In a written message issued by Buckingham Palace, the King said: "Over the last 10 days, my wife and I have been so deeply touched by the many messages of condolences and support we have received from this country and across the world.
"In London, Edinburgh, Hillsborough and Cardiff we were moved beyond measure by everyone who took the trouble to come and pay their respects to the lifelong service of my dear mother, the late Queen.
"As we all prepare to say our last farewell, I wanted simply to take this opportunity to say thank you to all those countless people who have been such a support and comfort to my family and myself in this time of grief."
Royal Household/Ranald Mackechnie
An unseen portrait of the Queen has also been released by Buckingham Palace on the eve of her funeral.
The photograph, taken by Ranald Mackechnie ahead of the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations in May, shows the monarch beaming brightly at the camera in her Windsor Castle home.
She is wearing a blue dress, her favourite three-strand pearl necklace, pearl earrings and her aquamarine and diamond brooches - an 18th birthday present from her father George VI in 1944 which she also wore on the 75th anniversary of VE Day in 2020.
King Charles held a reception at Buckingham Palace on Sunday evening for heads of state attending the funeral. Later, at 20:00, a national minute's silence was observed at homes and doorsteps across the UK.
Many thousands of people have queued this week to see the Queen's lying-in-state, which ended at 06:30 on Monday. The queue was closed to new entrants shortly after 22:40 on Sunday.
At 10:44, her coffin will be taken in procession from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey in the State Gun Carriage of the Royal Navy.
King Charles will walk behind, alongside the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and Earl of Wessex. Behind them will be the Queen's grandsons, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Sussex and Peter Phillips.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte will also attend the Queen's funeral and walk behind the Queen's coffin in procession.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who will give the sermon, told the BBC people could expect "a great deal of grandeur and pomp" from the service but he also hoped it would help the Queen's family "find a measure of comfort amidst the glare of publicity".
"In the readings and the prayers, it will be something that, again, I pray will fit the Queen's character and person. You'll think not just this was a service fit for a Queen, this was a service fit for this person," he added.
Following the service, the coffin will be drawn in a walking procession from the Abbey to Wellington Arch, at London's Hyde Park Corner.
With the route lined with military personnel and police, Big Ben will toll at one-minute intervals as the procession moves slowly through the streets of the capital.
Parliament officials said they were confident the bell would ring out during the procession after investigating a "minor technical issue" which prevented it from striking on Sunday, following the national minute's silence.
Gun salutes will also fire every minute from Hyde Park during the procession and people can watch in person from designated viewing areas along the route.
Once at Wellington Arch, at about 13:00, the coffin will be transferred to the new State Hearse for its final journey to Windsor Castle. There, the Queen's coffin will enter St George's Chapel for a committal service.
Attended by a smaller congregation of about 800 guests, the committal service will be conducted by Dean of Windsor David Conner, with a blessing from the Archbishop of Canterbury.
At a private family service later, the Queen will be buried alongside her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, at the King George VI memorial chapel, located inside St George's Chapel.
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Prince George and Princess Charlotte will attend the Queen's state funeral, according to the order of service.
The two eldest children of the Prince and Princess of Wales will be among 2,000 people gathering in Westminster Abbey to say farewell to the monarch they knew as "Gan Gan".
The second and third in line to the throne will walk in procession behind the Queen's coffin as it is carried by the military bearer party.
Their grandfather King Charles with the Queen Consort will be immediately behind the coffin, followed by the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, then the Duke of York, followed by the Earl and Countess of Wessex, and then the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Nine-year-old George and seven-year-old Charlotte will walk side-by-side behind their parents, followed by their uncle and aunt the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and other members of the Royal Family.
They are also expected to be at the committal service in St George's Chapel, Windsor, later in the day.
Their four-year-old brother Prince Louis, however, is not expected to attend.
Details of the service have been revealed, including the music, which will include the Queen's Piper, Warrant Officer Class 1 (Pipe Major) Paul Burns, playing the traditional lament Sleep, Dearie, Sleep.
Before the service, the tenor bell will be tolled every minute for 96 minutes, reflecting the years of the Queen's life.
One of the hymns - The Lord's My Shepherd, I'll Not Want - was sung at the Queen's wedding, when she married the Duke of Edinburgh in the same abbey in 1947.
