Queen's coffin arrives at Buckingham Palace

The US House of Representatives has just observed a moment’s silence for the Queen.

The lower chamber of Congress passed a bereavement resolution in honour of the late British sovereign, before adjourning for the day.

Congressional leaders from both parties last week issued statements of tribute to the Queen.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, said the monarch “was a pillar of leadership in the global arena and a devoted friend of freedom”.

House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy said the Queen “represented what it means to lead with conviction, selflessness, and faith in God and in her people”.

The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has been discussing the challenges facing the King and the UK as the country enters a new phase in its history.

Dr Williams told the BBC’s Newscast podcast: “We’re a society staring into a little bit of an abyss in the next few months, where poverty and deprivation for quite a lot of people, are going to be a major issue.”

Talking about the role of King Charles III, he said: “I think it is crucial that the new King give the message... that he's committed to a society where nobody gets forgotten.”

He went on to say: “Lots of communities are faced with really impossible choices about energy, about food, about their general security. It’s the biggest thing I know on the agenda of the new prime minister and the new government. It’s a watershed moment for them just as much as for the monarchy.”

Dr Williams said: “If we can get through this winter without collapse, we can manage with all those pressures, we will have sent a very important message to the other end of Europe that we are prepared to face some constraints for the sake of Ukraine.”

Last Thursday, the government set out its energy support plan which included limiting energy bill rises for all households for two years, and six months for businesses.

Newscast’s full interview with Dr Williams is available on BBC Sounds.

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A small but extremely dedicated crowd are already waiting at the front of the queue for the Queen's lying-in-state in London - and I have joined them.

The group has grown to around 100 people and we will be the first to enter Westminster Hall on Thursday evening. For now though, we are waiting on the Albert Embankment Path near Lambeth Bridge, huddling underneath umbrellas and wearing ponchos to shelter from the rain.

Some have been here all day, including 85-year-old Truus Nayman, who is spending the night sat on a bench.

“It’s a very special atmosphere,” she said.

Despite the rain, spirits remain high as people swap stories about the Queen.

There is a real sense of camaraderie as strangers strike up close friendships to support one another as we wait - including holding a spot in the line while neighbours go to the toilet or grab a coffee.

“I’ve got two friends and we will be doing a rota," said Monica Farag.

“These will be my friends forever.”

Westminster Hall is where King Charles III addressed members of parliament and peers on Monday - and where the Queen's coffin will lie in state from Wednesday.

Built in 1097, the building has played a significant role in British history for centuries.

It has hosted the trials of Charles I and Guy Fawkes, Henry VIII's coronation banquet, and speeches by well-known figures such as Nelson Mandela, French President Charles de Gaulle, Pope Benedict, and US President Barack Obama.

The last member of the Royal Family to lie in state at Westminster was the Queen Mother in 2002, when more than 200,000 people queued to view her coffin.

But it is not only royals who have lain in state in Westminster Hall. The same honour was extended to former Prime Minister Winston Churchill following his death in 1965 and to the victims of the R101 airship disaster of 1930.

From Wednesday, the Queen's closed coffin will rest on a raised platform, known as a catafalque, beneath the 11th Century hall's medieval timber roof.

Each corner of the platform will be guarded in a continuous vigil by soldiers that serve the Royal Household.

The coffin will be draped in the Royal Standard and once in Westminster Hall it will be topped with the Imperial State Crown, orb and sceptre.

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Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

The Queen's coffin is now at rest at Buckingham Palace.

The 775-room palace was her primary residence from the year of her coronation in 1953 until the beginning of the Covid pandemic in 2020.

But the late monarch is said to have held mixed feelings towards the grand home.

According to royal biographer Penny Junor in her book The Firm, the Queen had originally wanted to settle in Clarence House in London - where she had lived with her late husband Prince Philip after they were married in 1947.

But following her coronation in 1953, Sir Winston Churchill, the prime minister at the time, pushed for the couple to move to Buckingham Palace, according to Junor.

The Queen went onto live in Buckingham Palace's private quarters until 2020, when she made the move to Windsor Castle at the start of the pandemic.

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The Queen's coffin will travel from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on Wednesday afternoon, where she will lie in state for four days.

The King, his two sons Princes William and Harry, and other senior royals will walk behind the coffin.

Watch the route the procession will take below:

The King will be joined by his sons Princes William and Harry in a procession accompanying the Queen’s coffin from Buckingham Palace to Parliament on Wednesday.

The procession will leave the palace just after lunchtime and will arrive at Westminster Hall, where the Queen will lie in state for four days.

