Latest: Queen’s coffin arrives in Windsor for procession down The Long Walk
Long Walk #LongWalk
All eyes were on London for the Queen’s state funeral.
VIPs, dignitaries and mourners gathered in the capital to say a final farewell to the late monarch, who died at Balmoral in Scotland on September 8 aged 96.
(PA Graphics)
3.38pm
Thousands line The Long Walk at Winsor to watch the ceremonial procession towards Windsor Castle (Aaron Chown/PA)
3.37pm
Dozens of members of staff gathered outside Buckingham Palace to bid farewell to the Queen they served on her final journey.
Palace employees filed out of the royal residence and lined up outside its gates. When the procession reached Buckingham Palace, employees bowed and curtsied.
Buckingham Palace staff stand outside its gates (Christophe Ena/PA)
Many stood with their hands clasped in front of them, with some dressed in black and others wearing uniforms such as chef’s whites with black armbands.
There are a variety of roles within the royal household, spanning from HR and finance professionals to curators and chefs.
3.35pm
Back in London, the Ministry of Defence has shared a striking image of the state gun carriage moving across Horse Guards Parade on its way to Wellington Arch earlier.
The state gun carriage, being pulled by 142 naval ratings across Horse Guards toward the Mall and Wellington Arch (Ministry of Defence/PA)
3.30pm
The crowds fell silent as the state hearse carrying the Queen’s coffin turned into the Long Walk in the final stretch of her journey to Windsor Castle.
The hearse is travelling in procession to St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle via the Long Walk, which is lined by members of the armed forces.
The crowds, made up of people of all ages, who flanked the Long Walk, fell quiet as the sound of drummers in the procession grew louder.
Children were lifted on adults’ shoulders and camera phones were raised in the air as people struggled to get a glimpse of the scene.
3.25pm
The clean-up has already begun in London, with barriers being removed from the roadsides and street sweepers at work.
3.20pm
The congregation in St George’s Chapel stood as His Majesty’s Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms and The King’s Body Guard of the Yeoman of the Guard took up their positions in the nave.
Before that, mourners stood as the Canons of Windsor, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York made their way out to the West Steps.
Soldiers from the Grenadier Guards outside St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle (Kirsty O’Connor/PA)
Among the guests are former prime minister Tony Blair and wife Cherie.
3.20pm
London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted: “I want to thank the hundreds of thousands who came to London today and in the past week to pay their respects to Her Majesty The Queen.
“Countless police officers, emergency service staff, transport workers, volunteers, stewards, military, civil servants, local government, businesses, charities and other agencies have worked tirelessly to make this possible in our city.
“My sincerest thanks to everyone involved.”
3.18pm
Adventurer Bear Grylls, who attended the funeral service in his capacity as Chief Scout, tweeted: “It’s a day we will never forget … a truly beautiful testament to our nation’s Sovereign, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.
“Rest in peace. Your duty done. Long live King Charles…”
3.15pm
Penny Lancaster has described working as a special police constable during the Queen’s funeral as “the biggest honour.”
The TV presenter and former model, who is married to Sir Rod Stewart, was one of the 15,000 police officers working the funeral procession in London on Monday.
Penny Lancaster on duty in London (Isobel Frodsham/PA)
Special Constable Lancaster, who joined City of London Police in April 2021, was on the barriers near Queen Victoria’s Memorial where she made sure the public remained safe during the procession and offered advice to them about exiting the Mall as part of her duties.
3.10pm
The State Hearse carrying the coffin of the Queen drives along Albert Road, Windsor (Niall Carson/PA)
3.05pm
The hearse carrying the Queen has arrived in Windsor, with a procession including a military band forming up for the slow march into the Berkshire town where the monarch spent much of the past few years during lockdown.
A committal service will be held in St George’s Chapel at 4pm.
3pm
As the hearse approached Windsor, the Long Walk to the castle was lined on either side by members of the armed forces standing in front of the well-wishers who had gathered since the early morning.
Three generations of one family had gathered and said they were feeling “emotional” moments before they were due to watch the Queen’s final journey through Windsor.
Ten-year-old Isabelle Dauncey, who was with seven family members, said she cried at home in Maidenhead, Berkshire, before she set off with her parents and grandparents.
She told PA: “I was a bit upset this morning, I cried quite a lot, it’s quite emotional but it’s also a good thing that we can have a King.”
