Final day of queen’s lying in state as world leaders gather for funeral

The final day of the Queen Elizabeth II’s lying in state is set to take place in London with a minute’s silence held later to mourn her death.

The late monarch’s coffin will remain in Westminster Hall for the public to view until 6.30am on Monday, ahead of the state funeral in Westminster Abbey.

As of 5am, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) online tracker said the estimated queuing time was at least 12 hours — compared to the peak of more than 25 hours that was seen early on Saturday morning.

Mourners are continuing to join the queue at Southwark Park in south London. The DCMS has warned people they face a wait of at least 13 hours, and the queue is expected to close later on Sunday.

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At 8pm, the country will observe a one-minute silence to remember the queen, with people invited to mark the occasion privately at home, on their doorstep or street, or at community events and vigils.

It will come shortly after the queen consort pays a televised tribute to the late monarch. Camilla, in pre-recorded words on the BBC, will speak of how Queen Elizabeth II was a “solitary woman” in a male-dominated world. She will add: “I can’t remember anyone except the queen being there.”

Prime Minister Liz Truss is to have an audience with King Charles III before attending his reception for visiting heads of state at Buckingham Palace.

The king and queen consort will host world leaders and official overseas guests at the palace, in what the king’s spokesman described as an “official state event”.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin entered Downing Street for a “warm” meeting with Ms Truss at 10am to discuss “many issues in the context of the British-Irish relationship”, before leaving just under an hour later.

The Taoiseach told reporters in London: “I appreciate the opportunity to be here at the funeral accompanying the president to pay our tribute to Queen Elizabeth’s dedicated service to the people of the United Kingdom and of course her contribution to reconciliation on these islands and particularly in terms of the relationship between Britain and Ireland.”

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau met the Ms Truss a few hours later.

The meetings come as world leaders travel to the United Kingdom ahead of Monday’s funeral service.

The funeral will be shown on giant screens in various locations across the United Kingdom, and around 125 cinemas will also be screening the event — along with Sky News, ITV and the BBC for people watching from home.

On Saturday evening, the queen’s eight grandchildren held an evening vigil around their grandmother’s coffin. — PA