The others hymns are: The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Is Ended; and Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.
Prayers will be said by the Reverend Dr Iain Greenshields, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, for "Queen Elizabeth's long life and reign, recalling with gratitude her gifts of wisdom, diligence, and service".
The Bishop of London Dame Sarah Mullally will say a prayer for "our most gracious Sovereign Lord King Charles, Camilla the Queen Consort, William Prince of Wales, and all the Royal Family".
Liz Truss’s government will host the largest gathering of foreign leaders and dignitaries in London for decades, as they arrive in the capital for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday.
Those set to be in attendance include US president Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, France’s president Emmanuel Macron and India’s president Droupadi Murmu.
Jacinda Ardern, prime minister of New Zealand, Australian premier Anthony Albanese, Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro, Italy’s president Sergio Mattarella and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, president of Germany, will also be in the pews.
The service, which will conclude the 10-day national mourning period, will take place at Westminster Abbey in the heart of the capital and be attended by roughly 2,000 people.
The presence of heads of state, representatives of overseas governments, foreign royal families and governors-general will pose huge organisational and security questions.
One senior cabinet minister said: “Whitehall has been planning the funeral for decades but it’s the most complicated logistical occasion you could imagine.”
As well as VIP dignitaries, attendees will include recipients of British awards for valour such as the Victoria Cross and George Cross, alongside senior MPs and peers, bishops and representatives of charities supported by the late monarch.
Almost 200 people who were recognised in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours have also been invited, including community volunteers and those who made extraordinary contributions during the Covid-19 pandemic, along with other emergency services workers.
Although no formal bilaterals will be held because of the national mourning period, Truss is expected to host several meetings.
Truss had been expected to meet Biden on Sunday, but the pair will have their first formal bilateral at the UN General Assembly in New York City later this week.
The UK prime minister on Saturday met Albanese and Ardern at Chequers, her country residence in Buckinghamshire. On Sunday, she was due to meet Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Canada’s premier Justin Trudeau in Downing Street.
Royal figures in attendance will also include Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium and King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway.
Foreign dignitaries will assemble before the event at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea before travelling in shared vehicles to the abbey.
Only a handful of world leaders — including those from Russia, Belarus and Myanmar — were not invited, reflecting the war in Ukraine and a lack of full diplomatic relations with the UK.
No representatives from Syria, Venezuela or Afghanistan were asked to attend, while North Korea and Nicaragua have been invited only at ambassadorial level.
Conservative MPs and peers expressed concerns that an invitation had been extended to Xi Jinping, president of China, although it is likely that vice-president Wang Qishan will represent the country.
Beijing last year imposed sanctions on nine individuals, including five Tory MPs and four organisations in Britain — in retaliation for the UK’s decision to sanction some Chinese officials.
Former Tory party leader Iain Duncan Smith, one of the five sanctioned MPs, said it was “astonishing” that China had been invited given its “huge record of human rights abuses”.
Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will be represented by the country’s foreign minister, while Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Commission is due to attend.
Owing to the Russian invasion, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not expected but first lady Olena Zelenska is set to attend.
The state funeral service, which will start at 11am and last around an hour, will be conducted by the dean of Westminster, Dr David Hoyle.
At the start of the service, the choir of Westminster Abbey, joined by the choir of the Chapel Royal of St James’s Palace, will sing five Sentences — lines of scripture put to music.
Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, will give a sermon, and Truss and Baroness Patricia Scotland, Commonwealth secretary-general, will read lessons from Corinthians and St John’s Gospel. The lessons will be followed in turn by a specially commissioned setting of the psalm “Like as the hart” and the hymn “The Lord is my shepherd”.
Other hymns to be played will include “The day thou gavest, Lord, is ending” and “Love divine, all loves excelling”.
After the service the Queen’s coffin will be escorted to Wellington Arch, at Hyde Park Corner, en route to Windsor Castle, where a committal service will take place at 4pm. That will be led by the dean of Windsor, David Conner. The rector of Sandringham, the minister of Crathie Kirk near Balmoral, and the chaplain of the Royal Chapel at Windsor — representing some of the Queen’s favourite residences — will say prayers.