Speaking about seeing the Queen’s final journey, her father, Steve Dauncey, a 36-year-old sales consultant, said: “It’s a great event to celebrate both their reign and an opportunity to see such a diversity of people coming together, united for the same cause of celebration but also mourning – it’s really special.”
2.55pm
The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead says the Berkshire town is very busy as the Queen’s hearse nears.
It said The Long Walk leading to Windsor Castle is now closed as it would not be safe to allow access to any more visitors to view the Queen’s coffin being drive to St George’s Chapel.
Visitors are being redirected to Home Park, where this are big screens.
2.52pm
The Royal Standard has been raised above Windsor Castle, signifying that King Charles has arrived at the royal residence ahead of the committal service for the Queen.
2.50pm
Sonia Cove, a 54-year-old secretary from Bedford, travelled to London with her 16-year-old daughter to watch the Queen’s funeral procession.
She said: “It was amazing, I think the British put on such a show to see all the military personnel marching in step and to hear the music was really moving.
“The amount of people that have been here since really early this morning just shows how much the Queen was loved by everybody.”
When asked why she decided to come and see the funeral procession in person, Ms Cove said: “Our friend that we came with said yesterday ‘on the television you can watch it but you can’t feel it. When you’re here, you feel it’. And that’s the difference.
The royal family looks on as the State Gun Carriage carrying the Queen’s coffin arrives at Wellington Arch (Jane Barlow/PA)
“You can’t get that at home when you’re sitting at home.”
They got on the train at 6.15am on Monday and travelled to London.
Ms Cove said: “Everyone’s been so friendly, we’ve been sharing battery packs for phones and food and sweets and drinks. It’s been a lovely friendly atmosphere.”
Her daughter, Lauren Cove, said: “I can say in loads of years time ‘oh I saw that, oh I went to that’, it’s just nice.”
2.46pm
Members of the armed forces are standing guard outside St James’ Park station to prevent it being overwhelmed by well-wishers making their way home.
Three men in army fatigues prevented passers-by from walking in, while at least five others were seen buying coffee in the Starbucks opposite.
While some mourners appeared frustrated with the disruption, one man picked up his dog to pose for a photograph with a soldier.
2.43pm
Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska said in a tweet it was a “great honour” to be the Queen’s funeral. “She wished us better times and shared our desire for freedom. We will always remember it with deep gratitude,” she said.
2.35pm
Noreen Roberts, who watched the procession in London after losing her friend on the same day the Queen died, said she had imagined them in heaven together after the coffin was borne along The Mall.
Ms Roberts, 63, from Hitchin, Hertfordshire, said she had felt the late monarch’s presence as the cortege passed.
“I definitely felt her presence today. It was nice to feel close to her one last time,” she said.
The Queen’s coffin as it leaves Westminster Abbey (Sarah Meyssonnier/PA)
“For such a little person she had this huge presence.
“I lost my friend on the same day she died and I can imagine the two of them up there at the pearly gates.”
2.27pm
People queued for hours on South Carriage Drive in a bid to see the Queen’s coffin. Many had tried to line the funeral procession route but were unable to gain access.
Jonathan and Heidi Johnson, both 73, from Worthing, stood for four hours to catch a glimpse of the coffin.
Crowds watch the Queen’s funeral procession (David Davies/PA)
Mrs Johnson said: “I felt it was our duty to come. We have had another monarch but she has been our Queen since we were three.
“I have plates with her picture on and have followed her. I thought she was wonderful.”
Mr Johnson added: “She did us proud.”
Colette O’Hart, originally from County Sligo in Ireland, who lives in Pimlico, south London, stood for three hours to try to see the coffin.
The 86-year-old said: “Everyone was very respectful. I wanted to come because she was such a very good woman – always cheerful and a hard worker, even at the very end.”
2.23pm
Former US president Barack Obama has paid tribute to the Queen’s “kindness and consideration” as he recalled his meetings with the monarch.
In a video posted to Twitter, Mr Obama said the first time he met the Queen she reminded him of his grandmother, when she “could not have been more kind or thoughtful” to him and his wife, Michelle.
“Which surprised me not just in appearance but also in manner… (she was) very gracious but also no nonsense, (with a) wry sense of humour,” he said.
