It is surmounted by The Imperial State Crown, The Orb and The Sceptre and borne by the Bearer Party.
Tenor bell of Westminster Abbey to chime 96 times
Before the service, the tenor bell is tolled every minute for 96 minutes, reflecting the years of Queen Elizabeth II’s life.
Who is who at the service today?
The service is conducted by The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle MBE, Dean of Westminster.
The service is sung by the Choir of Westminster Abbey and the Choir of the Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace, (Joseph McHardy, Director of Music) under the direction of James O’Donnell, Organist and Master of the Choristers, Westminster Abbey.
The State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry are led by Trumpet Major Julian Sandford.
The Fanfare Team of the Household Division Bands is conducted by Lieutenant Colonel David Barringer MBE, Commanding Officer, Household Division Bands.
The organ is played by Peter Holder, Sub-Organist, Westminster Abbey.
Choir sings
The Queen’s coffin has arrived at Westminster Abbey and has been carried inside by the bearer party of Grenadier Guards ahead of the state funeral service.
The short procession from Westminster Hall, to the sound of bagpipes and with Big Ben tolling, took around eight minutes.
As the coffin entered, the Choir of Westminster Abbey sang lines, known as The Sentences, from Revelation 14:13, set to music written by William Croft and used at every state funeral since the early 18th century.
People told not to use phones inside Westminster Abbey
Mourners have been told not to use their phones inside Westminster Abbey.
The order of service reads: “Members of the congregation are kindly requested to refrain from using private cameras, video, or sound recording equipment.
Please ensure that mobile phones and other electronic devices are switched off.
Complete silence at Parliament Square
There was complete silence from the crowd close to Parliament Square, as the State Gun Carriage carrying the Queen’s coffin slowly moved past.
The crowd, momentarily still and with phones held aloft to capture the moment, was around 10-people thick in places, as tens of thousands thronged the streets to say goodbye to the monarch.
Coffin carried into Westminster Abbey
The coffin procession has halted at the West Gate of Westminster Abbey, where the Bearer Part lifted the coffin from the State Gun Carriage and carry it into the Abbey for the State Funeral Service.
Princess of Wales’s necklace
The Princess of Wales is wearing a four-strand pearl and diamond necklace from the Queen’s collection, writes Sarah Royce-Greensill.
She wore the necklace to the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral in 2021, as well as to a party at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the Queen and Prince Philip’s 70th wedding anniversary in 2017.
The choker was originally commissioned by the late Queen using cultured pearls that were a gift from the Japanese government, and she wore it regularly in the 1980s and 1990s.
The Princess paired it with a pair of pearl and diamond earrings also from the Queen’s collection. The earrings were crafted using two of the seven pearls the Queen received as a wedding gift from the Hakim of Bahrain in 1947.
Both the necklace and the earrings were also borrowed by Princess Diana, who wore them together at a state banquet for the Netherlands in 1982.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte arrive at abbey
Christopher Hope is outside Westminster Abbey:
The Queen Consort has just arrived with the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Sussex.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte were with the Princess of Wales.
The party was welcomed by the Dean of Westminster at the Great West door of the Abbey.
After the royal party had passed by ambulance staff took away a Metropolitan police officer who had collapsed along the route between Parliament and the Abbey
All is quiet. The only sound now is the barking of orders to Royal Navy ratings as they prepare to pull the Queen’s coffin to the Abbey.
The pipes start. It is a spine tinglingly sombre occasion.
Uniforms explained
The King and other royals, including the Princess Royal, the Prince of Wales and the Earl of Wessex were all wearing military uniform.
The Duke of York and the Duke of Sussex, who are no longer working royals, wore suits as they marched behind the carriage.
All looked sombre as they followed the carriage towards Westminster Abbey for the Queen’s state funeral.
Pictured: Coffin leaves Palace of Westminster
Princess of Wales arrives
Royal family follow the coffin
The State Gun Carriage conveying the coffin will be flanked by the Bearer Party, Pall Bearers who are found from Service Equerries to The Queen, and detachments of The King’s Body Guards of The Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms, The Yeomen of the Guard and the Royal Company of Archers.
Immediately following the Coffin will be His Majesty The King, Members of the Royal Family and members of The King’s Household.
Prior to the State Funeral Service, the tenor bell at Westminster Abbey will be tolled at one minute intervals, one toll for each year of The Queen’s life, to finish at 10.59am.
Silence in the abbey
There was silence in the abbey except for the distant sound of the tenor bell and the footsteps of guests still taking their seats as the start of the service drew close.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrival
Who is pulling the Queen’s coffin?
The Bearer Party will be found by The Queen’s Company 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards. Ten Pall Bearers will be found from former Equerries to The Queen.
A tri-Service Guard of Honour of 3 Officers and 53 Rank and File from each Service with Colours draped, and accompanied by a Band of the Royal Marines with Drums draped and muffled will be mounted in Parliament Square.
The procession will be led by a massed Pipes & Drums of Scottish and Irish Regiments, the Brigade of Gurkhas, and the Royal Air Force numbering 200 musicians.
Wreath made up of spring from late Queen’s wedding bouquet
At His Majesty The King’s request, the wreath contains flowers and foliage cut from the gardens of Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Highgrove House.
This includes foliage chosen for its symbolism:
Rosemary for remembrance; Myrtle, the ancient symbol of a happy marriage, and cut from a plant that was grown from a sprig of myrtle in Her Late Majesty’s wedding bouquet in 1947;
And English oak, which symbolises the strength of love.
Also included are scented pelargoniums; garden roses; autumnal hydrangea; sedum; dahlias; and scabious, all in shades of gold, pink and deep burgundy, with touches of white, to reflect the Royal Standard, on which it sits.
Again at His Majesty’s request, the wreath is made in a totally sustainable way, in a nest of English moss and oak branches, and without the use of floral foam.
Her Majesty’s coffin begins procession
Her Majesty’s Coffin will be taken in procession from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey.
The coffin will be borne on the State Gun Carriage of the Royal Navy drawn by Naval Ratings.
The State Gun Carriage is a field gun carriage that has been in the care of the Royal Navy since 1901, when it was removed from active service for the funeral of Queen Victoria.
The State Gun Carriage has also been previously used for the funerals of King Edward VII, King George V, King George VI, Winston Churchill, and Lord Mountbatten.
As on previous occasions, the Gun Carriage will be drawn by Royal Naval Ratings who are service personnel.
The Coffin will be draped with the Royal Standard, upon which the Imperial State Crown and Regalia along with a wreath of flowers are laid.
Coffin carried out of Westminster Hall
The coffin is being carried out of Westminster Hall, to be placed on the gun carriage.
Princess Royal arrives
The Princess Royal and her husband, Tim Laurence, passed Horseguards Road in a car at 10:26am.
The car was part of a convoy of four black cars with two police motor bikes on either side of the convoy.
They came from The Mall and drove towards Westminster Abbey.
Carrie Johnson’s dress
Carrie Johnson is wearing a square-neck Karen Millen dress that is available to buy for £109, writes Melissa Twigg.
She has added her own suede belt on top and is carrying a Grace Han bag that retails at £2,250.
Sarah Ferguson, Zara Tindall and other royals arrive
Members of the Royal family, including Sarah Ferguson and Zara Tindall, have arrived.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte spotted
Prince George and Princess Charlotte have been spotted, being driven through Westminster in a car with the Queen and the Princess of Wales.