A private funeral will take place later on Monday evening at the King George VI Memorial Chapel in Windsor Castle and the late monarch will be buried alongside her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.
UK prime minister Liz Truss’s chief of staff says he is co-operating with US authorities, as part of their investigation into a Conservative party donor charged over allegations he illegally provided campaign donations to a former governor of Puerto Rico.
In August, the US Department of Justice charged Julio Herrera Velutini, a Venezuelan banker, with conspiracy, federal programmes bribery and honest services wire fraud, alleging that he provided illegal campaign donations to the then-governor of Puerto Rico, Wanda Vázquez Garced, ahead of the US territory’s 2020 gubernatorial election.
Earlier this month, Herrera Velutini pleaded not guilty to the charges. Vázquez Garced was arrested by the FBI last month and accused of accepting bribes while in office.
Mark Fullbrook, the Downing Street chief of staff who formerly worked as a chief global projects officer for C|T Group, a political lobbying company, said in a statement that he was “fully, completely and voluntarily engaged with the US authorities” as a “witness” in the case.
The indictment by the US Department of Justice claims that Herrera Velutini and an adviser allegedly paid more than $300,000 to political consultants in support of Vázquez Garced’s campaign, and in return the former governor requested the resignation of the then commissioner for the region’s financial regulator.
The DoJ’s indictment alleges Herrera Velutini wanted Vázquez Garced to help quash a probe into his Puerto Rico-based lender Bancredito.
“The criminal actions of the defendants in this case strike a blow to the heart of our democracy and further erode the confidence of our citizens in their institutions of governance,” US attorney W Stephen Muldrow for the District of Puerto Rico said in the indictment.
According to the Sunday Times newspaper, which first revealed Fullbrook’s co-operation with the FBI, Herrera Velutini used the C|T Group to facilitate payments during which time Fullbrook worked for the company as its chief global projects officer.
A spokesperson for Fullbrook said that he is committed to and complies with all laws and regulations in any jurisdiction in which he works and is confident that he has done so in this matter.
“Mark Fullbrook is a witness in this matter and has fully, completely and voluntarily engaged with the US authorities in this matter, as he would always do in any circumstance in which his assistance is sought by authorities,” they said.
“The work was engaged only by Mr Herrera and only to conduct opinion research for him and no one else. Mr Fullbrook never did any work for, nor presented any research findings to, the governor or her campaign. There has been no engagement since.”
Prior to joining No 10, Fullbrook led Truss’s successful leadership campaign and has worked on other Conservative political campaigns such as former prime minister Boris Johnson’s 2019 push for Number 10 and Zac Goldsmith’s failed attempt to win the 2016 London mayoral election.
In recent years, Herrera Velutini donated more than half a million pounds to the Tories via Britannia Financial, his London-based financial services group. The group has not been accused of wrongdoing.
The FBI would not comment, and C|T Group declined to comment.
Additional reporting by Aime Williams in Washington
King Charles III and the Prince of Wales have been chatting to people queuing to see the Queen's coffin as they wait to pay their final respects as she lies in state.
The King and his eldest son took the impromptu walkabout, shaking hands and sharing words of condolence, as they took a brief pause from their schedules in the run up to the Queen's funeral on Monday.
Hundreds of people in line at Lambeth, south London, cheered and applauded as the monarch and William emerged.
Many took photographs and pressed against the metal barriers, eager to exchange a word with the King and the heir to the throne as they shook hands with those closest.
Several also shouted "God Save the King" and "God Save the Prince of Wales" and "we love you William" as each passed by.
One woman clutching a large Paddington Bear soft toy greeted the King, meanwhile some of his security staff asked well-wishers to "put the phones down please guys... enjoy the reality of it", as the new monarch approached a sea of phones held up to film the moment.
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Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales enquired whether some of those queuing were warm enough, telling them he hoped the queue would go fast for them and joking with one well-wisher, "you have very warm hands".
Another announced they had travelled from the Czech Republic, to which the Prince of Wales said: "Unbelievable. She [the Queen] would never believe this, honestly. It's amazing."
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Image:Paddington Bear was there to meet the King and Prince of Wales too
William stayed on longer than his father, teasing the crowd: "My father's way quicker than me." Looking ahead to the future, one woman told him: "You'll be a brilliant king one day."