The King will also be joined by his siblings Prince Andrew, the Princess Royal, and the Earl of Wessex.

Peter Phillips, vice admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of Gloucester and the Earl of Snowdon will also walk behind the coffin.

Camilla, the Queen Consort, the Princess of Wales, the Countess of Wessex and the Duchess of Sussex will travel to the hall by car.

A short service lasting around 20 minutes will be led by the Archbishop of Canterbury accompanied by the Dean of Westminster.

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Authorities in London are preparing for huge numbers of people to pay their respects to the Queen as she lies in state in Westminster Hall for four days from Wednesday.

Dozens of people in hi-vis jackets lined the queueing route, snaking along the South Bank past St Thomas’ Hospital and across Lambeth Bridge to the Palace of Westminster.

Poorna was one of those working on the bridge. He arrived at 6am for a 13 hour shift. "There's a night shift too," he said. "It's going to be a long one."

On the north side of the river, rope lines are staked out in the grass of Victoria Tower Gardens, south of the Palace of Westminster. Forklifts drop off portable toilet blocks in the garden while security stand guard.

Police have arrived from across the country to help with the operation - with vans from the Lancashire Constabulary sitting just off Parliament Square.

The route for people queuing to see the Queen lying in state at Westminster Hall in Parliament has been released by the government.

The line will start at Albert Embankment near Lambeth Bridge, and could stretch all the way to Southwark Park in south-east London.

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Those queuing are asked not to attempt to save a place for someone else, or leave personal items unattended, or put up tents.

Once people reach the front of the queue, they will have to go through airport-style security before entering Parliament.

Get more details here.

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• An estimated 33,000 mourners paid their respects to the Queen at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, where she had been lying in rest since Monday
• The Queen's coffin was moved to Edinburgh in the afternoon, and was then flown to RAF Northolt in west London
• Princess Anne, who accompanied the coffin, released a statement saying she was "fortunate to share the last 24 hours of my dearest mother’s life"
• Thousands of people lined the streets between the RAF airbase and Buckingham Palace to catch sight of the Queen’s hearse
• Her coffin was met with cheers as it arrived at Buckingham Palace, where it was met by members of the Royal Family
• Earlier, King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, visited Belfast where the monarch met the Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris, as well as other party and religious leaders.
• They then attended a prayer service before returning to London

AFP via Getty ImagesCopyright: AFP via Getty Images

The Queen's coffin will rest in Buckingham Palace's Bow Room tonight, where it will be watched over by a rota of chaplains.

The red-carpeted room in the west wing of the palace is named after the window that runs along its side.

The late Queen hosted various distinguished guests in the Bow Room, including former US president George Bush, Premier League footballers, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, and the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team.

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Earlier today, the Queen's coffin was flown from Edinburgh to RAF Northolt in west London.

From there, with thousands of people lining almost every part of the route, her hearse made its way to the palace in central London.

Take a look:

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King Charles III and Queen Consort have left Buckingham Palace after witnessing the arrival of the Queen's hearse a short time ago.

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The sound of helicopters whirred above.

The crowd held their phones in the air, the rain continued to fall - and then she arrived.

As she made her final homecoming, some of the thousands who'd gathered outside Buckingham Palace wiped away tears, as Queen Elizabeth returned to her official residence one last time.

For the family, an evening of private mourning. For the many gathered here, a poignant chapter as the nation says goodbye.

This is the moment the Queen's coffin is greeted by huge crowds on its arrival at Buckingham Palace in central London.

Take a look:

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A huge cheer went up as the Queen’s hearse passed those waiting beside the palace.

After a previously sombre atmosphere came a respectful celebration of the late Queen.

Applause and shouts of “rest in peace” also met the cortège as it proceeded towards the Mall and round the Victoria Monument.

Shouts of "hip, hip, hooray!" were also heard.

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The Queen's coffin has arrived at Buckingham Palace to cheers from the crowd.

Alongside King Charles III, the hearse is being received by Princes William and Harry and other members of the Royal Family.

Thousands of people lined the 14-mile route as the hearse travelled from RAF Northolt in west London.

The sound of a helicopter is providing the crowd outside the palace with a sign the Queen’s cortege is nearby.

The atmosphere remains muted and sombre.

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After a flurry of royal arrivals, there’s just a smattering of chatter among the crowd assembled outside the palace.

Some people are streaming live footage of the Queen’s coffin as it is conveyed through west London.

Others speak about the Queen and members of her family they’ve seen arriving.

Meanwhile, media from all over the world are broadcasting nearby.