Entry to the queue paused
Entry to the queue to see the Queen lying in state has been paused for “at least” six hours, the government has announced.
Members of the public have been warned not to attempt to join the queue until it re-opens.
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN’S LYING-IN-STATE QUEUE UPDATE, 09:50 AM, 16 Sept
Southwark Park has reached capacity. Entry will be paused for at least 6 hours. We are sorry for any inconvenience.
Please do not attempt to join the queue until it re-opens.
Check back for further updates pic.twitter.com/XMpyhOrme7
— Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (@DCMS) September 16, 2022
Key events
Hundreds of people are continuing to enter Southwark Park to queue to see the Queen’s lying in state despite an announcement from the government that entry to the line has been paused for at least six hours.
A queue attendant said they had yet to receive any instructions to close the gate and stop any more people joining the queue, PA news agency reports.
Steven Morris
Guardian reporter Steven Morris is reporting from Cardiff today ahead of a visit by King Charles to the Welsh capital.
Big police presence at at Llandaff cathedral in Cardiff but no sign of protest here. A man was slightly injured when a coach collided with a barrier. pic.twitter.com/MtggEPOp9v
— steven morris (@stevenmorris20) September 16, 2022
Patrick Wintour
The wife of the president of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, is expected to represent Ukraine at the Queen’s funeral on Monday [see earlier post] in a sign of the gratitude Ukraine feels for the support Britain has given to Ukrainian forces.
It is deemed too dangerous for her husband Volodymyr Zelenskiy to come to the UK and he will not in person be attending the UN General Assembly in New York.
People wishing to see the Queen’s lying in state in the Palace of Westminster have been warned not to rejoin the queue until it reopens.
The queue to see the Queen’s coffin has been paused for at least six hours, the government has said.
Eight of Queen’s grandchildren to stand vigil beside coffin
The Queen’s eight grandchildren will stand vigil beside her coffin in Westminster Hall for 15 minutes on Saturday night, royal sources have confirmed.
William, the Prince of Wales, will stand at the head of his grandmother’s coffin, while his brother, the Duke of Sussex, at the foot.
At the King’s request, William and Harry will both be in uniform. The other grandchildren will be in morning suits and dark formal dresses with decorations.
William will be flanked by his cousins Zara Tindall and Peter Philips, the children of the Princess Royal, Anne.
Harry will be with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, the daughters of the Duke of York, Andrew.
The Earl of Wessex’s children Lady Louise and Viscount Severn will stand near the middle of their grandmother’s coffin.
Entry to the queue paused
Entry to the queue to see the Queen lying in state has been paused for “at least” six hours, the government has announced.
Members of the public have been warned not to attempt to join the queue until it re-opens.
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN’S LYING-IN-STATE QUEUE UPDATE, 09:50 AM, 16 Sept
Southwark Park has reached capacity. Entry will be paused for at least 6 hours. We are sorry for any inconvenience.
Please do not attempt to join the queue until it re-opens.
Check back for further updates pic.twitter.com/XMpyhOrme7
— Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (@DCMS) September 16, 2022
Patrick Wintour
Mohammed bin Salman will deliver his country’s condolences to the royal family after the death of the Queen, a source has told the Guardian, but there has been no confirmation about whether he will attend the funeral service at Westminster Abbey.
It will be the Saudi crown prince’s first visit to the UK since the murder of the Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018 and the subsequent British imposition of sanctions. These included travel bans on a group of courtiers close to the crown prince due to their alleged involvement in the killing inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
No explanation was given by UK or Saudi sources over Prince Mohammed’s detailed weekend plans, but sensitive judgments are still being made on whether his attendance at the funeral would represent an unacceptable security threat or a distraction from the commemoration of the Queen due to the protests his presence may provoke.
Read the full story here.
14-hour queue ‘close to capacity’
Members of the public who plan to join the queue to attend the Queen’s lying in state at the Palace of Westminster may expect to wait for at least 14 hours.
According to the government tracker, the queue is currently approximately 4.9miles long (7.9km).
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has warned that the queue may soon be paused.
If Southwark Park reaches capacity then entry to the queue will be paused, it said.
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN’S LYING-IN-STATE QUEUE UPDATE, 09:08AM, 16 Sept
Southwark Park is extremely busy. Entry to the queue will be paused if it reaches capacity
If you are planning to join, please consider waiting until numbers have reduced
Tracker: https://t.co/T7se5mW4tD pic.twitter.com/Th6P7uJaHr
— Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (@DCMS) September 16, 2022
A French airport in “the most British of French resorts” is being renamed in honour of Queen Elizabeth II.
The seaside town of Le Touquet-Paris-Plage in northern France is a popular destination for British tourists, including the late Queen who visited the resort with her uncle Edward VIII in the 1930s.
