The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is urging people not to travel to join. During the night, the waiting time to see the coffin passed 25 hours. Important events Show only key events Please enable JavaScript to use this feature
Truss will meet world leaders ahead of the Queen’s funeral
Liz Truss is holding the first of her confirmed meetings with world leaders today as they make the trip to the UK for the Queen’s funeral. The prime minister will speak to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Australian leader Anthony Albanese on Saturday, with talks framed by No 10 as talks rather than formal bilateral meetings. Downing Street suggested it would be an opportunity to offer condolences on the Queen’s death, with politics likely to emerge. The first of the weekend’s meetings will be based at the government’s Chevening country home, instead of Cheques, which is said to be undergoing routine maintenance following Boris Johnson’s departure. Ardern said the Queen’s death and the new king would be the “focus of the discussion”, with the pair also discussing Ukraine and the UK’s free trade deal with New Zealand. The conversation between Truss and Albanese may also touch on trade, with the countries last year signing a deal estimated by the government to be worth £2.3bn to the UK economy. Truss also has a packed schedule on Sunday, with plans to meet US President Joe Biden, Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Polish leader Andrzej Duda in Downing Street. Truss previously met with Biden as secretary of state, but this will be their first face-to-face conversation since becoming prime minister. It will take place amid disputes over the Northern Ireland Protocol and difficulties over a trade deal with the White House. The controversial post-Brexit treaty is also likely to come up when he speaks to Martin, amid strained relations between the two countries over trade arrangements. Meanwhile, China’s foreign ministry confirmed that the country’s vice president, Wang Qishan, will attend the state funeral on Monday, instead of leader Xi Jinping. He is not expected to be among those meeting Truss during the visit. The Queen’s grandchildren will stand guard around her coffin in Westminster today, hours after their parents held their own vigil. Specifically, the Duke of Sussex will join his brother, the Prince of Wales, in uniform around the casket at Westminster Hall. Harry, who saw action on the front line during two tours in Afghanistan, has previously turned down the chance to don his military uniform as he publicly mourns the fact that he is no longer a working royal. Despite being a former army officer, he wore civilian dress for official events, including walking behind his grandmother’s coffin on Wednesday when it was taken to Westminster Hall to lie in state. However, royal sources say the king has decided his youngest son will wear uniform for the vigil, saying he will stand at the foot of the coffin, with William at the head. On Friday night, the Queen’s children, Charles, the Duke of York, Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex, took part in their own vigil. Past members of the public as King Charles III, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex hold a vigil by the coffin of their mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Photo: Yui Mok/AP Updated 08.12 BST People line up to pay their respects in the early hours of Saturday. Photo: Olivier Hoslet/EPAMembers of the public using blankets to keep warm. Photo: Toby Melville/Reuters Members of the public file past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II at midnight in Westminster Hall. Photo: Sean Smith/The Guardian Updated at 08.15 BST
Don’t travel to join the queue, the government urges
The queue to see the Queen’s coffin is now “almost at capacity” with waiting times of more than 24 hours, the government has warned. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is urging people not to travel to join. During the night, the waiting time to see the coffin passed 25 hours. Good morning. Members of the public once again queued through the night to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II, whose coffin remains at Westminster Hall in central London. The government says waiting times are now more than 24 hours and people are being asked not to travel to join the queue until further notice. Last night, three measured taps of the guard’s baton on the stone steps inside Westminster Hall signaled the start of the princes’ vigil as the Queen’s four children, led by the King, marched slowly down, pausing in front of the catafalque. Another triple tap, and they hit it. King Charles, red-eyed and blinking, took his place at the head of the coffin, the Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex on either side of him, and the Duke of York at his feet. Members of the audience continued to slowly file past on both sides as the King and his brothers stood guard. Other members of the royal family, including the Queen Consort and the Countess of Wessex, watched closely. After 15 minutes, and with another triple bang, the four descended and their vigil was over. Today it’s the Queen’s grandchildren’s turn. We’ll bring you updates from this, and any other royal developments, throughout the day.
