That's it from me for tonight. Here's a summary of today's key events:
King Charles, accompanied by his siblings, the Princess Royal, the Duke of Wessex and the Duke of York, led a vigil beside their mother’s coffin.
A minute’s silence was observed at the first Premier League games since the death of the Queen, after games were postponed last week.
The new King was booed by anti-monarchy protesters in Cardiff.
Members of the public continued to queue for up to 24 hours to pay their respects to the late Queen. Mourners included former England football captain David Beckham, who – it is believed – waited in line for 13 hours.
Updated
Waiting time down from 22 hours to 19.5
The wait time to see the Queen’s coffin is now at least 19.5 hours, according to the government tracker (down from 22 hours). Entry to the queue is now at Southwark park. The tracker is also warning of cold temperatures.
Updated
Prime minister Liz Truss will meet with a number of world leaders including US president Joe Biden, Irish taoiseach Micheál Martin and Canadian premier Justin Trudeau when they visit Britain for the Queen’s funeral.
A No 10 spokesperson said Truss will meet privately with Anthony Albanese and Jacinda Ardern, the premiers of Australia and New Zealand, at the government’s Chevening country residence on Saturday.
(Chevening, which Truss had as a retreat when she was foreign secretary, is being used rather than Chequers, as the prime ministerial country residence is undergoing maintenance.)
Updated
This was a little earlier, when Charles – visiting Wales – was heckled on the cost of “his parade”.
Updated
Updated
As mentioned below earlier (see 8:08pm) football paid tribute to the Queen before kickoffs tonight in the Premier League and Women’s Super League.
One of the minutes’ silence was at Villa Park, home to Aston Villa, before their game against Southampton. It followed a singing of the national anthem by Laura Wright, which was backed loudly by both sets of fans.
Aston Villa and Southampton hold a minute of silence to mark the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. pic.twitter.com/w5Wu1vW76k
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 16, 2022
Updated
People will be able to join the accessible queue to see the Queen’s coffin from midday tomorrow, after it was halted earlier on Friday evening.
It was set up for people who need additional assistance in attending the lying in state in Westminster Hall, including for those who have mobility issues.
The accessible queue is paused and will resume at midday tomorrow
— Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (@DCMS) September 16, 2022
All entry slots have been allocated up until this time, when more will be made available
For everyone's comfort, please do not attempt to join the accessible queue before midday tomorrow pic.twitter.com/zwwGB46wJK
Tributes to the Queen before Friday night football fixtures
Updated
After three strikes on the ground indicating the end of the vigil, the Queen’s children step off the platform holding the catafalque. In the end it lasted just shy of the 15 minutes expected.
King Charles leads his siblings away, followed by Princess Anne and Prince Edward, followed by Prince Andrew, all dressed in military uniform.
The public continue to file past. A similar vigil will take place on Saturday night, featuring the Queen’s grandchildren. The wait continues to stand at at least 22 hours.
The Queen’s grandchildren Eugenie and Beatrice can be seen on the balcony to the side in Westminster Hall, along with their cousins, Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips.
Tindall is standing alongside her husband, former rugby player Mike, with their children Mia and Lena.
The King’s wife, Camilla, the Queen Consort looks on. Also present are the Duke of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent.
Updated
Queen's children begin vigil in Westminster Hall
The King leads out his siblings. He’s followed by the Princess Royal, the Duke of Wessex and the Duke of York, all in military dress.
Members of the public who were due to file out have paused in the exit of Westminster Hall to get a glimpse as the royals walk towards the catafalque holding their mother, the Queen’s coffin.
Charles pauses at the edge of the stage, near the head of the coffin which has the imperial crown on top of it.
The royals then step on to the platform, towards the catafalque, pause, and turn around to face outwards. Charles in particular, understandably, looks emotional.
Members of the public continue to file past, paying their respects.
Updated
Members of the wider family are gathered on a raised platform on the side of Westminster Hall, and are currently looking over members of the public that are filing past the Queen’s coffin.
Those on the outer edge of the catafalque include the Yeoman of the Guard and the Welsh Guard.
A reminder that this ceremony did not take place the last time the monarch died, George VI in 1952, as there were no male heirs and it was a male-only ceremony until this year, when Princess Anne has taken part.
Updated
The King has just been seen arriving at Westminster Hall after leaving Buckingham Palace, his car being cheered by crowds as it drove past.
The vigil is now expected to begin at closer to 7.45pm.
Updated
We’re just waiting for King Charles and his siblings to begin the vigil over the Queen’s coffin in Westminster Hall, which will begin shortly.
He, along with Prince Andrew, Princess Anne and Prince Edward will stand guard at the catafalque from about 7:30pm for 15 minutes.
In a ceremony known as the vigil of the princes, the Queen’s children will stand at each corner of the coffin.
The tradition only started with George V when he died in 1936, according to Sky News.
The guard has just changed around the coffin, which suggests that the royals are not far away.
It will repeat a ceremony they enacted on Monday, where they stood watch as her coffin lay at rest in St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh.
Updated
Accessible queue to see Queen's coffin shuts as main queue wait time drops to 22 hours
There are problems for people who are looking to join the accessible queue, which was set up for people who have health conditions that mean they need help attending the lying in state.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has said that it is at capacity for today, and wristbands are not being given out at the moment. It has warned against people trying to join that line to see the Queen’s coffin until it reopens.
Meanwhile for people in the main queue that still is trailing in to Southwark Park five miles away from Westminster Hall, there’s some good news as the wait time has been revised downwards to a mere 22 hours. The queue tracker can be watched online here.
The accessible queue is at capacity for today and entry for allocation of wristbands is currently paused
— Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (@DCMS) September 16, 2022
Those with wristbands and entry times will still be able to view the Lying-in-State
Please do not attempt to join until it resumes
Check back for further updates pic.twitter.com/rrpqTlvwyu
Updated
New Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has spoken to ITV after arriving in the UK for the Queen’s funeral. She has already been seen paying her respects to the Queen’s coffin during the lying in state on Friday.
Ardern said she felt privileged to have the Queen to look up to as a female leader.
She added: “In New Zealand’s case having not one but two female prime ministers that have gone before me, I’ve said before there was nothing ever that suggested to me that I couldn’t be a woman in leadership because I was a woman.
“I do put that down collectively to the fact that with all those role models around me, some at further distance than others, but nonetheless role models.”
'I feel very lucky that I have grown up never knowing anything other than a Queen'
— ITV News (@itvnews) September 16, 2022
New Zealand's PM Jacinda Ardern tells @nightingaleitv no-one could ever tell her she couldn't be a woman in power because she'd grown up with the Queen as a role modelhttps://t.co/57Jr2fNFaA pic.twitter.com/uvygOtzO9r
Updated
King Charles is “concerned” about how people will manage what is going to be a “difficult winter”, according to Wales’s first minister, Mark Drakeford.
Drakeford met Charles at the Welsh parliament in Cardiff Bay on Friday lunchtime, after a session where he gave his condolences to the new monarch and Charles’ addressed parliamentarians (see 1.09pm).
The first minister told Talk TV: “The King has always had a very direct interest in the things that are happening in contemporary Wales, the future of our agriculture, the impact of climate change. He mentioned the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and how that will impact on people here in Wales.”
He added: “He [Charles] is concerned as to how people will manage through what is going to be a difficult winter.
“He was interested to tell me about some of the projects that he has heard of, or become involved in dealing, for example, with food waste, making sure that we don’t waste a precious resource when some people might be going without.
“Interested, as always, in renewable energy generation here in Wales, and how it might play a bigger part in future energy security.”
Updated
Details are continuing to emerge on some of the people that will be among the 2,000 guests attending the Queen’s funeral on Monday.
