Queen’s coffin to move to St. Giles’ Cathedral; King Charles and Camilla appear at Westminster Hall
Westminster Hall #WestminsterHall
21m ago / 1:04 PM UTC
Historian underlines significance of King Charles’ speech
The new monarch’s address to the British Parliament on Monday was hugely significant because it was the first to happen in a televised era, historian Andrew Roberts told NBC’s “TODAY” show.
“It hasn’t happened for a very long time because, of course, the queen was in Africa when she became queen, and previously the abdication crisis meant that there hadn’t been a death for condolences to be given,” Roberts said. “So this is actually an old ceremony, but one that hasn’t been seen in public before, hasn’t been televised.”
Charles addressed members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords at Westminster Hall in London, the oldest existing building on what’s known as the Parliamentary Estate.
Read more here.
22m ago / 1:03 PM UTC
King Charles arrives in Edinburgh
King Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort were driven along the Royal Mile towards the Palace of Holyroodhouse, in Edinburgh, Scotland on Monday.
Odd Andersen / AFP – Getty Images
The new king also inspected the Guard of Honour as he arrived to attend the Ceremony of the Keys, at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
Peter Byrne / Pool via AP
35m ago / 12:50 PM UTC
Mourner who sought refuge in U.K. as an asylum-seeker says queen ‘helped us’
For one man in the crowd in Edinburgh, the queen held even greater significance than a beloved head of state. For Hardy Gardy, 26, he sees her as being the difference between life and death. He fled Iraqi Kurdistan in 2016, as the Islamic State terrorist group swept the country, and made a perilous journey to the U.K.
He journeyed across Europe on foot and other modes of transport, waiting at the infamous Calais camp in France for seven months before stowing away in the back of a truck and making it across the English Channel.
“It was winter, so it was so cold,” said Gardy, now a barber working in Edinburgh. “I knew it was dangerous to come in the back of the truck but I had no choice.”
Unlike thousands of others, he not only made it into the country, but also navigated its notoriously hard-line immigration system to gain asylum and eventually become a citizen. Whether the queen played a part or not, Gardy still sees her as the figurehead of a country that gave him a new life.
“I am here to see her coffin because she really helped us as asylum-seekers,” said Gardy, sporting a skin fade haircut, AirPods and a black shell suit top. “She was like a mom to us, because she let me stay here in a safe country.”
44m ago / 12:41 PM UTC
Prince Andrew to only wear military uniform during final vigil
As a non-working member of the Royal Family, Prince Andrew will not wear military uniform at ceremonial events during the period of royal mourning, except at a final vigil in Westminster Hall, a spokesperson for the king said.
They said the Duke of York would only wear the uniform as a special mark of respect for the queen at the final vigil.
Working members of the royal family are expected to wear military uniform during all five ceremonial events during the period of mourning, they said.
The queen stripped Andrew of his military titles in January and a statement from the palace at the time said that he would no longer undertake royal duties. The decision came after his lawyers failed to persuade a U.S. judge to dismiss a civil lawsuit that accuses him of sexual abuse.
46m ago / 12:39 PM UTC
Crowds gather in Edinburgh for king’s historic appearance
Crowds gathered in Edinburgh on Monday to watch King Charles’ arrival as the city prepares to mark the queen’s life of service and her death.
Alexander Smith / NBC News
Sam Elias and his partner, Anita Todd, 28, waited to glimpse the king’s historic arrival. Catherine Vost, 69, and Anne Tullo, 62, traveled from nearby Glasgow and arrived more than two hours before the king’s scheduled historic appearance, in Edinburgh on Monday.
Alexander Smith / NBC News
52m ago / 12:34 PM UTC
King Charles arrives at the Palace of Holyroodhouse
EDINBURGH, Scotland — Under bright, hot sunshine and the gaze of police sharpshooters on rooftops, King Charles III arrived at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in his first visit as king in Scotland.
It was not a ceremonial pace, more a brief flypast that seemed to surprise many waiting outside the palace gates, only one of whom had time to shout “God save the king!”
He stopped outside the gates of this palace, which sits under the looming Arthur’s Seat, a craggy hill made from an extinct volcano.
Soon after, the national anthem — new lyrics and all — could be heard faintly over the palace walls.
Some of the crowd tried to join in, but in truth it was hard to hear.