After the walkabout, the Princess of Wales and Queen Consort joined their respective partners for a lunch with governors-general from the Commonwealth realms.
Kate and Camilla chatted during the diplomatic engagement, which hosted guests including New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Image:The Queen Consort and the Princess of Wales chat
Image:William and Kate at a lunch for governors-general of the Commonwealth nations
Ahead of the walkabout, King Charles had thanked emergency service staff for their work during the mourning period, meeting with London's Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley.
He was also briefed by Deputy Assistant Commissioner Jane Connors and Commander Karen Findlay, who are leading police operations around London ahead of and during the funeral of the Queen. Home Secretary Suella Braverman and mayor of London Sadiq Khan were also present.
Image:King Charles III chats to Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley
At what is clearly a very emotional time for the new king, he has also been busy traveling the United Kingdom, visiting all four corners of the union - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The day after his mother's death on Thursday 8 September, he met new Prime Minister Liz Truss, before addressing the nation in a televised speech.
He went on to attend the Accession Council, held a reception for the Realm High Commissioners and travelled to Scotland where he met First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
Later he travelled to Hillsborough Castle - the monarch's official Northern Irish residence - and attended a service in memory of the Queen at St Anne's Cathedral.
He went on to lead the procession of the Queen's coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on Wednesday, along with his siblings Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Prince Andrew.
On Thursday, the king took a day off from public duties but was said to be busy behind closed doors taking calls from numerous world leaders, offering their sympathies.
Image:King Charles greets crowds in Cardiff
On Friday, King Charles visited Wales, the last stage of a tour of the United Kingdom to acknowledge his status as the new monarch and head of state and to greet the public.
Wales has a particular significance for the new king, who for five decades preceding last week's accession had the title Prince of Wales.
The king returned to London that evening, to stand vigil by his mother's coffin in Westminster Hall along with his three siblings, all wearing military uniforms.
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The four senior royals mounted guard at the four corners of the catafalque, taking turns to watch over the monarch's coffin.
The Queen's eight grandchildren will stand vigil on Saturday evening.
In a break from royal protocol, both Harry and his uncle Prince Andrew have been allowed to wear military uniform when they take their turns, royal officials said.
Famous faces spotted paying tribute include former England football captain David Beckham, who spent 12 hours queuing to see the Queen laying in state, and Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield who filed past the Queen's coffin.
Image:Watch and follow the Queen's funeral on TV, web and apps on Monday from 9am
The plans have been honed over years, a strict timetable of procedure for what will be the biggest state funeral and security operation ever held in the UK.
It will be a day of emotion and sadness, but also a celebration of the monarch's life and 70-year reign, and thousands are expected to line the streets in London and Windsor to pay their respects as she makes her final journey.
Millions more will be watching at home in the UK and around the world as the funeral is televised in what could become the most watched broadcast in history.
It has been 70 years since the death of the previous monarch, Queen Elizabeth II's father George VI, so the vast majority of people in the UK are unaccustomed to the traditions and pageantry that have been on display over the last few days. And for those who do remember her father's reign and death, the Queen's funeral, taking place in the digital age, will be incomparable in scale and much more accessible.
The man in charge of the operation, the Earl Marshal, the Duke of Norfolk, says the state funeral will "unite people across the globe and resonate with people of all faiths", and pay a "fitting tribute to an extraordinary reign".
Here is our guide to the event - from details of the rehearsals and everything happening beforehand to the Queen's burial, other state funerals and the historic significance of the locations.
What time is the Queen's funeral, where does it take place - and why?
Image:Pic: AP/Felipe Dana
After several days of her coffin lying in state, the Queen's funeral will be held at Westminster Abbey in London on Monday, starting at 11am. Poignantly, this is where she married Prince Philip 75 years ago and her coronation also took place here in 1953.
Breaking centuries of tradition, this is the first funeral service for a monarch to take place at Westminster Abbey since the ceremony for King George II in 1760, as they were later held at Windsor. However, the funerals for both Princess Diana and the Queen Mother took place here in 1997 and 2002 respectively.