Seven Victoria Cross and 10 George Cross medal recipients will be at the service, including soldiers who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as former police officers. The group represents the Commonwealth, with one from New Zealand and four from Australia.
The group includes George Cross holder Jim Beaton, who was Princess Anne’s personal police officer in 1974 when she was ambushed by a gunman who tried to kidnap her. Beaton shielded the Princess Royal from the gunman, and was wounded in the process.
Willie Apiata and Johnson Beharry are two of those attending who were awarded Victoria Crosses for their service in Afghanistan and Iraq respectively.
As well as the former servicemen will be the founder of an LGBTQ+ choir network, Hsien Chew, who was made an MBE in the Queen’s birthday honours in June.
Chew set up the Proud Voices network that brings together choirs in the UK and Ireland, and was honoured for voluntary and charitable services to the LGBTQ+ community.
“Obviously it’s an incredible privilege and I am really flattered to be a part of this and to be able to experience what is a really unique period in history,” he said.
Updated
Prince William has said the Queen will be “looking down” on her funeral service during a visit to an army barracks in Surrey on Friday, where he and the Princess of Wales met troops from the Commonwealth.
William and Catherine spoke to military personnel from Australia, Canada and New Zealand, who have been rehearsing this week for a procession at the Queen’s funeral on Monday.
The prince, talking to troops from Australia, was heard saying the difference between the celebrations in June and the funeral preparations shows “the highs and lows of it all”, according to PA Media. He was heard speaking with troops from the New Zealand Defence Force about how the Queen would be keeping an eye on Monday’s proceedings.
Greg Gifford, 31, told the PA News agency: “One of the key things I took away from what he said was how the Queen will definitely be looking down on the whole funeral service.
“He said she would be interested in the detail of the soldiers, how the drill is carried out, it’s precision, our dress, things like that.”
Meanwhile, Catherine, who was speaking with Canadian military personnel, said: “Going from that [the jubilee] to this in a few months is very strange.”
Updated
King Charles says he has 'duty to protect diversity' of Britain
King Charles has said he has a personal “duty to protect the diversity of our country”, in a meeting with 30 faith leaders at Buckingham Palace.
He said that as sovereign he believes his work must include “protecting the space for faith itself” and the valued differences which people live by.
According to PA Media, the monarch said: “I have always thought of Britain as a ‘community of communities’.
“That has led me to understand that the sovereign has an additional duty – less formally recognised but to be no less diligently discharged.
“It is the duty to protect the diversity of our country, including by protecting the space for faith itself and its practice through the religions, cultures, traditions and beliefs to which our hearts and minds direct us as individuals.”
Updated
Updated
King Charles to lead siblings in vigil over Queen's coffin
King Charles and his siblings will watch over the Queen’s coffin, at Westminster Hall this evening.
At 7:30pm on Friday the King, along with Prince Andrew, Princess Anne and Prince Edward will mount a guard at the four corners of the catafalque for 15 minutes.
All will be in military uniform, including Prince Andrew, who as a non-working royal has been granted permission to wear uniform. The King’s son, Prince Harry, will be allowed to do the same on Saturday when the grandchildren carry out the same ceremony.
It is a repeat of the same vigil they carried out at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh on Monday.
The King has been in Wales for part of Friday, but has since returned to Buckingham Palace where he was due to meet faith leaders ahead of the vigil.
Updated
Rule allowing MPs and peers to skip queue to see Queen's coffin criticised
A rule allowing MPs and peers to skip the line to see the Queen lying in state along with four guests each has drawn criticism, as the queue continues to stretch to Southwark Park.
MPs have been offered four extra tickets to visit Westminster Hall, a House of Commons spokesperson confirmed.
It allows their guests to bypass the queue, which was temporarily paused on Friday as wait times reached 14 hours and the back of the queue was some five miles away.
Most parliamentary staff can also avoid the line and bring one guest. But people who work directly for MPs and peers, such as parliamentary researchers, cannot.
They and people employed by contractors in parliament – such as cleaners, security guards and caterers – must queue with the public to attend the lying in state.
It has led to accusations from the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union that they are being treated as “second class citizens”.
The PCS general secretary, Mark Serwotka, said: “It’s symbolic that hard-working security guards, cleaners and catering staff in parliament are treated as second-class citizens.
“As we usher in a new era, it’s time for them to be treated as equals and at least given a pay rise to help them through the cost-of-living crisis and beyond.”
The Labour MP for Walthamstow, Stella Creasy, said she was giving away her guest tickets in a ballot for her constituents to enter.
Updated
Wait time to see Queen's coffin 'over 24 hours' says government
As my colleague Emily Dugan reported earlier (see 4:46pm), the queue to see the Queen lying in state in Westminster Hall has reopened, although there are differing reports as to how long it ever closed for after the announcement this morning.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has now tweeted that the queue has reopened, but is now saying “expected queuing time is over 24 hours and overnight temperatures will be cold”.
It has warned that the queue may be paused again if it reaches capacity.
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN'S LYING-IN-STATE QUEUE UPDATE, 5:05PM, 16 Sep
— Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (@DCMS) September 16, 2022
Entry to the queue has resumed
Expected queuing time is over 24 hours and overnight temperatures will be cold
The queue may be paused again if it reaches capacity
Tracker: https://t.co/6BYxq66a8X pic.twitter.com/gzaB4fY0vi
Updated
Here’s a map of the route the Queen’s coffin will take on Monday, on her final journey from Westminster Abbey to Windsor Castle, where she will be buried with her husband, Prince Philip, in St George’s Chapel.
Updated
An analysis piece from my colleagues Ben Quinn and Emine Sinmaz, as they look at the future of the monarchy under King Charles. He has had a boost in popularity, but they believe trickier times may lie ahead for both him and the institution.
History records that the Queen, in particular, turned things around, and this week YouGov polling showed her once unpopular son and heir was enjoying a surge in support of his accession: 63% of people said he would do a “good job”.
The organised side of Britain’s republican movement has decided to stay relatively quiet ahead of the coronation, expected next year, but those wishing to abolish the monarchy may take encouragement from the direction of polling, which has support for the institution at an all-time low.
Groups such as Republic plan to prepare the ground through marketing campaigns, and say they have attracted thousands of new members in recent days, but strategists say their chances of success depends on the new King – a relatively solid performer in recent weeks, but also a man whose tetchiness on two occasions with pens was in marked contrast to the poker-faced skill of his mother.
Prince Edward: 'Queen's death leaves an unimaginable void in our lives'
The Queen’s youngest child, Prince Edward, has given a tribute to his mother. He spoke about the enjoyment he and his wife Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, have had from watching their two children spend time with their grandparents.
In a statement, he said:
As a family, we have grown up learning to share our parents, especially our beloved mama, with the nation, her realms and the commonwealth. While it has been lovely to have spent time saying our own farewell privately at Balmoral, it is now time to allow others to be able to say their farewell.
We have been overwhelmed by the tide of emotion that has engulfed us and the sheer number of people who have gone out of their way to express their own love, admiration and respect to such a very special and unique person who was always there for us. And now, we are there for her, united in grief. Thank you for your support, you have no idea how much it means.
The Queen’s passing has left an unimaginable void in all our lives. Sophie and I have taken huge pleasure in seeing our James and Louise enjoying the places and activities that their grandparents loved so much. Given that my mama let us spend so much time with her, I think she also rather enjoyed watching those passions blossom. Those times together, those happy memories, have now become massively precious to each and every one of us.
May God bless Her Majesty and may her memory be long cherished even as the baton she has carried for these past 70 years now passes to the next generation and to my brother, Charles.
Long live the King.
Updated
Queue to see Queen's coffin remains open despite 14-hour wait
People are being allowed to join the queue to see the Queen lying in state in Westminster Hall, despite it closing earlier as it reached its supposed five-mile limit. There has been no official declaration that it has reopened.