1h ago / 12:24 PM UTC
Former Prime Minister David Cameron pays tribute
The queen helped the many British prime ministers who served in her lifetime by listening to them and asking intelligent questions in her traditional weekly audience with them, former Prime Minister David Cameron said Monday.
“It’s just the most immense privilege really, you’re spending time with someone who was the world’s greatest public servant and one of the greatest diplomats,” he told Savannah Guthrie on NBC’s “TODAY” show.
“She was a good listener, she asked good questions … you came out feeling a foot taller and feeling you were able to solve all these problems.”
Cameron served as prime minister from 2010 to 2016 when he stood down, having led the unsuccessful Remain campaign in the Brexit referendum.
1h ago / 12:08 PM UTC
Mourner talks of ‘great loyalty’ since meeting queen after she took the throne
EDINBURGH, Scotland — Most in the crowd have only ever known the queen’s reign — but not all.
Fiona Meikle, 83, was presented as a debutante at age 13 to the new queen at Holyroodhouse in 1952.
“I had to do a bit of a curtsy, and ever since I have had great loyalty to the queen,” she said.
She was waiting to say goodbye to the monarch she met 70 years ago, waiting with her son, Stewart, 56, and his wife, Alison, 60.
“I have never done anything like this before — I usually scoff at this royalist nonsense,” Stewart Meikle said. “But this is just a bit different, he said, deploying intentional understatement.
And their views on Charles? “Errr…,” his wife hesitated. “Let’s just wait and see how he turns out.”
2h ago / 11:52 AM UTC
King and queen consort land in Edinburgh before royal procession
A plane carrying Britain’s new king and Camilla, the Queen Consort, has landed at Edinburgh Airport.
Charles will lead a royal procession behind his mother’s coffin as it is transported from Holyroodhouse, the queen’s official palace in the Scottish capital, to St. Giles’ Cathedral.
The queen’s body will lie at rest there until Tuesday, before being moved to London.
2h ago / 11:51 AM UTC
U.K. to observe nationwide moment of reflection for the queen Sunday
There will be a nationwide moment of silence to remember the queen at 8 p.m. (3 p.m. ET) Sunday ahead of her funeral next Monday, Prime Minister Liz Truss’ spokesperson has announced.
Around 1,500 military personnel will be on hand to assist in the queueing arrangements as the queen lies in state, the spokesperson said in the same briefing. The queen will lie in state beginning Wednesday until next Monday.
2h ago / 11:17 AM UTC
Indian flag flies at half-staff at the Central Park in Connaught Place, New Delhi 
The Indian flag flies at half-staff in memory of the queen at the Central Park in Connaught Place in New Delhi on Sunday.Manish Swarup / AP
2h ago / 11:02 AM UTC
Australian PM defends 15-day Parliament break after queen’s death
Australia’s prime minister Monday defended a long-standing protocol blocking the nation’s Parliament from sitting for 15 days following the death of a British monarch.
Lawmakers are expected to reconvene Sept. 23 to debate a condolence motion for Queen Elizabeth, which is the earliest date allowed under the obscure protocol, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
With the last British monarch dying in 1952, the Australian protocol is not well-known. Asked who was behind the protocol, Albanese told reporters it had “been in place for a long period of time.”
“I think there is something to be said for a prime minister who follows tradition, who follows protocols and who follows order,” he said. “That is something that I hope to define my prime ministership is respect for those traditions.”
3h ago / 10:51 AM UTC
King Charles returns to Scotland for Edinburgh procession
The king and queen consort have left London for Holyrood in Edinburgh, where they will accompany the queen’s coffin in a procession to St. Giles Cathedral. Their plane took off around 11.30 a.m. (6.30 a.m. ET).
The couple will join other members of the royal family, including Elizabeth’s children and grandchildren, walking behind the queen’s coffin on its route to the cathedral, with the guns of Edinburgh Castle firing every minute throughout. Thousands of people are expected to line the Royal Mile to watch.
Charles’ visit to Edinburgh officially marks the start of his tour of all the four nations of the kingdom: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
A service will be held at that cathedral, where the queen’s coffin will rest for 24 hours, allowing members of the public to file past and pay their respects from 5 p.m. (noon ET). The Scottish government has warned that people could be stood waiting for many hours in “potentially challenging weather conditions.”
3h ago / 10:13 AM UTC
Prince Louis said queen is ‘now with great-grandpa,’ his mom tells public
Prince Louis said the queen was “now with great-grandpa” after learning of her death, his mother told mourners who had gathered in Windsor on Saturday.
