ens of thousands of mourners are queueing for the Queen’s lying in state while the King was taking a day away from public duties ahead of Monday’s funeral.
Members of the public can pay their respects to the late monarch’s coffin for 24 hours a day at Westminster Hall, with queues stretching 3.8 miles pastTower Bridge by 11.45am on Thursday.
The Queen’s coffin continues to be guarded at all hours by units from the Sovereign’s Bodyguard, the Household Division or Yeoman Warders of the Tower of London.
One of the guards suddenly collapsed overnight, with nearby officials quickly rushing to his aid after he appeared to faint.
Metropolitan Police officers, volunteers and stewards are managing the queue while toilets and water fountains are provided at various points along the route.
It was the first night people could pay their respects to the Queen after the ancient hall opened at 5pm on Wednesday.
Meanwhile rehearsals have taken place overnight for the late monarch’s funeral on Monday.
Live updates
Princess Royal arrives in Glasgow / Cambridges arrive in Sandringham
Princess Anne has arrived in Glasgow. The Princess Royal will view flowers left for the Queen, as will the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge who are visiting the royal estate in Sandringham.
Princess Anne, the Princess Royal
/ Getty ImagesBell to ring in new King
Lloyds of London is to sound the Lutine Bell to mark the death of the Queen and the reign of Britain’s new King.
A single ring of the historic bell will mark the death of Queen Elizabeth II and start the ceremony at the central London headquarters of the insurance and reinsurance marketplace.
The bell will also be rung twice to acclaim the new King Charles III and will bring Thursday’s ceremony in the underwriting room to an end.
The Lutine Bell inside Lloyds of London
/ PA ArchiveA spokesman said the ceremony – which is open to Lloyd’s passholders, including members of the Lloyd’s market and employees of the Corporation of Lloyd’s – will provide a chance for people to come together to remember the Queen and express support for the new King.
The bell, which is now only rung rarely, was salvaged from HMS Lutine, whose shipwreck in 1799 was one of Lloyd’s largest and most famous claims, cementing its reputation for being able to settle any claim.
The Lloyd’s building, the underwriting room and all global offices will close for the Queen’s state funeral on Monday.
Queue now up to four miles long
The queue has now turned a corner towards St Saviour’s and measures around four miles – its longest distance yet.
Members of the public file past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II
/ PAMosque breaks into national anthem
London Central Mosque
/ PA Archive/PA ImagesA service at London Central Mosque sang the national anthem, God Save The King, in what organisers said was a first in a UK mosque since the Queen’s death.
Organisers of the gathering to honour the life of the Queen and mark the accession of King Charles III, held in London’s Regent’s Park mosque, said it was the first time since the Queen’s death that God Save The King has been sung in a UK mosque.
‘The longest handshake I ever shot’
Paul Faith’s historic photograph of the Queen shaking hands with Northern Ireland’s then deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness in 2012 (Paul Faith/PA)
/ PA ArchiveThe sole photographer to capture the historic moment the Queen greeted Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness has recalled it as the longest handshake he has ever shot.
Paul Faith, from Co Antrim, was asked to take the image of the monarch’s meeting with the former IRA commander inside the Lyric Theatre in Belfast in 2012.
The handshake between the Queen and Mr McGuinness, who was then Stormont deputy First Minister, was a highly symbolic gesture and is considered a landmark moment in Northern Ireland’s peace process journey from conflict toward reconciliation.
The PA news agency was asked to photograph the encounter and Mr Faith, who was then PA’s main photographer in Northern Ireland, was given the high-profile assignment.
Uefa could investigate Rangers
Uefa is yet to decide whether to investigate Rangers’ decision to play the national anthem at Ibrox before their Champions League defeat by Napoli.
In defiance of instructions from the governing body, the anthem was sung to commemorate the death of the Queen before Wednesday night’s 3-0 defeat.
Uefa has told the PA news agency that action will only be considered once it has received the necessary information from its match delegate.
A passionate rendition of the anthem followed a minute’s silence at Ibrox that had been permitted by Uefa, which at the same time rejected requests from some clubs to play God Save The King.
A vast silhouette of the Queen amid the colours of the Union Jack could be seen behind one of the goals before the game kicked off.
Queue at nearly four miles
The length of queue of people queuing to see the Queen’s coffin in Westminster now stretches to nearly four miles.
Members of the public in the queue on Lambeth Bridge
/ PAWho is Trudy Lin and why did she get an invitation to the Queen’s funeral?
Dr Lin is one of 10 additional Australians who received an invite.
This is her story.
Highgrove: Where the King is spending a day of rest and reflection
King Charles is taking time away from public action as he prepares for his mother’s funeral.
He is taking a day of rest and reflection in Highgrove. Find out more about the setting, here.
The Gloucestershire estate is something of a sanctuary for Charles
/ POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesMourners who queued overnight describe ‘serenity’ in Westminster Hall
The queue on the South Bank near to Tower Bridge (Aaron Chown/PA)
/ PA WirePeople have travelled from all over the country and waited since 1am to view the Queen lying in state.
See the full article here.