The announcements on Friday morning were clear: the queue to see the Queen lying in state had reached capacity and was being paused for six hours.
The message went out over the public address system at train stations across the capital, on official government Twitter accounts and across the media at just before 10am.
There was just one problem: the queue carried on.
In Southwark Park, the designated end of the five-mile queue to see Elizabeth II’s coffin in Westminster Hall, an electronic sign saying people should “not attempt to join until it resumes” was blithely being ignored on Friday afternoon.
“So we can go in then?” one rule-abiding man asked two security guards standing beside the sign, who were ushering a steady flow of people through.
“Yep,” they smiled, showing him the way towards the bandstand where the 14-hour-long line snaked back and forth between railings.
Updated
Two women were allegedly sexually assaulted in the queue at Victoria Tower Gardens while waiting to attend the Queen’s lying in state, a court has heard.
Adio Adeshine, 19, allegedly exposed himself and pushed into the mourners from behind, as they waited in line at on Wednesday after Westminster Hall opened its doors to the public.
He is said to have gone into the River Thames in an attempt to evade police before coming out and being arrested.
Adeshine was remanded in custody on Friday after appearing at Westminster magistrates’ court charged with two counts of sexual assault and two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order.
Read more:
A minute’s silence will take place in Scotland on the night before the Queen’s funeral, with the country asked to fall silent at 8pm on Sunday.
The deputy first minister, John Swinney, and culture secretary, Angus Robertson, will lead the moment of reflection from St Andrew’s House in Edinburgh on Sunday, as the first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, will be in London for the funeral the next day.
The Scottish government has encouraged community groups, clubs and organisations to take part, PA Media reports.
Updated
The Duke of Sussex will be in military uniform alongside his brother the Prince of Wales when they hold a vigil at the Queen’s coffin on Saturday.
Harry, who saw action on the front line during two tours of duty in Afghanistan, had been denied the chance to wear his uniform for official events as he is no longer a working royal.
Palace officials have reportedly had a change of heart, with a source telling the Daily Mirror that “common sense has prevailed”.
Exceptions have also been made for Harry’s uncle the Duke of York, who will also be permitted to wear military uniform at the lying in state vigil.
Champions of the language and nationalist politicians have called for the new Prince of Wales to learn Welsh, after the country’s first minister stressed how important it was for modern Wales.
Mark Drakeford said nobody expected William to suddenly be fluent in Welsh but suggested he would “want to recognise the importance of the Welsh language and the part it plays in shaping contemporary Wales.”
Nia Jeffreys, a Plaid Cymru councillor who has campaigned for St David’s Day to be made a bank holiday, agreed. “The Welsh language is central to modern Wales: an understanding and respect for the language is crucial to anyone involved in public life in Wales,” she said.
“I hugely admire anyone who makes a commitment to learn Welsh: leaning a new language takes years of hard work but is very rewarding and can be fun, too. I am sure many would support and help William and Kate should they decide to embark on the journey of learning,” Jeffreys said.
King Charles spent nine weeks at Aberystwyth University learning Welsh language and history before his investiture as Prince of Wales in 1969. He was taught by the Welsh nationalist Dr Tedi Millward and went on to give a number of speeches in Welsh.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, have arrived at Pirbright Barracks in Surrey.
They will be meeting Commonwealth troops set to participate in the Queen’s state funeral.
The King and the Queen Consort have left Cardiff Castle and come to the end of their trip to Wales.
The royal couple will now be heading to London. On returning to Buckingham Palace, the King will meet with faith leaders in the Bow Room.
He will then attend a vigil at the Queen’s coffin at Westminster Hall with his siblings.
David Beckham has finally reached the end of the queue and entered Westminster Hall to pay his respects to the Queen.
The former England footballer previously said he began queuing at 2.15am, which means in total he waited for more than 13 hours to see the Queen lying in state.
A tearful David Beckham pays his respects to The Queen, having queued with others for hours.https://t.co/zVeVnmbZ7G pic.twitter.com/QIJBE4aE4Y
— Paul Waugh (@paulwaugh) September 16, 2022
Beckham, who met the Queen several times during her 70-year reign, was seen looking emotional as he waited to file past her coffin.
Updated
The state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II will be the Met police’s biggest ever security test, as world leaders gather on Monday to pay their respects to the late monarch, London’s police force said.
The Queen’s funeral is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of people to London’s streets, as well as prime ministers, presidents and royals from all over the world.
The Met will deploy the largest ever number of officers on the city’s streets from almost every force in the country, and are readying themselves for events ranging from terrorism threats to protests and crowd crushes, the Met’s deputy assistant commissioner Stuart Cundy said.
Among the specialist officers on duty will be divers, dog handlers, police on horses, motorcycle outriders, firearms officers and close protection officers, who will guard leaders and members of the royal family from around the world.
Some 22 miles (36km) of barriers have been deployed in central London to help control the crowds, Cundy said.
The policing operation will surpass the 2012 Olympics and the celebrations in June for the Queen’s platinum jubilee, he added.
Updated
Updated
Mohammed bin Salman’s plan to touch down in London on Sunday to pay his respects to the Queen has been condemned by Hatice Cengiz and other human rights defenders as a “stain” on the monarch’s memory and an attempt by the Saudi crown prince to use mourning to “seek legitimacy and normalisation”.
Cengiz, who was engaged to Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi journalist who was killed and dismembered by Saudi agents in the Istanbul consulate in 2018, said she wished that Prince Mohammed would be arrested for murder when he lands in London, but said she feared that UK authorities would turn a blind eye to serious and credible allegations against the future king.
A source has told the Guardian that Prince Mohammed will travel to the UK to deliver his kingdom’s condolences to the royal family, though there was no confirmation or information about whether he would attend the funeral service at Westminster Abbey. CNN Arabic first reported the news on Thursday night.
Updated
Downing Street has declined to comment on reports that Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, will attend the Queen’s funeral.
Asked if Liz Truss plans to meet Zelenska, a No 10 spokesperson said:
I know there’s reporting around various individuals. The palace have been clear they’re not releasing a guest list...
As a result I’m not going to get into individual names in line with the palace, but not least also for security reasons.
Updated
New Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has been spotted paying a visit to Westminster Hall to see the Queen lying in state.
New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern just now in Westminster Hall viewing the Queen lying-in-state pic.twitter.com/3BC5oKEUfr
— Caitlin Doherty (@_CaitlinDoherty) September 16, 2022
Television footage showed Ardern, who is in London for the Queen’s funeral on Monday, stopping to curtsy as she filed past the coffin.
Updated
An update from the Guardian’s queue correspondent:
Update from the queue that’s closed but isn’t…. Security standing by signs saying it’s shut whilst directing people to it pic.twitter.com/NtGbDtt8Ig
— Emily Dugan (@emilydugan) September 16, 2022
King booed by anti-monarchy protesters in Cardiff
Updated
Liz Truss will meet Joe Biden and other world leaders flying in for the Queen’s funeral over the weekend but the government will not reveal what is discussed because of the national mourning period.
The prime minister is to see the US president on Sunday in Downing Street, along with the Irish taoiseach, Micheál Martin, the Polish president, Andrzej Duda, and the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau. She will meet the Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the New Zealand prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, at Chevening on Sunday.
However, there will be a ban on the usual cameras allowed in to report on the meetings, and no information available on what is discussed.
No 10 suggested that part of the meetings would be taken up with condolences and sharing memories about the Queen but that other matters would be likely to come up as well.
It will be Truss’s first meeting with Biden since taking office, at a time of major global instability over Ukraine and Russia, the energy crisis and inflation. Her encounter with Martin will also be significant given the dispute over Northern Ireland and the implementation of the Brexit protocol.