“My little Louis, he’s so sweet, he said, ‘Mummy don’t worry, she’s now with great-grandpa’… That just shows you how special she was to everybody, of all generations,” said Kate, the Princess of Wales, according to TikTok footage verified by NBC News.
“Kate was so lovely, kind and concentrated. She was willing to talk to all the public,” Nicole Gumienny, a 16-year-old from Farnborough, England, who was present at the meeting, told NBC News.
“My eyes started watering when she mentioned Prince Louis talking about the queen being with great-grandpa now.”
3h ago / 10:05 AM UTC
King Charles at Westminster Hall, where he addressed lawmakers 
King Charles III arrives in Westminster Hall at Houses of Parliament on Monday.John Sibley / WPA Pool via Getty Images
3h ago / 9:59 AM UTC
Order of Service for Thanksgiving service at St Giles’ Cathedral
The thanksgiving service to be held for the life of the queen at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh on Monday will be preceded by hymns including “Thou knowest Lord the secrets of our hearts” and “Salvator mundi.”
Singer Karen Matheson will sing a psalm in Gaelic and readings will be made by the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, Most Rev. Leo Cushley and Most Rev Mark Strange, Bishop of Moray, Ross & Caithness, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church.
Prayers will be also read by Morag Mylne, an Elder of the Church of Scotland, and Samuel Nwokoro, a Commonwealth student from Nigeria.
The service will be sung by the cathedral’s choir conducted by the Master of the Music Michael Harris, and the organ will be played by Jordan English. The service will conclude with the national anthem “God Save the King.”
4h ago / 9:49 AM UTC
King Charles says he is ‘resolved’ to follow queen’s ‘example of selfless duty’
King Charles addressed parliament on Monday, saying he was “resolved” to follow his mother’s “example of selfless duty.”
Britain’s new monarch said he was “deeply grateful” for condolences received by lawmakers following his mother’s death. He said the messages of sympathy “so touchingly encompass what our late sovereign, my beloved mother, the queen, meant to us all.”
Of his mother, Charles said: “While very young, her late majesty pledged herself to serve her country and her people and to maintain the precious principles of constitutional government, which lie at the heart of our nation.”
“This vow she kept with unsurpassed devotion,” he said. “She set an example of selfless duty, which … I am resolved faithfully to follow.”
4h ago / 9:34 AM UTC
King and Queen Consort arrive at Westminster Hall
King Charles and the Queen Consort have arrived at Westminster Hall, where the monarch is expected to address parliament.
They will hear messages of condolences from Britain’s prime minister and other politicians.
King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort take part in an address in Westminster Hall on Monday in London.Dan Kitwood / Getty Images
4h ago / 9:18 AM UTC
Yeomen of the Guard arrive at Houses of Parliament 
Yeomen of the Guard arrive at Houses of Parliament on Monday in London, England. Dan Kitwood / Getty Images
4h ago / 9:06 AM UTC
Westminster Hall lends historic significance to Charles’ speech
In one of the main events for today, Charles and Camilla will visit Westminster Hall at 10 a.m. local time (5 a.m. ET) to receive condolences from Prime Minister Liz Truss, as well as members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Charles will then deliver a speech to Parliament.
Westminster Hall is home to both Houses of Parliament and was built in 1097, making it the oldest existing building on what’s known as the Parliamentary Estate. The building was originally part of the Palace of Westminster, which served as the main residence for the English monarch until the reign of King Henry VIII.
The majority of the palace was lost to a fire in 1834, but the hall was spared thanks to the work of firefighters and the changing of the direction of the wind that night. The palace was also hit by bombs twice during World War II, but the hall survived.
The queen’s coffin will move on Wednesday from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, where she will lie in state until her funeral on Monday. The hall will remain open for 24 hours during that time so that the public can pay their respects.
King Edward VII was the first monarch to lie in state there. After her death in 2002, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, was the most recent royal to do so. Prince Philip requested to not be given a state funeral.
4h ago / 9:01 AM UTC
Royal Parks ban mourners from bringing gifts, teddy bears
Mourners hoping to pay tribute to the queen will not be able to do so with gifts such as teddy bears and balloons, according to the Royal Parks, the charity that manages royal parklands in London.
Tributes to the queen that are not flowers will not be allowed at Green Park next to Buckingham Palace, the authority announced on its website. Cards and labels, meanwhile, will be permitted but will be periodically cleared away.