On another occasion Mr Obama described, his wife and two daughters were invited to tea at Buckingham Palace and later driven in the Queen’s golden carriage around the grounds – a moment that he said “left a mark in my daughters’ lives that’s still there”.
In another meeting, a state dinner in 2011 at Buckingham Palace, Mr Obama said the Queen was “dressed up quite a bit” which was concerning for Mrs Obama who had selected a “small, modest broach” of “nominal value” as a gift for the Queen.
However the following evening at a dinner at the US Embassy the Queen was wearing the then First Lady’s broach, in a moment Mr Obama said “was an example of the subtle thoughtfulness that she consistently displayed, not just to us but to everybody she interacted with”.
The Queen and then US President Barack Obama at a Buckingham Palace State Banquet (PA)
“The combination of a sense of duty and a clear understanding of her role as a symbol for her nation and as the carrier of a certain set of values, combined with a very human quality of kindness and consideration I think that’s what made her so beloved not just in Great Britain but around the world,” Mr Obama concluded.
2.22pm
Alexandra Cussons, 28, said the crowd in central London watching the procession had been full of mother and daughter pairs, which illustrated the Queen’s importance as a matriarch.
Ms Cussons along with her mother Sheila Martin, both from London, befriended another pair, Clare Ronai and Lister Bolton, in the crowd.
The coffin procession heads down the Mall towards Wellington Arch (Zac Goodwin/PA)
She said she had been brought to tears when the service commenced and was comforted by Ms Ronai, also from London.
“(The Queen) was in a sense an icon for women and mothers,” Ms Cussons said.
Ms Ronai, an account manager, said: “Everything went really quiet when the service started and then when the hymn started you could not only hear the audio from the abbey, but a murmur through the crowd who were singing along, which was incredibly emotional, and I think started the tears for me.
“People were hugging all around us and crying.”
2.20pm
The coffin procession heads down the Mall towards Wellington Arch before the Queen was transferred to a hearse for the drive to Windsor.
(Zac Goodwin/PA)
2.15pm
Dr Caroline Harper, chief executive of the charity Sightsavers, of which the Queen was patron, was inside Westminster Abbey for the funeral.
She told the PA news agency the atmosphere inside was sombre “but also one of community”.
A mourner carrying an order of service (Peter Byrne/PA)
She added: “One of the most special moments was when the Queen arrived accompanied by pipers.
“You could just hear the pipers getting closer and closer. It was an incredible atmosphere, with people bowing their heads. It was very moving.”
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The streets of London were lined with mourners and well-wishers as the hearse made its journey to Windsor.
The State Gun Carriage carrying the Queen’s coffin arrives at Wellington Arch (Jane Barlow/PA)
There appeared to be few gaps along the roadside as the public paid their respects to the late monarch.
2.07pm
Last-minute travellers are continuing to pour out of Windsor and Eton Riverside Station to catch the final journey of the Queen’s coffin through the Berkshire town.
Hundreds of people were flooding out of the station at 2pm, joining the thousands already lining the streets.
2.05pm
Mourners have started to arrive at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, where a committal service will be held at 4pm.
(Kirsty O’Connor/PA)
2.04pm
Three military personnel had to be assisted by colleagues after appearing to get into difficulty by Wellington Arch.
One appeared to collapse to the ground after the royal family had left, while two others were also seen being helped away before and after the transfer of the Queen’s coffin to the state hearse by the monument.
2.02pm
Television presenter Dan Walker has shared a newspaper cartoonist’s drawing of an elderly man watching the Queen’s funeral on the television while glancing at an empty chair beside him.
Walker wrote: “I spoke to a woman on my way into work today still grieving the loss of someone in her own family.
“Today has brought it all back. Funerals are hard. We can all look out for the lonely”
1.59pm
Thousands of mourners clapped and waved Union flags as a marching band paraded down the Long Walk in Windsor.
Dressed in official regalia, the band was led by officials on horseback as they marched from Windsor Castle down the pathway ahead of the Queen’s final journey through Windsor.
Outside the viewing areas, crowds struggled to catch a glimpse of the hearse carrying the Queen’s coffin to Windsor.
Despite requests from security guards, members of the public cut holes in netting, clambered up railings and pressed themselves into holly bushes along the edge of Hyde Park as the funeral cortege passed by.