Updated
The Civil Aviation Authority has announced the skies over London and Windsor will be shut on Monday.
“Due to the funeral of Her Majesty The Queen the Secretary of State for Transport has decided that it is necessary in the interests of security to introduce Restriction of Flying Regulations,” the government body said in a statement.
The restrictions up to 2500 feet will not apply to passenger planes landing or departing at Heathrow or London city airport, or emergency service helicopters. The CAA said the “King’s Helicopter Flight” is also exempt.
David Beckham spotted in queue
David Beckham has been spotted in the queue to see the Queen lying in state.
The former England footballer, wearing a dark flat cap, suit and tie, told Sky News that he had been in the queue for more than 12 hours.
So David Beckham tells us he joined the queue at 2am and it’s now 2pm. #QueueForTheQueen pic.twitter.com/0acEndlaR9
— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) September 16, 2022
Updated
General secretary of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, Mark Serwotka, has written for us today about the “despicable” threat of job losses that hangs over King Charles’s staff while the nation mourns.
The decision to hand dozens of Clarence House staff notice of redundancies after years of service and commitment is a “staggering misjudgement” and “incredibly cruel”, he writes. To make things worse, the notification was sent out during a thanksgiving service for the Queen in Edinburgh.
The PCS union has written to the King’s private secretary, Sir Clive Alderton, demanding the notification be immediately withdrawn and the workers given the respect they deserve.
The despicable way in which these workers have been treated reaffirms the importance of trade union representation in the workplace, with no exceptions made for those working for the royal family.
He adds:
People who have worked tirelessly in their duties during an unprecedented moment in this country’s history shouldn’t be seen as dispensable or have huge uncertainties about their future hanging over them. No worker should be treated this way.
Updated
It is not going to be a casual decision to try and still join the queue to see the Queen lying in state in London. The expected waiting time remains at 14 hours.
The King has now arrived at Cardiff Castle to the strains of the national anthem. About 2,000 members of the public have been given access to the grounds to greet him and Camilla, Queen Consort.
Updated
The King’s convoy has departed from the Welsh parliament and is heading towards Cardiff Castle. He spent a few minutes meeting and greeting well-wishers. The crowd that had gathered was perhaps not as sombre as we have seen in recent days, with there seeming to be a lot of laughter and smiles as the King was talking to people.
The regimental mascot goat of the 3rd battalion of the Royal Welsh regiment, who is known as “Lance Corporal Shenkin IV”, will be at the castle when the King arrives.
The King and Queen Consort will attend a reception for local charities at Cardiff Castle. The first minister, Mark Drakeford, will also be attendance.
Updated
Here are some more of the pictures from the visit of the new King and Queen Consort to Cardiff today, where the monarch has given an address to the Senedd after receiving a motion of condolence from the llywydd of the Senedd, Elin Jones, and the first minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford.
Updated
Police and stewards have been reminded that members of the public who are not in the queue to see the Queen’s coffin can access the National Covid Memorial wall after people were blocked from accessing the site.
Bereaved relatives and civil liberties campaigners had expressed concern after police and stewards blocked access, while one member of the public was told they could be arrested for a breach of the peace if they tried to access the public space.
Fran Hall, a spokesperson for Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice who lost her husband to the virus in October 2020, told the Guardian: “I had literally got to the top of the steps of Westminster Bridge and explained that my husband’s name was on the wall. They said that there was no access until Tuesday unless it was for the media or people who had a wristband for the queue.
“I just couldn’t believe it and unfortunately it left me feeling marginalised and excluded in the way that is very much the experience of bereaved families broadly at the moment. There is increasingly a sense that we an inconvenience.”
After Scotland Yard was contacted by the Guardian today, a spokesperson said: “Members of the public who are not in the queue to see Her Majesty The Queen lying in state are still allowed to access the National Covid Memorial Wall.”
“Officers and stewards along the route have been reminded of this.”
Sam Grant, Head of Policy and Campaigns at the civil liberties group, Liberty, said: “We all want to be treated fairly, but this week the police have consistently shown that they do not use their powers reasonably or proportionately, and it is impacting our basic rights.
“The overzealous policing we’ve been seeing since the Queen’s death is very concerning. This week we’ve heard reports of people being threatened with arrest for simply trying to visit the Covid Bereavement wall in Westminster, under the same ‘breach of the peace’ reasoning that was used against anti-monarchy protesters.
“Important public spaces, like the Covid Bereavement wall should remain accessible and open to members of the public wanting to access it. The police are misusing their broad and subjective powers in a way that clamps down on the public’s fundamental rights.”
Updated
Elin Jones is guiding King Charles through meeting a selection of people in the corridor outside the Senedd chamber and has just said to the monarch: “This is the book of condolence, you don’t need to sign it,” possibly mindful of the pen incidents that have already taken place during the new monarch’s tour of the nations.
Updated
In his address the new King also said: “I have visited the Senedd regularly since it was founded, and having heard your heartfelt words today I know we all share the deepest commitment to the welfare of the people of this land, and that we will all continue to work together to that end.”
Updated
King Charles is now greeting and speaking with people outside the chamber in Cardiff. During his speech, he said:
I take up my new duties with immense gratitude for the privilege of having been able to serve as Prince of Wales.
He then referred to his son William, who has been named the new Prince of Wales, saying he passes on the title to one “whose love for this corner of the Earth is made all the greater by the years he himself has spent here”.
Updated
Elin Jones has brought proceedings to a close, saying that the last words Queen Elizabeth II said in the chamber were the same words that King Charles had used to open his address today, the phrase “heartfelt thanks” in Welsh.
King Charles has made a reference to 13th-century Welsh hero, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, who was Prince of Wales and killed by English forces in 1282.
Updated
King Charles has said that through all the years of her reign, Wales could not have been closer to Queen Elizabeth II’s heart, and that she took immense pride in Wales’ many great achievements, and that she also felt deeply their times of national sorrow.
The new King has said he has resolved to continue from her lessons, and referenced the motto of the Prince of Wales – Ich dien – I serve.
Updated
Like Elin Jones, Drakeford has also given his address in Welsh and English. King Charles III has begun to speak, and he has also begun by addressing the Senedd in Welsh.
The first minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford, is now addressing the guest. He said that when the Senedd had debated the death of Queen Elizabeth II “many of the contributions were sombre” which reflected “a sense of grief, of loss and of national significance.”
But he also said that “just as many were human stories, of a life devoted to service and to duty, but imbued by that keen sense of interest the Queen always showed in the people she met.”
Updated
Elin Jones started the English part of her address by saying:
We know that so many of the people we represent have been saddened, some shaken by her loss, and they hold you and your family in their hearts and prayers at this time.
She shared an anecdote about corgis from the Queen’s last visit to Wales, noting that corgi is literally Welsh for “small dog”.
Jones also spoke about the history of devolution in Wales, saying:
The Queen was with us in 1999 for the opening of our first fledgling assembly. She shared our journey of devolution. She partook in each of our six openings, commenting each time on the development of our powers in becoming a national parliament. The Queen respected this parliament because she respected the democratic choices of our people.
Updated
At the Senedd the King and Queen Consort have been welcomed and a motion of condolence is being read to them by the llywydd of the Senedd, Elin Jones.
She is referring to the last visit of Queen Elizabeth II, which was to open the latest session of the Senedd eleven months ago. The address is being given in Welsh and English.
Updated
Squeals of excitement and general good cheer when King Charles met the crowds outside Llandaff Cathedral.
Susie Eardley gave the King a red rose. She said:
He gave me a red rose in 1983 when he visited a conservation project at Dunraven Castle in south Wales. He had a red rose in his lapel and pinned it to my overalls. I thought I’d give him a rose today.
