Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral is underway in Westminster Abbey.
Hymns sung by the Choir of Westminster Abbey ring through the Abbey as the coffin enters followed by the funeral party led by King Charles III. The Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle MBE.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte walked in between their parents behind the Queen's coffin as part of a solemn procession through Westminster Abbey.
The Dean of Windsor opened the service with the bidding ahead of the first hymn.
He told the congregation: “Here, where Queen Elizabeth was married and crowned, we gather from across the nation, from the Commonwealth, and from the nations of the world, to mourn our loss, to remember her long life of selfless service, and in sure confidence to commit her to the mercy of God our maker and redeemer.”
Prime minister Lizz Truss, gave the second reading from John 14, following Baroness Scotland. She told the congregation: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury hailed the Queen's “abundant life and loving service” as he delivered the sermon at her state funeral, adding: “She was joyful, present to so many, touching a multitude of lives.”
He added: “Few leaders receive the outpouring of love we have seen,” for late monarch.
King Charles led the procession of the Queen’s coffin from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey before the service.
Princes William and Harry joined their father on the short walk over to the cathedral, where 2,000 mourners - including world leaders - have gathered to attend their grandmother’s funeral.
Prince Andrew, Princess Anne and the Earl of Wessex marched alongside the King while Peter Phillips was also behind the quartet.
The procession was made up of 200 musicians from the massed Pipes and Drums of Scottish and Irish Regiments, the Brigade of Gurkhas, and the Royal Air Force. Also in the procession is the late monarch’s son-in-law Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of Gloucester, the Queen’s cousin, and her nephew the Earl of Snowdon.
The Queen’s coffin was carried on the State Gun Carriage, a 123-year-old apparatus towed by 98 Royal Navy sailors in a tradition dating back to the funeral of Queen Victoria. The coffin is draped in the Royal Standard with the orb, sceptre and the Imperial State Crown atop.
The route through Parliament Square, Broad Sanctuary and the Sanctuary was lined by Royal Navy personnel and Royal Marines. The arrival of the sailors pulling the carriage at New Palace Yard at around 10am, was heralded by the sound of their boots tapping loudly on the cobbles.
The Queen’s body has been lying in state since Wednesday evening, with hundreds of thousands of people queuing for hours to pay their respects to the country’s longest-reigning monarch.
New Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark Rowley said the state funeral will be the largest operation in British history. Sir Rowley said the force was supported by officers from “pretty much every force across the country.”
“The number of officers deployed is heading to a point where it will be well beyond the total size of a force like West Midlands or Greater Manchester. It'll be heading into the high numbers of thousands,” the new commissioner said.
King Charles is leading the nation in mourning the death of his mother, who died in Scotland on 8 September.
On the day before the Queen’s state funeral, the new monarch thanked the nation for its messages of support and comfort.
In a statement issued by Buckingham Palace, he said: “Over the last ten days, my wife and I have been so deeply touched by the many messages of condolence and support we have received from this country and across the world.
“In London, Edinburgh, Hillsborough and Cardiff we were moved beyond measure by everyone who took the trouble to come and pay their respects to the lifelong service of my dear mother, the late Queen.
“As we all prepare to say our last farewell, I wanted simply to take this opportunity to say thank you to all those countless people who have been such a support and comfort to my family and myself in this time of grief.”
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