Its local council has decided to pay tribute to the late Queen in memory of the town’s deep connections with Britain and in memory of her visit “during which she practised both horse riding and sand yachting”.
In a statement, the airport said the renaming would “affirm and reinforce its status as the most British of French airports”.
It said:
For 70 years she served her country with commitment, respect and constancy at the same time as she was always attentive to good relations between our two nations, she who spoke French and appreciated our country.
The Queen Consort has reportedly been nursing a broken toe while carrying out royal duties at her husband’s side.
Camilla, 75, is thought to have sustained the injury prior to the Queen’s death and has been in “quite a lot of pain”, according to The Daily Telegraph.
A source told the newspaper:
She is in quite a lot of pain but she is just getting on with it. It is unfortunate timing to say the least but she’s been an absolute trouper.
A spokesperson for the King refused to comment on medical matters.
Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, will travel to London to attend the state funeral for the Queen, according to reports.
Zelenska, the wife of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, is among the 500 heads of state and dignitaries invited to Monday’s service and a reception hosted by King Charles the day before, the Sun reports.
It is thought that her husband will not accompany her to Britain. Zelenska is expected to fly back to Ukraine as soon as the ceremony finishes on Monday, a source told the paper. They added:
Britain is one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies. Her presence at the funeral is a sign of that friendship and mutual respect.
Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, has not been invited to the Queen’s funeral, making Russia one of a small number of countries snubbed by Britain.
Belarus and Myanmar have also been blacklisted, and rulers from Syria, Venezuela, and Afghanistan’s Taliban, have not been invited.
Transport for London (TfL) has announced that three Tube stations will be closed for most of the morning on the day of the Queen’s funeral, Monday 19 January.
Westminster, St James’s Park and Hyde Park Corner stations will be closed to avoid overcrowding on Monday morning. TfL said it will “aim to reopen stations” after the funeral to help people leaving the Westminster area.
Green Park station will be exit-only between 10am and 8pm.
Many buses in central London will be diverted due to road closures. TfL also announced that buses will pull over “if it is safe and practical to do so” and switch their engines off during the one-minute silence on Sunday at 8pm and the two-minute silence at around 11.55am on Monday.
Steven Morris
Crowds have begun to gather outside Llandaff Cathedral, in Cardiff, ahead of the King’s visit. Blue sky but an autumnal chill here.
This is the programme of events today in the Welsh capital:
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King Charles and the Queen Consort will travel to Wales by helicopter, where they will attend a service of prayer and reflection at Llandaff cathedral.
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The couple will then go to the Senedd, where they will receive condolences and meet members of the Welsh parliament.
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From there they will travel to Cardiff Castle where the King will hold a private audience with the Welsh first minister, Mark Drakeford, before attending a reception hosted by the Welsh government. A protest against the monarchy is expected to take place outside the castle.
Queue reaches nearly five miles and 11.5 hours
Members of the public who plan to join the queue to attend the Queen’s lying in state at the Palace of Westminster may expect to wait for at least 11.5 hours.
According to the government tracker, the queue is currently approximately 4.9miles long (7.9km).
What happens today
Hello, I’m Léonie Chao-Fong and I’ll be bringing you the latest developments in the wake of the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Today is D+7. Here’s what to expect:
The Queen’s lying in state continues in Westminster Hall. Hundreds of thousands are expected to pay their respects to the late monarch ahead of her funeral on Monday 19 September.
The King will visit Wales for the first time since ascending the throne. King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, will visit Cardiff, with their tour taking them from Llandaff Cathedral to the Senedd and ending at Cardiff Castle, where they will host a reception, and hear condolences from the Welsh parliament.
King Charles III will then return to London. On his return to Buckingham Palace, he will meet with faith leaders in the Bow Room, before attending a vigil at the Queen’s coffin at Westminster Hall with his brothers and sister.
The Prince and Princess of Wales will visit an army training centre in Surrey in mid-afternoon to meet troops from the Commonwealth who have been deployed to the UK to take part in the state funeral of the Queen.
A vigil hosted by the King and his siblings, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, will take place at 7.30pm at Westminster Hall.
Trump to be invited to memorial service in US – reports
The UK will invite Donald Trump to a memorial service for the Queen in Washington DC, according to a report in the Telegraph. The former president was left off the guest list for Monday’s funeral, as former heads of state are not invited.
All five living former presidents, including Trump, have been invited to attend a service of thanksgiving at Washington’s National Cathedral on Wednesday.
Trump has often expressed his admiration for the Queen. In a tribute published by the Mail Online after the Queen’s death, Trump said: “The whole of civilization is in mourning. The passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the enlightened monarch who reigned over the United Kingdom for 70 years, is a loss felt by billions around the world …
“Spending time with Her Majesty was one of the most extraordinary honors of my life.”