It is thought the move was chosen by the Queen herself, according to reports, as the venue can hold more people and the London location is better to accommodate crowds.
The funeral will be conducted by the Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle Dean of Westminster, while the sermon will be preached by the Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Choirs of Westminster Abbey and His Majesty's Chapel Royal, St James's Palace will perform under the direction of James O'Donnell, the Abbey's Organist and Master of the Choristers.
What happens before the service?
A continuous vigil of her coffin is kept by the King's Body Guards at the Palace of Westminster. Each watch lasts for six hours, with individuals within those watches keeping vigil for 20 minutes.
The coffin is draped with the Royal Standard, on which lie the Instruments of State, the Imperial State Crown, the Orb and the Sceptre. These will remain for the duration of the event.
A national moment of reflection takes place the day before the funeral, at 8pm on Sunday, and will be marked by a one-minute silence.
Community events and vigils may be organised to observe this across the UK, but people can also mark the moment privately at home or on doorsteps alongside neighbours. Those who want to pay their respects overseas are also encouraged to observe the one-minute silence at 8pm BST.
The Queen's lying in state closes at 6.30am on the morning of the funeral. Following this, her coffin will be taken in a grand military procession from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey, which is closed for preparations until the funeral.
Following the coffin will be the King, members of the Royal Family, and members of the King's household.
And what happens afterwards?
Following the funeral, the Queen's coffin will travel in procession from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch, also known as Constitution Arch, which was built as an original entrance to Buckingham Palace and sits between the corners of Hyde Park and Green Park.
From there, the coffin will travel to Windsor. Here, the hearse will travel in procession to the gothic St George's Chapel, which sits within the walls of Windsor Castle, via the Long Walk. A committal service will then be held at St George's.
This is the church regularly chosen by the Royal Family for weddings, christenings and funerals - where Prince Harry and Meghan were married in 2018 and where Prince Philip's funeral was held just last year.
Later in the evening, there will be a private interment service with senior members of the Royal Family.
Where will the Queen be laid to rest - and will it be with Prince Philip?
The Queen's final resting place will be the King George VI memorial chapel, a small annex to the main chapel at Windsor - where her mother and father were buried, and where the ashes of her sister, Princess Margaret, are kept.
Reports on why Margaret was cremated differ - some say she opted for this as she felt a burial was "too gloomy", others say her decision was influenced by the fact there was not much room left for typical burials.
When Prince Philip died, he was temporarily laid to rest in the Royal Vault at St George's, but will now be moved to the memorial chapel to join the Queen.
The Navy's important role
The procession will involve a total of about 6,000 representatives from all three armed forces, with members of the Navy towing the gun carriage which will carry the Queen's coffin to Westminster Abbey.
This follows the tradition set at the funeral of Queen Victoria in 1902, when horses panicked and a party of sailors were commandeered to haul the carriage through the streets of Windsor.
Since then, the carriage, originally built in 1899, has been kept in an environmentally secure room at HMS Excellent in Portsmouth - where its custodian, Lieutenant Commander Paul "Ronnie" Barker turns its wheels a quarter-turn each week to ensure they do not become bowed by gravity.
And the role of the former head of MI5...
Lord Chamberlain - Baron Parker of Minsmere - is the most senior official of the Royal Household, and the former head of the spy agency.
He headed the Queen's working household and it is his job to ensure the smooth running of all the different departments.
On ceremonial occasions, the Lord Chamberlain carries a white staff and a gold key, the symbols of his office - and tradition dictates that he must now break his staff over the Queen's grave - a symbolic gesture marking the death of the sovereign he serves.
The last Lord Chamberlain to break his staff in this manner was the Earl of Clarendon over King George VI's grave in 1952.
The Queen's journey to Westminster Abbey
On the day of the funeral, after lying in state finishes at Westminster Hall at 6.30am, the doors will be closed in preparation.
Shortly after 10.35am, the Queen's coffin will be lifted and carried in procession to the state gun carriage of the Royal Navy positioned outside the north door.
The gun carriage will then set off at 10.44am, with the route to the abbey lined by members of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines.
A tri-service guard of honour will take place on Parliament Square, accompanied by the band of the Royal Marines.
The procession will arrive at 10.52am and the coffin will be carried into the abbey for the service.