The lighting of candles for the queen will also not be permitted.
4h ago / 8:59 AM UTC
Burj Khalifa lit up with portrait of queen
The Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, was lit up Sunday night with a portrait of the queen superimposed onto the British Union Jack national flag.
A portrait of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom superimposed with the British Union Jack national flag is projected upon the Burj Khalifa in the Gulf emirate of Dubai on Sunday, in remembrance of the late monarch who died days earlier.RYAN LIM / AFP – Getty Images
5h ago / 8:47 AM UTC
Brazil’s Bolsonaro to attend queen’s funeral
Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro has accepted his invitation to attend the queen’s funeral next week.
Bolsonaro will join other world leaders in London for the proceedings on September 19.
5h ago / 8:42 AM UTC
Prince Harry releases statement in memory of his ‘Granny’
Prince Harry released a statement Monday celebrating the life of his grandmother and honoring her “unwavering grace and dignity.”
“In celebrating the life of my grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen — and in mourning her loss — we are all reminded of the guiding compass she was to so many in her commitment to service and duty,” he said.
“Granny, while this final parting brings us great sadness, I am forever grateful for all of our first meetings — from my earliest childhood memories with you, to meeting you for the first time as my Commander-in-Chief, to the first moment you met my darling wife and hugged your beloved great grandchildren,” the statement later continued. “I cherish these times shared with you, and the many other special moments in between.”
“You are already sorely missed, not just by us, but by the world over. And as it comes to first meetings, we now honour my father in his new role as King Charles III.”
“Thank you for your commitment to service.
Thank you for your sound advice.
Thank you for your infectious smile.
We, too, smile knowing that you and grandpa are reunited now, and both together in peace.”
5h ago / 8:27 AM UTC
Clarence House social media accounts retired
The Clarence House social media accounts for King Charles and the queen consort have been retired.
Social media pages for Clarence House, the London residence of the now-former Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, were updated with the message: “This account is no longer being updated.
“Please follow @theroyalfamily for updates on His Majesty King Charles III and Her Majesty The Queen Consort.”
The Clarence House Twitter account had around 1.1 million followers as of early Monday morning, while the Instagram page had around 1.7 million followers.
5h ago / 8:16 AM UTC
New Zealand PM say country has no immediate plans to become a republic
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said her government will not discuss plans to remove the British monarch as her country’s head of state following the death of the queen.
“This is a large, significant debate. I don’t think it’s one that would or should occur quickly,” Ardern said on Monday.
The prime minister, however, said she believed New Zealand would eventually become a republic, perhaps in her lifetime, but said there are other more pressing issues to be considered for the time being.
Ardern will join other world leaders this week to attend the queen’s funeral.
5h ago / 8:02 AM UTC
Queen’s subjects will get final chance to pay respects at Palace of Westminster
The general public will have their chance to pay respects to Queen Elizabeth, with a round-the-clock operation that will allow mourners to file past the queen’s closed coffin.
The queen’s subjects and well-wishers will be able to walk past the raised platform to glimpse her casket inside Westminster Hall in the Palace of Westminster from 5 p.m. BST Wednesday until 6:30 a.m. a week from Monday, the government announced Sunday.
However, officials have warned that the process could be physically taxing on mourners.
“You will need to stand for many hours, possibly overnight, with very little opportunity to sit down as the queue will be continuously moving,” a government statement said.
Larger bags, food and food containers will be strictly prohibited once mourners reach the Palace of Westminster, where they will be subjected to “airport-style” security screening, officials said.
5h ago / 8:02 AM UTC
On Monday, Scotland celebrates the life of the queen
Monday is an opportunity for the people of Scotland to celebrate the life of Queen Elizabeth II before her coffin heads back to London for national viewing ahead of her funeral Monday, Sept. 19.
Her coffin will travel in a procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh. At 3 p.m. local time (10 a.m. ET) the cathedral will host a service service of prayer and reflection.
The queen will lie in rest at St Giles’ Cathedral through Tuesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the king and the queen consort will appear at London’s Westminster Hall, where both houses of Parliament will meet to express condolences.
The pair will then travel by air to Edinburgh and Holyroodhouse, then on to the cathedral service.
Later, the king was expected to meet the Scottish government officials before receiving a motion of condolence from lawmakers.
Monday evening, the king will participate in a vigil at St. Giles. Other members of the royal family were expected to attend.