Official advice on how to pay tribute to the Queen as mourners gather at Buckingham Palace

Crowds outside Buckingham Palace on Friday morning Credit: PA

Members of the public visiting Buckingham Palace to lay flowers following the death of the Queen have been asked to take the tributes to local royal parks.

Crowds queued in the rain outside the Palace on Friday to lay bouquets, personal notes and candles in memory of the 96-year-old, Britain’s longest-serving monarch.

Those who wish to leave floral tributes will be guided to lay them at dedicated sites in Green Park or Hyde Park, the Palace said.

Flowers left outside the Palace gates will be moved to the Green Park Floral Tribute Garden by The Royal Parks.

At Windsor Castle, mourners visiting to pay their respects encouraged one another to remove the cellophane from the tributes to make them easier to compost when they are past their best.

Floral tributes are being left at Cambridge Gate on the Long Walk and will be brought inside the castle each evening.

Books of condolence

For those who want to pay tribute the Queen online, the royal family added its “Book of Condolence” to the official website, allowing people from all over the world to send messages of support.

The website states: “A selection of messages will be passed onto members of the Royal Family, and may be held in the Royal Archives for posterity.”

There will be no physical books of condolence at any of the royal residences but members of the public can leave their messages at https://www.royal.uk/send-message-condolence

Neither the royal family nor the government will be able to receive books of condolence.

In its national mourning guidance, the royal family said: “There will be opportunities to sign books of condolence at various Town Halls and other locations throughout the UK. Please check with your Local Authority.”

Elsewhere, the Church of England website has opened an online memorial book and encourages people to light a virtual candle for the Queen.

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