The doors to Westminster Abbey will have opened at 8am to allow the general congregation to take their seats.
The ceremony itself
Invited heads of state and overseas government representatives, including foreign royal dignitaries, will travel collectively from Royal Hospital Chelsea to the abbey.
The funeral will be conducted by the Dean of Westminster, with Prime Minister Liz Truss and the Secretary General of the Commonwealth to read Lessons. The Archbishop of York, the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and the Free Churches Moderator will say prayers.
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What is a state funeral?
The sermon will be given by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who will also give the commendation. The Dean of Westminster will then pronounce the blessing.
Towards the end of the ceremony, at about 11.55am, the Last Post will sound, followed by a two-minute silence to be observed in the Abbey and throughout the UK.
The national anthem will be played and there will be a lament at the close of service at around midday.
The coffin will be followed out by the King, the Queen Consort and members of the Royal Family.
Procession to Wellington Arch
Members of the Royal Family will walk in procession from the abbey to Wellington Arch, where the procession is due to arrive at 1pm.
The King and members of the Royal Family will again follow in the procession, which will also include detachments from the Armed Forces of the Commonwealth. Minute guns will be fired in Hyde Park by the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery.
Big Ben will toll throughout this procession.
At Wellington Arch, the coffin will be transferred from the gun carriage to the state hearse to travel to Windsor. As the procession departs, the parade will give a royal salute and the national anthem will be played. His Majesty The King and Members of the Royal Family will then depart for Windsor.
The Queen Consort, the Princess of Wales, the Duchess of Sussex and the Countess of Wessex will follow by car.
At Windsor
There will be a procession led by a dismounted attachment of the Household Cavalry, with pipers and drums and a band from the Coldstream Guards. Members of the Queen's personal staff will follow.
The route will be lined by the armed forces. Minute guns will be fired and a bell will toll.
The procession will halt at the West Steps of St George's Chapel, and the coffin will be carried inside.
Some 800 people, including members of the Queen's Household and Windsor estate staff, will attend the committal service, which starts at 4pm.
The coffin will be lowered into the Royal Vault as the Dean of Windsor reads a psalm.
The Queen's piper will play a lament as he walks away.
The Archbishop of Canterbury will give a blessing, and the national anthem will be sung.
The burial
The burial service will be entirely private, taking place at 7.30pm and conducted by the Dean of Windsor.
The earth that will be scattered onto the coffin will have been gathered from the royal mausoleum at Frogmore.
How has such a large operation been rehearsed?
In the quiet of the early hours of the morning on Thursday, thousands of military personnel took part in preparations for the procession of the Queen's coffin from Westminster Hall to Wellington Arch.
Bagpipes sounded at 2.45am, marking the start of the procession through the dark and quiet streets of the capital, with many areas sealed off for the operation.
Towed by almost 100 naval personnel and bearing a black coffin, the State Gun Carriage travelled from Westminster Hall, on to Westminster Abbey, and then through central London.
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Stand-in coffin used for funeral rehearsals
While the rehearsal was held early for as much privacy as possible and to avoid disruption, hundreds of mourners who had waited in line overnight to pay their respects to the Queen lying in state got to witness the historic preparations.
Those who were there saw the Scots Guards marching away from New Palace Yard and on to the abbey, followed by sailors pulling the gun carriage using white ropes, and several members of the Household Cavalry on horseback.
Four soldiers stood either side of the coffin as it was taken into Westminster Abbey, where indoor procedures were also rehearsed.
Mournful brass and drums heralded the coffin leaving the venue before the procession moved on to Wellington Arch.
At around 5.20am, the sound of brass playing God Save The Queen rang out from under the arch, before the state hearse departed through the Apsley Gate of Hyde Park between rows of Household Cavalry.
Beethoven's Funeral March and the hymn Jerusalem could be heard before the sun came up.
What is a state funeral and who else has received one?
Image:Pic: AP
A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony held to honour people of national significance. While usually reserved for monarchs in the UK, Britain's last state funeral was that of former prime minister Sir Winston Churchill (pictured above) in 1965.