Susie Eardley, who gave King Charles a rose outside Llandaff cathedral. pic.twitter.com/xmT4LYQtrj
— steven morris (@stevenmorris20) September 16, 2022
Lynda Fowler was beside herself with joy at her meeting with the King. She said:
He touched my veteran’s badge. I was in the RAF. I can’t wait to tell my grandchildren, they’ll be so excited. I got here about quarter to eight to get my place. It was well worth the wait.
Lynda Fowler - hugely excited after meeting King Charles outside Llandaff cathedral. pic.twitter.com/OOUPp9b8nP
— steven morris (@stevenmorris20) September 16, 2022
The Welsh language was very much front and centre at the service of prayer and reflection at Llandaff cathedral in Cardiff, with the Welsh first minister, Mark Drakeford, reading from the first book of kings in Welsh.
Camilla, the Queen Consort, wore a leek brooch gifted to her by the Queen.
— steven morris (@stevenmorris20) September 16, 2022
The King and the Queen Consort have arrived at the Senedd in Cardiff to receive a motion of condolence.
The Royal Standard has now been raised outside the building where the couple are greeted by the llywydd and the first minister.
They have entered into the Senedd where they have been welcomed by staff on the Oriel balcony.
Updated
Despite morning announcements that the queue to see the Queen lying in state would be closed for six hours, the gates at Southwark Park were still open at Friday lunchtime.
At the western entrance to the park, the gate was briefly closed at 12.05pm, to the consternation of those hoping to join it, before being reopened again 13 minutes later.
Charlie Cummins, 64, was the first to be turned away. The online language teacher who was visiting the UK from Brazil said:
If I’d known it was closing I wouldn’t have gone to Sainsbury’s. I really wish I hadn’t now.
Less than a quarter of an hour later, after those waiting at the closed entrance had been dispersed, the gates were open again.
Confusion reigned as public announcements on the underground said it would be closed but people continued to be allowed in.
Kelly Farias, 37, made it through just before the gates were closed for the first time. Farias, who is 32 weeks pregnant, was prepared to endure the long wait having made it through.
“I thought we wouldn’t get in”, she said, eager to keep walking and not lose her spot. “I’m here with my mum who really loves the Queen.”
Updated
The queue that briefly wasn’t a queue is a queue again! In total the gates were closed for 13 minutes pic.twitter.com/HQNv2iIBUD
— Emily Dugan (@emilydugan) September 16, 2022
Updated
The pope will not attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, the Vatican has said.
In a statement, the Vatican said the church would instead be represented by a senior official at Monday’s ceremonies.
The statement said:
The Most Reverend Paul Gallagher, secretary for relations with states and international organisations, will represent Pope Francis at the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Updated
Downing Street has announced which visiting world leaders are scheduled to meet Liz Truss over the weekend before the Queen’s funeral.
On Saturday, Truss will meet the prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand, Anthony Albanese and Jacinda Ardern, at the government’s Chevening country residence, a No 10 spokesperson said.
On Sunday, she will meet the Irish taoiseach, Micheal Martin, the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, the Polish president, Andrzej Duda, and the US president, Joe Biden, at Downing Street.
Further meetings could be confirmed.
Updated
The King and the Queen Consort have left Llandaff Cathedral following a service of prayer and reflection for the life of the Queen.
The royal couple will now travel to the Senedd to receive a motion of condolence, where they will be greeted by the llywydd and first minister.
Charles and Camilla are currently meeting well-wishers outside the cathedral.
Updated
The gates to Southwark Park to queue to see the Queen lying in state were shut at 12.05pm.
At 12.18pm, the gates were opened again and a stream of people walked through.
The Queue may be currently closed but in Cardiff, the queue continues.
Crowds have been gathering outside Cardiff Castle since early today in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the King and the Queen Consort.
This is the busy and exciting scene across Cardiff ahead of the arrival of King Charles and the Queen Consort Camilla this morning. Thousands of people have gathered in the capital - with queues forming at Cardiff Castle, Llandaff and the Senedd 👑 pic.twitter.com/uQYo1LDjkS
— WalesOnline 🏴 (@WalesOnline) September 16, 2022
The royal couple are expected to attend a reception at the castle following the service at Llandaff Cathedral.
Around 2,000 people will be able to gather inside the walls to see Charles and Camilla.
First in the queue for a glimpse of #KingCharles later this morning at Cardiff Castle. First person arrived at 3am… 🏴 pic.twitter.com/IDpuH7SGeq
— Nick Dixon (@NickDixonITV) September 16, 2022
Updated
The sign outside Southwark Park has now been changed to say that the queue is temporarily paused.
Members of the public have been warned not to attempt to join the queue until it resumes.
Police officers have so far arrested 34 people as part of the policing operation in the lead-up to the Queen’s funeral, according to the police.
The figure, recorded this morning, was described as “relatively few” by Metropolitan police’s deputy assistant commissioner Stuart Cundy. He added that none were arrested for protesting.
Scotland Yard has not yet been able to provide a breakdown of the offences involved.
No sign of the queue in Southwark Park being closed. This is its official start and people are being ushered through… pic.twitter.com/Mpoqv3OIKS
— Emily Dugan (@emilydugan) September 16, 2022
Updated
People are continuing to enter Southwark Park to queue to see the Queen lying in state, despite a government announcement that they should come back later.
Entry to the queue to see the Queen lying in state was supposed to have been paused for at least six hours after it was declared at capacity.
A queue attendant said they had yet to receive any instructions to close the gate and stop any more people joining, according to a report from PA.
Hundreds of people are continuing to file through the gate into the park in south-east London.
Those wanting to see the Queen have been told not to attempt to join it until 4pm on Friday at the earliest.
The decision raises the prospect of people forming a queue to join the queue.
The King and the Queen Consort are inside Llandaff Cathedral to attend a service of prayer and reflection for Queen Elizabeth II.
The service will be led by the dean, with the order of the service consisting of both English and Welsh content.
After the service has taken place, the King and Queen Consort will take a short walkabout on Llandaff Green to meet with schoolchildren and other local people.
Updated
The King and the Queen Consort have reached Llandaff Cathedral by car, having arrived in Cardiff by helicopter just minutes earlier.
The royal couple is being greeted at the cathedral by the Lord Lieutenant of South Glamorgan and Vice-Lord Lieutenant of South Glamorgan.
At the cathedral to receive Charles and Camilla are the Welsh first minister, Mark Drakeford, the secretary of state for Wales, Sir Robert Buckland, as well as the high sheriff of South Glamorgan, the Lord Mayor of Cardiff, the chief constable South Wales police and the Dean of Llandaff Cathedral.
A service of prayer and reflection for the life of the Queen will then begin, led by the Dean.
The Archbishop will give the address and the first minister will be called upon to give a reading. The Bishop of Llandaff and interfaith leaders will lead the prayers.
Updated
A press officer from the government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has been spotted making his way to speak to queue officials, PA news agency reports.
Thousands of mourners are still filing through the gate at Southwark Park, despite the announcement that the queue to see the Queen’s lying in state has been paused until 4pm.
Asked if the queue has been paused yet, the press officer replied:
I’m not sure, I need to go and find out.
Updated
The prime minister, Liz Truss, has arrived at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff to attend a service of prayer and reflection for the life of the Queen.
Updated
King arrives in Wales
The King has arrived in Cardiff, the first time he has travelled to Wales since his mother the Queen died last Thursday.
King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, have arrived by helicopter in Wales with members of the armed forces present to salute their sovereign and commander-in-chief.
The royal couple’s arrival is marked with a 21-gun salute from reservists from 104 Regiment Royal Artillery from Cardiff Castle.
