Queue for Queen's lying in state closed as funeral approaches
Watch ITV News' live coverage as the last mourners queue to pay their respects to the Queen Lying in State in Westminster Hall
The queue to see the Queen Lying in State has closed as the last mourners pay their respects ahead of the funeral.
The late monarch’s coffin in Westminster Hall is being viewed by the public until 6.30am on Monday, ahead of the state funeral in Westminster Abbey.
Thousands of people have made the steady pilgrimage across central London to pay their respects to the late monarch over the past four days.
US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden were among the mourners who paid their respects at Westminster Hall.
The couple - who touched down at Stansted Airport on Saturday evening - were spotted on the balcony of the hall on Sunday afternoon.
Correspondent Geraint Vincent spoke to the last mourners queuing for the Queen's lying in state earlier on Sunday
Despite the DCMS advice on Sunday morning not to set off to join the queue, a steady stream of mourners continued to pass along Lambeth Palace Road in south London under sunny skies. The London Ambulance Service said it treated 368 patients along the route on Saturday, of whom 55 were taken to hospital.
The Metropolitan Police has said that many roads in central London will be closed tomorrow, as mourners descend on the capital for the Queen’s funeral.
Joe and Jill Biden at Westminster Hall, paying their respects to the Queen
In a tribute released on Sunday afternoon, the Duke of York hailed the late monarch for her “knowledge and wisdom infinite, with no boundary or containment”, adding: “I will miss your insights, advice and humour”.
He described the Queen as “Mummy, Mother, Your Majesty, three in one” and said it had been an “honour and privilege” to serve her.
“Mummy, your love for a son, your compassion, your care, your confidence I will treasure forever," he said.
As the tributes to the late Queen poured in, world leaders signed a book of condolence at Lancaster House in London.
At 8pm, the country fell silent to remember the Queen, with people marking the occasion privately at home, on their doorstep or street, or at community events and vigils.
It came shortly after the Queen Consort pays a televised tribute to the late monarch, recalling her “wonderful blue eyes” and saying: “I will always remember her smile.”
The Queen Consort, in pre-recorded words on the BBC, spoke of how Queen Elizabeth II was a “solitary woman” in a male-dominated world.
She will add: “I can’t remember anyone except the Queen being there.”
Meanwhile, Liz Truss held an audience with King Charles III before attending his reception for visiting heads of state at Buckingham Palace.
The PM also met Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Polish president Andrzej Duda in Downing Street.
And the Princess of Wales met with the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska at Buckingham Palace in the afternoon.
Speaking about the plans for the day, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the Chief of the Defence Staff, said that over 10,000 people from the military will be involved in the Queen’s funeral.
The DCMS has said the historic occasion will be shown on giant screens in various locations across the UK – from London’s Hyde Park to Coleraine Town Hall in Northern Ireland.
Around 125 cinemas will also be screening the event – along with Sky News, ITV and the BBC for people watching from home.
On Saturday evening, the Queen’s eight grandchildren together staged a heart-rending evening vigil around their beloved grandmother's coffin.
The Prince of Wales, at the head of the coffin, with his brother the Duke of Sussex at the foot, both in the Blues and Royals No 1 uniform, stood with their heads bowed in her honour in sombre silence in the vast Westminster Hall.
Prince William, who is the future King, was flanked at the corners by his cousins Zara Tindall and Peter Philips.
Prince Harry was between Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, with 18-year-old Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn – the Queen’s youngest grandchild who is just 14 – at the middle on either side of the coffin.
The grandchildren, invited by the King, had wanted to pay their respects as their parents had done the evening before.
At Westminster Abbey, final preparations are being put in place ready for the funeral on Monday.
The remarkable life of the Queen remembered in our latest episode of What You Need To Know