillsborough Fort Guard, a ceremonial unit of warders dressed in navy tunics and white breeches.
Bugler Andrew Carlisle, who wears a scarlet tunic, sounded the call to begin the ceremony.
The Co Down village is home to Hillsborough Castle, the royal residence in Northern Ireland, and has been the focus of much of the outpouring of grief in the region since the death of the Queen.
Tens of thousands of people have visited Royal Hillsborough in the last 10 days, with many leaving floral tributes at the front of the castle gates.
A large screen has been erected on the lawn of St Malachy's Parish Church where people will gather later to watch the funeral live.
09:07 AM
Cabinet members arrive
09:03 AM
Half of Cabinet arrive for service
Christopher Hope is outside Westminster Abbey:
Half of the Cabinet have just arrived in two buses including Wendy Morton, James Cleverly, Chris Heaton-Harris, Kit Malhouse and Kwasi Kwarteng. Alister Jack, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Robert Buckland and Jake Berry are all wearing top hats.
Mr Jack had a long chat with the Dean of Westminster Abbey at the Great West door.
It says something about the magnitude of the occasion that these ministers - all important and busy people in their own right - have arrived two hours early.
None of the Cabinet ministers have been allowed to bring their partners unlike the Lords Lieutenant, who have been asked to bring a "plus one".
09:03 AM
Where will the senior Royal family members be sitting?
The King and the Queen Consort will be sitting in the ornate Canada Club chairs, with Camilla next to the Princess Royal, then Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, then the Duke of York and then the Earl and Countess of Wessex in the front row of the south lantern.
Across the aisle will be the Prince of Wales, the Princess of Wales, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, and then Peter Phillips and Zara and Mike Tindall.
Directly behind the King will be the Duke of Sussex with the Duchess of Sussex behind Camilla. Meghan will be sitting next to Princess Beatrice.
US President Joe Biden will be 14 rows back on the south transept behind the Polish leader and in front of the Czech Republic. The First Lady will be next to Switzerland. Directly across the aisle from Mr Biden's place the seat was labelled the Republic of Korea.
In the front of the south transept will be Realms governors general and then commonwealth counties followed by other nations including the US.
08:53 AM
Thousands line The Mall
Along The Mall, thousands of people have already lined the route along the barriers ahead of the procession later on.
Near the Queen Victoria memorial, two people have draped Union flags over the barrier.
Police officers are stationed at points at the barriers all around the memorial while security staff are manning crossing points for media.
At 8.20am, security allowed members of the public through to the barriers on the anti-clockwise section of the memorial before they plan to shut down The Mall at 9am.
People were seen rushing to get a spot on the barriers, some carrying camping chairs, with the majority dressed in black.
08:49 AM
Train disruption this morning
Mourners hoping to travel to the Queen’s funeral faced more than an hour's worth of disruption this morning after all trains between Paddington and Slough were cancelled, writes Dominic Penna.
Damage to overhead electric wires meant cancellations and delays of up to two hours, with travellers warned to expect delays up until 10am.
Slough is a change point between Paddington and Windsor and Eton Central – one of two overland stations serving Windsor Castle. Great Western Railway (GWR) confirmed anyone who missed their train due to overcrowding would be able to travel on the next service.
GWR apologised to customers in a further statement, adding: "We are very sorry for the disruption this morning, and are working hard to get services running as soon as possible."
08:49 AM
Duke of Sussex told of late Queen’s death five minutes before public announcement
King Charles told the Duke of Sussex that the Queen had died five minutes before Buckingham Palace released the official announcement, The Telegraph can reveal.
Prince Harry received a call from his father when he was mid-air, shortly before landing in Aberdeen. By the time his plane touched down, the world had been told that the Queen had died.
A royal source insisted that the Duke was not treated differently from any other member of the family, and that the King was not in regular contact with anyone during the course of what was a very difficult day.
Victoria Ward has the full story.
08:48 AM
Queen’s funeral guest list
Nearly 500 dignitaries from around the world will pay their last respects to Queen Elizabeth II at a full state funeral at Westminster Abbey today.
They will join members of the Royal family, UK prime ministers past and present, and key figures from public life in one of the largest diplomatic moments of the century.
So, who can we expect to see? We have all the details here.
08:47 AM
Who will walk behind the coffin?
Queen Elizabeth II's funeral is set to be one of the grandest events in living memory.
But while the ceremony itself will be spectacular today, the pomp and splendour remembering and celebrating her late Majesty will continue outside Westminster Abbey too.
A full display of military and Royal family members will give the late monarch a final farewell from London ahead of her burial in Windsor.
Here's what we can expect from the final funeral procession.
08:45 AM
How to watch the Queen's funeral today
Broadcasters have cleared their schedules for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, which is expected to become the most watched event in television history.
For those who would prefer to observe the ceremony in a communal atmosphere, venues across the country are opening their doors and big screens have been erected.
The service will be live streamed with expert commentary on The Telegraph website.
While the public will be able to follow the funeral procession, only invited guests will be allowed inside the service itself.
Anyone wishing to watch the event will be able to follow the ceremony on television - and we have all the details you need to know.
08:44 AM
Everything we know about the funeral schedule
Britain's longest serving monarch will be honoured with a full state funeral at Westminster Abbey today, featuring every element of pomp with personal touches from her late Majesty.
Here is everything we know about what will happen and when.
08:43 AM
Queen Elizabeth II to be laid to rest alongside her beloved Prince Philip
The day has come when Queen Elizabeth II will be laid to rest alongside her beloved Prince Philip.
Following a full state funeral at Westminster Abbey at 11am, Her Majesty will be buried alongside her "strength and stay", the late Duke of Edinburgh.
Close family members will attend this private burial service in the King George VI Memorial Chapel at Windsor at 7.30pm tonight, marking the end of a ten-day national period of mourning.
Over the past four days, hundreds of thousands of people waited patiently for up to 24 hours in a queue stretching over five miles for the chance to file past the monarch's coffin as it lay in state at Westminster Hall.
Last night Joe Biden, the US president, was among foreign dignitaries who paid their respects to the former head of state before attending a reception at Buckingham Palace, hosted by the King.
Today, over a million mourners are expected to gather in central London to bid a final farewell to the Queen, who celebrated 70 years on the throne this year.
NHS doctors and nurses will be given the honour of walking in front of her coffin in what Buckingham Palace described as a “fitting tribute to an extraordinary reign”.
Planned in line with the late Queen’s wishes, the state funeral will see members of the public join royalty, heads of state, and the might of the military for an event that the Palace hopes will “unite people across the globe”.
The series of processions and three services will see the late Queen commemorated as “head of state, head of nation and head of family” before, finally, she is buried in a private ceremony alongside her beloved Prince Philip.
Last night the King issued a message of thanks to the nation, "as we all prepare to say our last farewell" to the late Queen.
He offered his gratitude to "all those countless people who have been such a support and comfort to my Family and myself in this time of grief".
The King said he and the Queen Consort were "deeply touched" by the many messages they had received from around the world, and "moved beyond measure" by those who turned out to pay their respects throughout the UK to "my dear mother".
