As lying in state is scheduled to end at 6.30am on Monday, this suggests that sometime later this afternoon – currently it will be around 5pm – authorities will have to start stopping people from entering the queue . The DCMS tracker of the queue to see the Queen’s coffin. Updated at 08.15 BST Important events Show only key events Please enable JavaScript to use this feature Away from London, there are many events celebrating the life of Queen Elizabeth II taking place today. These include memorial services held 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 here today. Peter Stanford, the author of How To Read a Graveyard: Journeys in the Company of the Dead, wrote for the Observer today about death rituals and the meaning of grief. In it he says: As much as we feel in the prime of life, with full calendars and every possibility in front of us, the ritual of watching a funeral – or watching one on our screens on a day designated as a national holiday to do so – is such an unconditional an invitation to reflect on our own mortality, as much as an opportunity to openly recall those who have passed into our lives, to mourn them anew. We will remember, as we see the Queen’s children and grandchildren struggling to hold back tears, how we did the same in similar circumstances. And the grief for those we loved, and whose death leaves a space that was never filled in our lives, never goes away. We just get used to living with it, learning to shed our tears for lost parents, siblings, partners, children, friends, in private and not in public. The Queen’s funeral will lift that veil for at least a day. You can read more about Peter Stanford’s piece here: A Ritual of Life – In The Queen’s Mourning We Confront Our Own Mortality Tonight at 8pm in the UK what is being described as a “national moment of reflection” is planned, with people being urged to observe a minute’s silence. This will be followed by a pre-recorded televised speech by the Queen Consort, as reported by Nadeem Badshah: The Queen Consort is to pay a televised tribute to the Queen on Sunday, praising her for carving out her role over many years while in the “difficult position” of being a “lone woman” in a male-dominated world. In pre-recorded words, she will also remember the late monarch’s “beautiful blue eyes” and say: “I will always remember her smile.” The Queen Consort’s tribute to her mother-in-law is due to be broadcast just before the national minute’s silence at 8pm. Camilla will say: “He was part of our lives forever. I am now 75 and don’t remember anyone but the Queen being there. It must have been so hard for her being a lonely woman. “There were no female prime ministers or presidents. She was the only one, so I think she carved out her own role.” Remembering the late monarch, Camilla will add: “She has these beautiful blue eyes, which when she smiles 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 on TV Just a note, if you missed the news, during this process there was an accessible route, starting at Tate Britain, which had timed places for people with access requirements to play their part in the national mourning. This has now been permanently closed, with all time slots and wristbands allocated, and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said: The accessible sunbed queue in condition has reached full capacity and is now permanently closed. Wristbands for all time periods are available so that as many people as possible can pay their respects. Please do not join the queue at Tate Britain. Thank you for understanding. You can read more about this in Charlie Moloney’s report here: Queen’s coffin accessible queue to close permanently after reaching ‘full capacity’
How long is the queue?
Currently, the DCMS tracker says people will have to wait 13-and-a-half hours in line to pay their respects to the late monarch. As lying in state is scheduled to end at 6.30am on Monday, this suggests that sometime later this afternoon – currently it will be around 5pm – authorities will have to start stopping people from entering the queue . The DCMS tracker of the queue to see the Queen’s coffin. Updated at 08.15 BST Good morning from London. Today is the final all-day lying-in for the Queen’s coffin ahead of her state funeral tomorrow. Heads of state and members of foreign royal families are expected to start arriving in London later for the funeral. The King is also due to have an audience with Liz Truss at Buckingham Palace, while the King and Queen Consort will host heads of state and official foreign guests at the palace, in what the King’s spokesman described as an “official state event”. A memorial service will be held for the Queen at the Kelpies sculptures near Falkirk, Scotland, and the public is asked to observe a minute’s silence at 8pm. to remember the queen. We’ll be bringing you all the latest developments throughout the day. I’m Martin Belam and you can contact me at [email protected]