They will attend a service of prayer and reflection at Llandaff Cathedral, before receiving condolences at the Welsh Parliament and meeting members of the Senedd.
Updated
Laura Thomas-Walters, 29, a conservation scientist, is the sole person in the official protest section outside Llandaff Cathedral.
Two protest liaison officers are keeping an eye on her.
She said:
In the 21st century in a democratic country an unelected head of state has no place. It’s an antiquated system of class oppression and class inequalities which is especially heinous at a time when inequalities are rising so fast.
Many people this winter are going to pay their heating bills but we’re going to pay millions for a coronation, a funeral, changing stamps and Charles isn’t going to pay a penny in inheritance tax. Today is exactly the day for this.
People saying it’s disrespectful is a way of silencing dissent. I don’t think the Prince of Wales title should exist. If it did, it should belong to a Welsh person.
The sole protester outside Llandaff cathedral so far - watched by two police officers. pic.twitter.com/bCvrcNlfqu
— steven morris (@stevenmorris20) September 16, 2022
The Welsh first minister has said that anti-monarchists have a right to protest in Cardiff when King Charles visits the Welsh capital on Friday on the last leg of his tour of the four nations, but called for them to be restrained.
A silent anti-monarchist demonstration is due to begin from 1pm at Cardiff Castle, organised under the banner “Real Democracy Now”.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Mark Drakeford said:
People have a legitimate right to protest and there are a variety of views. Myself, I don’t think this is the week in which that debate needs to surface. But people have that right and I think it will be exercised with restraint and it will be a footnote to the dominant feelings of the day.
He called for the policing of the protest to be proportionate.
It should recognise the rights that people have. I’ve every confidence in the South Wales police, who have dealt with this sort of event many times. They will deal proportionately with protest, making sure those rights are respected but that those rights don’t interfere with what most people will have come to Cardiff today to exercise.
The King’s visit is taking place on Owain Glyndŵr Day, a celebration of the life and legacy of the last Welshman to be known as Prince of Wales. Many nationalists and republicans see the title as a symbol of English oppression and more than 27,000 people have signed a petition calling for it to be abolished.
Updated
King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, have left Highgrove House in Gloucestershire.
The royal couple is now on their way to Cardiff ahead of his first trip to the Welsh capital since the death of the Queen.
Charles and Camilla spent Thursday night at Highgrove House for a day of rest after a week of duties, as laid out in the London Bridge plan for the days after his mother the Queen’s death.
The Bishop of Llandaff, the Rt Revd June Osborne, has backed the granting of the Prince of Wales title to William.
I think the vast majority of people in Wales will be delighted to have William as Prince of Wales. It so obviously gives him years of connection with Wales. We will feel blessed by his connection with Wales. It seems the natural thing to do, the right thing to do. It’s going to bring many happy years to Wales.
There is evidence to suggest there was an ancient church on the Llandaff site prior to the construction of the cathedral, dating from the 6th century, the time of the Celtic church after the withdrawal of the Roman Empire from Great Britain.
The present cathedral was started on the site in 1120 and was completed around sixty years later.
Llandaff Cathedral was severely damaged by a bomb dropped during an air raid on Cardiff in January 1941. Elizabeth II attended a service to mark the completion of the repaired cathedral in August 1960.
Queue forms to join closed main queue
The queue may be paused for at least six hours, but has a second queue formed to join the main queue once it reopens?
From the BBC’s Victoria Fritz:
Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you, the queue for The Queue pic.twitter.com/NfoiOg0qGA
— Victoria Fritz (@VFritzNews) September 16, 2022
And LBC’s Charlotte Lynch:
Thousands upon thousands of people moving through Southwark Park to see the Queen lying in state, despite DCMS urging people not to join the queue as it has reached capacity. This is now technically the queue… to join the queue @LBC pic.twitter.com/02e82pptZj
— Charlotte Lynch (@charlotterlynch) September 16, 2022
Updated
Hundreds of people are continuing to enter Southwark Park to queue to see the Queen’s lying in state despite an announcement from the government that entry to the line has been paused for at least six hours.
A queue attendant said they had yet to receive any instructions to close the gate and stop any more people joining the queue, PA news agency reports.
Guardian reporter Steven Morris is reporting from Cardiff today ahead of a visit by King Charles to the Welsh capital.
More than a thousand people now gathered outside Llandaff cathedral waiting for the visit of King Charles. pic.twitter.com/c3AFJmyWB6
— steven morris (@stevenmorris20) September 16, 2022
Big police presence at at Llandaff cathedral in Cardiff but no sign of protest here. A man was slightly injured when a coach collided with a barrier. pic.twitter.com/MtggEPOp9v
— steven morris (@stevenmorris20) September 16, 2022
The wife of the president of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, is expected to represent Ukraine at the Queen’s funeral on Monday [see earlier post] in a sign of the gratitude Ukraine feels for the support Britain has given to Ukrainian forces.
It is deemed too dangerous for her husband Volodymyr Zelenskiy to come to the UK and he will not in person be attending the UN General Assembly in New York.
Updated
People wishing to see the Queen’s lying in state in the Palace of Westminster have been warned not to rejoin the queue until it reopens.
The queue to see the Queen’s coffin has been paused for at least six hours, the government has said.
Eight of Queen’s grandchildren to stand vigil beside coffin
The Queen’s eight grandchildren will stand vigil beside her coffin in Westminster Hall for 15 minutes on Saturday night, royal sources have confirmed.
William, the Prince of Wales, will stand at the head of his grandmother’s coffin, while his brother, the Duke of Sussex, at the foot.
At the King’s request, William and Harry will both be in uniform. The other grandchildren will be in morning suits and dark formal dresses with decorations.
William will be flanked by his cousins Zara Tindall and Peter Philips, the children of the Princess Royal, Anne.
Harry will be with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, the daughters of the Duke of York, Andrew.
The Earl of Wessex’s children Lady Louise and Viscount Severn will stand near the middle of their grandmother’s coffin.
Updated
Entry to the queue paused
Entry to the queue to see the Queen lying in state has been paused for “at least” six hours, the government has announced.
Members of the public have been warned not to attempt to join the queue until it re-opens.
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN'S LYING-IN-STATE QUEUE UPDATE, 09:50 AM, 16 Sept
— Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (@DCMS) September 16, 2022
Southwark Park has reached capacity. Entry will be paused for at least 6 hours. We are sorry for any inconvenience.
Please do not attempt to join the queue until it re-opens.
Check back for further updates pic.twitter.com/XMpyhOrme7
Updated
Mohammed bin Salman will deliver his country’s condolences to the royal family after the death of the Queen, a source has told the Guardian, but there has been no confirmation about whether he will attend the funeral service at Westminster Abbey.
It will be the Saudi crown prince’s first visit to the UK since the murder of the Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018 and the subsequent British imposition of sanctions. These included travel bans on a group of courtiers close to the crown prince due to their alleged involvement in the killing inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
No explanation was given by UK or Saudi sources over Prince Mohammed’s detailed weekend plans, but sensitive judgments are still being made on whether his attendance at the funeral would represent an unacceptable security threat or a distraction from the commemoration of the Queen due to the protests his presence may provoke.
14-hour queue 'close to capacity'
Members of the public who plan to join the queue to attend the Queen’s lying in state at the Palace of Westminster may expect to wait for at least 14 hours.
According to the government tracker, the queue is currently approximately 4.9miles long (7.9km).
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has warned that the queue may soon be paused.
If Southwark Park reaches capacity then entry to the queue will be paused, it said.
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN'S LYING-IN-STATE QUEUE UPDATE, 09:08AM, 16 Sept
— Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (@DCMS) September 16, 2022
Southwark Park is extremely busy. Entry to the queue will be paused if it reaches capacity
If you are planning to join, please consider waiting until numbers have reduced
Tracker: https://t.co/T7se5mW4tD pic.twitter.com/Th6P7uJaHr
Updated
A French airport in “the most British of French resorts” is being renamed in honour of Queen Elizabeth II.
