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Queen Elizabeth II lies in state at UK parliament prior to 19 September funeral

Staff Writers

The hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II arrives at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday

Senior royals including King Charles, the Prince of Wales and Prince Harry will lead a procession as the late Queen is taken to lie in state at parliament.


King Charles will be joined by his two sons, Princes William and Harry, and other senior royals for a solemn procession as the late Queen Elizabeth is taken from Buckingham Palace to lie in state at parliament.


After the Queen's death last week at her summer home of Balmoral Castle in Scotland, her coffin was taken to Edinburgh for a series of poignant ceremonies. 


It was flown to London and taken to Buckingham Palace, where Charles and all the senior members of the royal family have gathered - the first time they have all been together since the monarch died.


"It has been an honour and a privilege to accompany her on her final journeys," said Princess Anne, 72, who flew down from Scotland alongside her mother's coffin. 


"Witnessing the love and respect shown by so many on these journeys has been both humbling and uplifting."


British parliamentarians swore allegiance to King Charles III on Saturday, as did politicians in the Australian state of Victoria on Tuesday as required by their constitution. Australia's federal parliament went into recess out of respect for the passing of the monarch, with the nation a constitutional monarchy. Federal member for Mallee in north-western Victoria, Anne Webster, spoke of Her Majesty's legacy for the nation:



Australia will mark the Queen's death with a one-off public holiday on Thursday, September 22nd to coincide with a national memorial service to be staged once Prime Minister Albanese returns from the September 19 funeral in London.


Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared on Monday his nation would similarly observe a public holiday as a day of mourning, but on the funeral date of 19 September.


The Queen's death, at the age of 96, has plunged the Commonwealth into mourning for a monarch who had reigned for 70 years. 


Tens of thousands of people lined the streets of London in driving rain to watch as the oak coffin, covered by the Royal Standard flag, was taken by hearse from an air force base to the palace.


Inside the palace to receive it were her children, grandchildren and their spouses, along with the children of Elizabeth's late sister Margaret. The coffin was taken overnight to the Bow Room where a rota of chaplains will keep watch over it.


On Wednesday afternoon, the Imperial State Crown will be placed on top, along with a wreath of flowers. Prayers will be said with Charles and other royals present.


At 2.22pm (11.22pm AEST), the coffin will be placed on a gun carriage of the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery to be taken through central London to Westminster Hall.


Charles will walk in silence behind the carriage with the other senior royals, including his siblings Anne, Andrew and Edward.


Also in the procession will be his son William, 40, now the Prince of Wales, and Harry, 37, the Duke of Sussex.


Kate - William's wife and now the Princess of Wales - and Harry's wife, Meghan, will travel by car, as will Charles' wife Camilla, now the Queen Consort.


With much of central London closed to traffic, large crowds are expected to line the route to watch Wednesday's procession, which will be accompanied by guns firing every minute at Hyde Park, while parliament's Big Ben bell will toll.


When the cortege reaches Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster, the coffin will be carried inside by soldiers from the Grenadier Guards. There will be a short service conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual head of the Anglican Church.

Four days of lying in state will then begin until the funeral on September 19.


The full-scale, ceremonial procession on the day of the Queen's funeral is likely to be one of the biggest the country has ever witnessed.


With as many as 750,000 mourners expected to file past the coffin during its period of lying-in-state, people have already begun queuing to pay their final respects, with the government warning they faced a long and arduous wait.


The Scottish government said about 33,000 people had filed past the coffin during the 24 hours it was at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh.


The hundreds of thousands predicted to join the line will be asked to queue for up to 7.5km along the southern bank of the River Thames.


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