How long is the queue?
Currently the DCMS tracker says that people should expect to wait 13-and-a-half hours in the queue to pay their respects to the late monarch.
With the lying in state scheduled to end at 6.30am on Monday morning, that suggests that at some point later this afternoon – at the present time it would be about 5pm – the authorities will have to begin preventing people joining the queue.
Key events
The former archbishop of York, Lord Sentamu, has been interviewed on the BBC this morning as part of the Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme. PA Media report he told viewers that the Queen did not want a “boring” funeral service, saying:
What you’re going to expect is the best of funeral services, the prayer book service, the words which were an inspiration to Shakespeare.
You’re going to hear this wonderful English at its best, also you’re going to hear angelic voices of the choir of the Abbey plus the Chapels Royal, you really hear voices that are singing to the glory of God.
The Queen does not and did not want what you call long, boring services, you’re not going to find boredom, but you’re going to be lifted to glory as you hear the service. The hearts and people’s cockles will be warmed.
If you were planning on doing something other than watching the funeral tomorrow in the UK, you may find your choices a little bit limited.
PA Media reports that a raft of the country’s biggest retailers have said they will shut their stores so workers can pay tribute to the Queen, including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Lidl and Aldi. Marks & Spencer and Primark have also said they will shut for the day, and cinema chains Cineworld and Odeon have announced plans to keep their venues shut.
Tesco says it will open its Express convenience stores from 5pm. Asda said it will shut its stores for the funeral, but all its supermarkets will open from 5pm, with colleagues working on Monday evening to receive double pay.
The government has issued some advice for members of the public as to how they can watch some of the ceremonial parts of tomorrow’s state funeral. It says:
At 10.44am, the Queen’s coffin will be moved from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey. Two thousand guests are expected to attend, which will begin at 11am and [be] followed by a national two-minute silence at 11.55am.
A public procession will begin at 12.15pm as Her Majesty’s coffin travels from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch in London.
The procession will travel along Broad Sanctuary, Parliament Square, Whitehall, Horse Guards Parade, Horse Guards Road, The Mall, Constitution Hill and end at London’s Wellington Arch.
Space dedicated for those with accessibility requirements is available at the Green Park side of The Mall and the St James’s Park side of The Mall. The Albert Memorial viewing areas will have British Sign Language interpreters and a hearing loop.
Away from London, there are many events to commemorate the life of Queen Elizabeth II taking place today.
These include remembrance services taking place at various times in cathedrals including Blackburn, Bradford, Canterbury, Chichester, Durham, Gloucester, Lichfield, Liverpool, Manchester, Norwich, Sheffield and Worcester.
The government website has provided a list of events taking place today here.
Peter Stanford, the author of How To Read a Graveyard: Journeys in the Company of the Dead, has written for the Observer today about the rituals of death and the meaning of grief. In it, he says:
However much we feel in the peak of life, with full diaries and every possibility in front of us, the ritual of attending a funeral – or watching one on our screens on a day set aside as a national holiday for us to do so – is both an unconditional invitation to reflect on our own mortality, and an opportunity openly to recall those who have gone in our lives, to mourn them afresh. We will remember, as we watch the Queen’s children and grandchildren try to hold back the tears, how we have done the same in similar circumstances.
And grief for those we loved, and whose death leaves a space never filled in our lives, never ever goes. We just get used to living with it, learning to shed our tears for lost parents, siblings, partners, children, friends, in private rather than in public. The Queen’s funeral will lift that veil for a day at least.
You can read more of Peter Stanford’s piece here: A ritual of life – In mourning the Queen we are confronted with our own mortality
Tonight at 8pm in the UK there is scheduled to be what is described as “a national moment of reflection”, with people urged to observe one minute of silence. That will follow a pre-recorded televised address by the Queen Consort, as Nadeem Badshah reports:
The Queen Consort is to pay a televised tribute to the Queen on Sunday, praising her for carving out her own role for many years while being in the “difficult position” of being a “solitary woman” in a male-dominated world.
In prerecorded words, she will also recall the late monarch’s “wonderful blue eyes” and say: “I will always remember her smile.”
The Queen Consort’s tribute to her mother-in-law is to be broadcast shortly before the national minute’s silence at 8pm.
Camilla will say: “She’s been part of our lives for ever. I’m 75 now and I can’t remember anyone except the Queen being there. It must have been so difficult for her being a solitary woman.
“There weren’t women prime ministers or presidents. She was the only one so I think she carved her own role.”
Remembering the late monarch, Camilla will add: “She’s got those wonderful blue eyes, that when she smiles they light up her whole face. I will always remember her smile. That smile is unforgettable.”
You can read more of Nadeem Badshah’s report here: Camilla to pay tribute to Queen in TV broadcast
Just as a note, if you had missed the news, during this process there had been an accessible route, which started at Tate Britain, and which had timed slots for people with access requirements to be able to play their part in the national mourning.
That has now permanently closed, with all the time slots and wristbands allocated, and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has said:
The accessible queue for lying in state has reached full capacity and is now permanently closed. Wristbands for all time slots are allocated so that as many people as possible can pay their respects. Please do not join the queue at Tate Britain. Thank you for your understanding.
You can read more about that in Charlie Moloney’s report here: Accessible queue for Queen’s coffin permanently closes after reaching ‘full capacity’
How long is the queue?
Currently the DCMS tracker says that people should expect to wait 13-and-a-half hours in the queue to pay their respects to the late monarch.
With the lying in state scheduled to end at 6.30am on Monday morning, that suggests that at some point later this afternoon – at the present time it would be about 5pm – the authorities will have to begin preventing people joining the queue.
Good morning from London. Today is the last full day of lying in state for the Queen’s coffin, ahead of tomorrow’s state funeral.
Heads of state and members of foreign royal families are expected to start arriving in London later for funeral.
The King is also due to hold an audience with Liz Truss at Buckingham Palace, while the King and Queen Consort will host heads of state and official overseas guests at the palace, in what the King’s spokesman described as an “official state event”.
A service of reflection will be held for the Queen at the Kelpies sculptures near Falkirk, Scotland, and members of the public are invited to observe a one-minute silence at 8pm to remember the Queen.
We will bring you all the latest developments throughout the day. I’m Martin Belam, and you can reach me at martin.belam@theguardian.com
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