The seaside town of Le Touquet-Paris-Plage in northern France is a popular destination for British tourists, including the late Queen who visited the resort with her uncle Edward VIII in the 1930s.
Its local council has decided to pay tribute to the late Queen in memory of the town’s deep connections with Britain and in memory of her visit “during which she practised both horse riding and sand yachting”.
In a statement, the airport said the renaming would “affirm and reinforce its status as the most British of French airports”.
It said:
For 70 years she served her country with commitment, respect and constancy at the same time as she was always attentive to good relations between our two nations, she who spoke French and appreciated our country.
The Queen Consort has reportedly been nursing a broken toe while carrying out royal duties at her husband’s side.
Camilla, 75, is thought to have sustained the injury prior to the Queen’s death and has been in “quite a lot of pain”, according to The Daily Telegraph.
A source told the newspaper:
She is in quite a lot of pain but she is just getting on with it. It is unfortunate timing to say the least but she’s been an absolute trouper.
A spokesperson for the King refused to comment on medical matters.
Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, will travel to London to attend the state funeral for the Queen, according to reports.
Zelenska, the wife of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, is among the 500 heads of state and dignitaries invited to Monday’s service and a reception hosted by King Charles the day before, the Sun reports.
It is thought that her husband will not accompany her to Britain. Zelenska is expected to fly back to Ukraine as soon as the ceremony finishes on Monday, a source told the paper. They added:
Britain is one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies. Her presence at the funeral is a sign of that friendship and mutual respect.
Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, has not been invited to the Queen’s funeral, making Russia one of a small number of countries snubbed by Britain.
Belarus and Myanmar have also been blacklisted, and rulers from Syria, Venezuela, and Afghanistan’s Taliban, have not been invited.
Updated
Transport for London (TfL) has announced that three Tube stations will be closed for most of the morning on the day of the Queen’s funeral, Monday 19 January.
Westminster, St James’s Park and Hyde Park Corner stations will be closed to avoid overcrowding on Monday morning. TfL said it will “aim to reopen stations” after the funeral to help people leaving the Westminster area.
Green Park station will be exit-only between 10am and 8pm.
Many buses in central London will be diverted due to road closures. TfL also announced that buses will pull over “if it is safe and practical to do so” and switch their engines off during the one-minute silence on Sunday at 8pm and the two-minute silence at around 11.55am on Monday.
Updated
Crowds have begun to gather outside Llandaff Cathedral, in Cardiff, ahead of the King’s visit. Blue sky but an autumnal chill here.
Crowds gathering outside Llandaff cathedral in Cardiff ahead of the King’s visit. pic.twitter.com/shjrQ5Rxrc
— steven morris (@stevenmorris20) September 16, 2022
This is the programme of events today in the Welsh capital:
King Charles and the Queen Consort will travel to Wales by helicopter, where they will attend a service of prayer and reflection at Llandaff cathedral.
The couple will then go to the Senedd, where they will receive condolences and meet members of the Welsh parliament.
From there they will travel to Cardiff Castle where the King will hold a private audience with the Welsh first minister, Mark Drakeford, before attending a reception hosted by the Welsh government. A protest against the monarchy is expected to take place outside the castle.
Updated
Queue reaches nearly five miles and 11.5 hours
Members of the public who plan to join the queue to attend the Queen’s lying in state at the Palace of Westminster may expect to wait for at least 11.5 hours.
According to the government tracker, the queue is currently approximately 4.9miles long (7.9km).
Updated
What happens today
Hello, I’m Léonie Chao-Fong and I’ll be bringing you the latest developments in the wake of the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Today is D+7. Here’s what to expect:
The Queen’s lying in state continues in Westminster Hall. Hundreds of thousands are expected to pay their respects to the late monarch ahead of her funeral on Monday 19 September.
The King will visit Wales for the first time since ascending the throne. King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, will visit Cardiff, with their tour taking them from Llandaff Cathedral to the Senedd and ending at Cardiff Castle, where they will host a reception, and hear condolences from the Welsh parliament.
King Charles III will then return to London. On his return to Buckingham Palace, he will meet with faith leaders in the Bow Room, before attending a vigil at the Queen’s coffin at Westminster Hall with his brothers and sister.
The Prince and Princess of Wales will visit an army training centre in Surrey in mid-afternoon to meet troops from the Commonwealth who have been deployed to the UK to take part in the state funeral of the Queen.
A vigil hosted by the King and his siblings, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, will take place at 7.30pm at Westminster Hall.
Updated
Trump to be invited to memorial service in US – reports
The UK will invite Donald Trump to a memorial service for the Queen in Washington DC, according to a report in the Telegraph. The former president was left off the guest list for Monday’s funeral, as former heads of state are not invited.
All five living former presidents, including Trump, have been invited to attend a service of thanksgiving at Washington’s National Cathedral on Wednesday.
Trump has often expressed his admiration for the Queen. In a tribute published by the Mail Online after the Queen’s death, Trump said: “The whole of civilization is in mourning. The passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the enlightened monarch who reigned over the United Kingdom for 70 years, is a loss felt by billions around the world …
“Spending time with Her Majesty was one of the most extraordinary honors of my life.”
Updated
UK-based correspondents from European news outlets have written for the Guardian about how Britons will deal with political turmoil, Brexit, recession and the loss of the Queen.
Here’s an excerpt from Stefanie Bolzen, UK and Ireland correspondent for Die Welt, Germany:
The days we are living through mark a new beginning. Only time will tell what the post-Elizabethan era will bring. For the moment, what it does feel like is a juggernaut of one too many challenges coming at the same time, a surreal wave. The aftermath of the pandemic, which has left the UK with a lot of scars; Brexit finally being felt in real life, whether on the M2 towards Dover, in my local Sainsbury’s, or in the port of Larne; Russia’s war on Ukraine; a fourth prime minister in six years. And now the death of Elizabeth II, who seemed to many immortal.
Reporting on the UK as a foreigner often makes it easier to take a step back, to see “the big picture”. Since last Thursday, though, this has become a challenge. The 24/7 coverage of the Queen’s death is all-consuming with layers of events, history and traditions to process. It would not be fair to suggest that these layers are somehow serving to sugarcoat the crisis in this country. Elizabeth II was a historic figure, she symbolises a century that transcended Europe’s borders. What I do notice, however, is that the foreign media cover this long period of ceremonial mourning with less servility. Hardly any British media, for example, dared comment on King Charles III’s rude gesture of impatience during the acclamation.
Many Brits could not care less that the Queen is gone. But millions do mourn her death and feel a personal loss. To many of them, the royal family represents a kind of comfort, of glamour and gossip, a way to forget about one’s mundane, often tough life. Possibly this acute feeling of loss is made even more painful because so many people fear the immediate future. Wasn’t Brexit supposed to give the British back control? Six years on, life for many is even more beyond their control.
What I am sure of is that the moment these days of national mourning are over, reality will hit, and it will hit hard.
Updated
Sandra Oh is due to attend the state funeral of the Queen as part of the Canadian delegation, reports PA Media:
The actress, known for her role in the BBC hit series Killing Eve, will participate in a procession of national honours as part of the service on Monday.
She joins the delegation as a member of the Order of Canada alongside musician Gregory Charles and Olympic gold medallist swimmer Mark Tewksbury.
Oh was granted the honour recently in June 2022.
Canada’s delegation to the funeral will be led by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau and also include governor general Mary Simon as well as former prime ministers and governor-generals.
The group is due to depart for the UK on Friday, ahead of the service next week.
