Britain has come to a standstill on Monday to bid its last farewell to Queen Elizabeth II.
Leaders from all over the world are among the many 2,000 friends at Westminster Abbey right now for the late Queen’s state funeral.
The Queen was Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, on the throne for 70 years, and was additionally the top of state of many different nations across the Commonwealth.
Members of Europe’s royal households might be in attendance, alongside world leaders together with US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Doorways to the abbey opened at 8am, three hours earlier than the beginning of the funeral.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, will ship the sermon whereas Prime Minister Liz Truss will learn John 14: 1–9a, by which Jesus comforts his disciples earlier than his loss of life.
Prayers might be stated by Dr Iain Greenshields, Moderator of the Basic Meeting of the Church of Scotland; Shermara Fletcher, Principal Officer for Pentecostal and Charismatic Relations at Church buildings Collectively in England; Dame Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London and Dean of His Majesty’s Chapels Royal; Canon Helen Cameron, Moderator of the Free Church buildings Group; Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Catholic Archbishop of Westminster; and Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York.
The congregation will sing The Lord is My Shepherd and on the conclusion of the funeral, a two-minute silence might be noticed nationwide.
Church buildings and cathedrals up and down the nation have erected massive screens to broadcast the funeral dwell from Westminster Abbey.
Archbishop Welby advised the BBC that he hoped the Royal Household would “discover a measure of consolation amidst the glare of publicity”.
“Within the readings and the prayers, it is going to be one thing that, once more, I pray will match the Queen’s character and particular person. You may suppose not simply this was a service match for a Queen, this was a service match for this particular person,” he stated.
The previous Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, stated that mourners will “not discover boredom” on the funeral however a “wonderful” and heart-warming occasion.
Lord Sentamu advised the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: “So what you are going to count on is the most effective of funeral providers, the prayer guide service, the phrases which have been an inspiration to Shakespeare.
“So you are going to hear this excellent English at its greatest, additionally you are going to hear angelic voices of the choir of the Abbey plus the Chapels Royal, you actually hear voices which can be singing to the glory of God.
“The Queen doesn’t and didn’t need what you name lengthy, boring providers, you are not going to seek out boredom, however you are going to be lifted to glory as you hear the service.’
He added: “The hearts and other people’s cockles might be warmed and on the identical time, there might be a second of claiming it is a funeral service that’s wonderful in its setting.”
The funeral concludes 10 days of nationwide mourning throughout which church buildings and embassies opened books of condolence.
Some church buildings and cathedrals have deliberate prayer vigils to coincide with the funeral, which is being marked throughout the nation with a financial institution vacation and plenty of store closures.
Large crowds have gathered exterior Westminster Abbey and alongside the path to Windsor Fortress the place she might be interred in St George’s Chapel beside her beloved late husband, Prince Philip.