Details of the delegation were made public on Thursday during a special address given by Trudeau during a special session of Canada’s House of Commons.
It was previously announced the day of the Queen’s funeral will be marked in Canada with a national day of mourning.
Queue to see the Queen lying in state reaches 4.4 miles
The queue of people waiting to pay their respects to the Queen is growing rapidly this morning and is now stretching back 4.4 miles (7km), with an estimated queuing time of at least 11 hours, according to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport. You can follow their tracker on YouTube here.
Updated
Here’s the view from Tower Bridge in London this morning:
The speed at which #TheQueue for The Queen is growing is breathtaking.
— Nick Beake (@Beaking_News) September 16, 2022
Hundreds of people have streamed past us - the start of the queue is reaching back towards Southwark Park now.
The mood is upbeat. There is smiling, chatter and lots of coffee.
On @BBCBreakfast & @BBCWorld pic.twitter.com/HoD4JYHenc
A veteran Hong Kong opera star apologised and declared his patriotism on Thursday after his praise for Britain’s late Queen Elizabeth II sparked a backlash among nationalists in China, reports AFP.
Some further details from AFP:
Thousands of Hong Kong residents have queued up outside the city’s British consulate this week to sign a condolence book for the late monarch who died after 70 years on the throne.
Among the mourners was Law Kar-ying, a heavyweight of the Cantonese opera scene, who published a selfie on Instagram from the queue and a message that read: “Hong Kong was a blessed land during her reign.”
Instagram is banned in mainland China but Law’s post went viral on other social media sites, sparking anger and criticism among nationalists.
On Thursday, Law took to China’s Twitter-like platform Weibo to post a video apologising for “making remarks of mourning without thinking them through”.
“My original intention was to express condolences for a late elderly woman and I would like to appeal to everyone not to overly interpret what I said,” the 75-year-old said in Mandarin Chinese.
“I can’t possibly forget my origin and ancestry. That I have been keeping a Chinese passport says it all, I am Chinese and I love my motherland forever. I am sorry,” he added.
His original Instagram post was deleted.
Hong Kong was a British colony for more than 150 years and while the financial hub was returned to China in 1997, the past is engraved into its landscape, from street names and the ubiquity of English to the common law legal system.
While other former colonies have seen more muted reactions to Elizabeth II’s death, about 6,700 Hong Kong residents, including some government officials, have signed the consulate’s condolence book so far.
Many mourners have expressed nostalgia for the city’s colonial past at a time when China is seeking to purge dissent following huge democracy protests three years ago.
Updated
Key event
Thousands are continuing to wait in line to pay their final respects to the Queen. The queue is currently 3.9 miles long with waiting times of at least 11 hours, according to the latest estimates by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
People queue to pay their respects following the death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth. Photograph: Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters
Members of the public stand in the queue on the South Bank in London adjacent to the London Eye, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday. Photograph: Victoria Jones/PA
Updated
Chinese government delegation banned from attending lying in state
A Chinese government delegation has been banned from attending the lying in state of the Queen, according to the BBC.
BBC Radio 4’s Today programme reported this morning that the speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, has refused permission for a Chinese government delegation to attend the lying in state in Westminster Hall, because of Chinese sanctions against five British MPs and two peers.
Updated
Here is some further detail from Patrick Wintour’s report on Mohammed bin Salman’s reported plan to deliver his country’s condolences to the royal family.
No explanation was given by UK or Saudi sources over Prince Mohammed’s detailed weekend plans, but sensitive judgments are still being made on whether his attendance at the funeral would represent an unacceptable security threat or a distraction from the commemoration of the Queen due to the protests his presence may provoke.
The UK in 2020 sanctioned six named Saudis for their alleged killing of Khashoggi. Some of them were senior advisers to the crown prince, including Ahmed al-Asiri, deputy head of the Saudi Intelligence services; Saud bin Abdullah al-Qahtani, adviser to the crown prince in the royal court; Salah Muhammed al-Tubaigy, forensic doctor with the Saudi interior ministry; Mustafa al-Madani, brigadier general and intelligence officer in Saudi Arabia; Naif Hassan al-Arifi, first lieutenant for external intelligence; and major general Mansour Othman Abahussain.
Prince Mohammed has always denied prior knowledge of the attack. In 2020 a Saudi court overturned five death sentences over the murder of Khashoggi, in a ruling that jailed eight defendants for between seven and 20 years.
The crown prince last visited the UK in June 2018, when the UK hailed Saudi Arabia for starting a major programme of domestic reforms.
As part of a deep connection between the royal family and the Gulf monarchies, King Charles III has been a frequent visitor to Saudi Arabia. It is the country he has most frequently visited in the Middle East, having made as many as 12 official visits since his investiture as Prince Charles in 1967.
Julia Gillard says Australia will ultimately become a republic but has endorsed the prime minister, Anthony Albanese’s view it is too soon for the debate.
The former Australian prime minister told the ABC, in her first interview since the Queen’s death, that Albanese was right to delay consideration of a republic to a future term of government.
Before flying to London on Thursday Albanese said the Queen’s death had made Australians “more conscious of our system of government”, but he has refused to be drawn on timing of a referendum beyond noting his government’s first priority is to recognise First Nations people in the constitution.
Gillard said at its centre the Queen’s passing is a human story of loss and grief. “A family has lost a beloved member and because the family is so on the public stage we’re sharing that moment,” she said
Gillard said that everybody’s experience of the monarchy was different but for many Australians the Queen represented continuity “in a chaotic and fractured world”.
Asked if she was still of the view the Queen’s death would be an appropriate time to move away from a British head of state, Gillard said: “Yes, I always thought that when the Queen did leave us, that it would cause a period of reflection.”
“I always thought in Australia too it would unleash a new set of reflections about our own constitutional arrangements.
“But there’s no rush and I certainly endorse what the prime minister has said. There’s time for measured discussion. It’s certainly too soon for that now.”
Good morning. Mourners have spent another night queueing for miles and for many hours to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II, who lies in state in Westminster Hall, London.
Today, the King will travel to Wales to attend a service at Llandaff Cathedral, before visiting the Welsh Parliament and meeting members of the Senedd. He will then travel to Cardiff Castle to meet with Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford and the presiding officer, before attending a reception hosted by the Welsh government.
Anti-monarchy protesters are expected to gather outside the castle for a silent demonstration at 1pm.
On his return to Buckingham Palace, King Charles will meet with religious leaders in the Bow Room.
Later, on Friday evening, King Charles will lead his siblings as they stand watch over the Queen’s coffin during her official lying in state.
Here are some other developments:
Mohammed bin Salman will deliver his country’s condolences to the royal family, a source told the Guardian, but there has been no confirmation about whether he will attend the Queen’s funeral service. It will be his first visit to the UK since the murder of the Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 and the subsequent British imposition of sanctions.
A group of MPs and peers under sanctions from China have expressed serious concerns about the Chinese government being invited to the funeral.
Former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard says Australia will ultimately become a republic but has endorsed the current prime minister, Anthony Albanese’s view it is too soon for the debate.
Queen Elizabeth II will be buried next to the Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor in a private ceremony attended by her family on Monday after her state funeral at Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace confirmed.
Heathrow airport has announced that it will pause all flights for 15 minutes before the two-minute national silence on Monday and 15 minutes afterwards as a “mark of respect” to the royal family.
The House of Commons will sit again from next Thursday and the coming recess will be cut nearly a week short, it has been announced.
The Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, has paid tribute to the Queen, reflecting on meeting her for the first time when he was just a child and saying Canadians “feel like they have lost a family member”.
Vehicles from the motorcade of the US president, Joe Biden, have been spotted in London as the city prepares to receive hundreds of foreign dignitaries ahead of the Queen’s funeral.