The Queen herself granted permission for the use of both Westminster Hall and St Paul's Cathedral for his ceremony, acknowledging that the nation should "have the opportunity to express their sorrow" over the death of an "inspiring leader who strengthened and supported us all" during Second World War Two.
Prince Philip, the Queen Mother, Princess Diana and Baroness Thatcher all had ceremonial funerals, which share many of the same features. A ceremonial funeral was also held for King Richard III in 2015 following the discovery of his skeleton under a car park in Leicester in 2012, more than 500 years after his death.
Who will attend (and who won't)?
Westminster Abbey can hold up to 2,200 people. On the day of the funeral, world leaders, politicians, public figures and those who worked with the Queen, as well as monarchs from other countries, will join members of the Royal Family to pay their respects.
The Queen's four children - King Charles III, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward - will be present, as will Camilla, the Queen Consort, and the monarch's grandchildren - Princes William and Harry, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn.
Spouses of all close family are expected to be present too, including Catherine, the Princess of Wales, and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.
Prime Minister Liz Truss, Labour leader Keir Starmer and other UK politicians will also attend.
Members of Europe's royal families, from countries including Spain, the Netherlands, Monaco, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, and Greece, are likely to fly to London for the funeral, and about 500 foreign dignitaries are also expected to attend.
US President Joe Biden and his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, were among the first to say they would be there, and French President Emmanuel Macron has also confirmed his attendance.
It is understood all holders of the Victoria Cross or George Cross are able to attend and nearly 200 key workers and volunteers recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours list have also been invited.
Invites have not been sent to Russia, Belarus, Myanmar, Syria, Venezuela or Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, while Iran, North Korea and Nicaragua have been invited only at an ambassadorial level, according to Whitehall sources.
The UK does not have diplomatic relations with Syria or Venezuela, while the political situation in Afghanistan since the Taliban swept to power a year ago means no representative has been invited from Kabul.
Attendance is by invitation only. However, as they did as the Queen's body travelled from Balmoral to Edinburgh, thousands are expected to line the funeral cortege route and millions around the world will watch at home on TV.
Security for the event
The complexity of organising the funeral, with dignitaries from around the world expected, has been compared by Whitehall insiders to organising hundreds of state visits within a matter of days, while normally there might only be two or three a year.
It presents a huge logistical, diplomatic and security challenge, with practice runs taking place in the dead of night.
The complex seating plan could only be formalised once guests had responded to the invitations - the deadline was on Thursday.
Air Marshal Edward Stringer, a former director of operations for the Ministry of Defence, was involved in revising the planning for Operation London Bridge back in 2017, and says procedures will have been revised and updated regularly since then.
Plans are carried out in accordance with the monarch's wishes, he says - and gives the example of the Queen approving for her body to be flown on a C-17 cargo plane, the same used for aid missions in Ukraine and for evacuations in Afghanistan, in the event it needed to be.
According to reports, the Queen said that if the plane was "good enough for my boys, it's good enough for me".
The funeral will be the "biggest security operation ever mounted" and the plans are "given regular revisits... and of course the sad passing of the Duke of Edinburgh during the pandemic will have made the whole business very real again".
One example of changes that have been made recently includes the announcement that NHS workers will be involved, Air Marshal Stringer said. "Well, that wouldn't have happened pre-pandemic. So [the plan] is continually revised and of course will be revised again in light of what King Charles wants."
The scale of the operation is "unprecedented" with "global public interest", he added.
"The plan is nothing, the planning is everything. Lots of planning and repeating the planning - you think through all the contingencies and what might happen and the plan itself might always have to change within the last week, but at least if you've thought about all possible options, you can adjust quite quickly."
One aspect to consider is so many heads of state being in the same place at the same time.
"You have an unprecedented collection of global VIPs - and it's the British state's responsibility to look after them. There's a lot to consider."
Transport
People travelling to London by train are being urged to stay for lunch to avoid mass crowds at Tube and train stations once the procession leaves the centre.
A full weekday timetable will operate, with about 250 additional services, including some overnight trains.
Transport for London (TfL) said most Tube lines will remain open for an additional hour until about 1am on the night of the funeral, to ensure people can "travel around the capital safely".
On the roads, National Highways will pause any planned closures of motorways serving London until after the funeral.
Martin Fellows, who is leading the organisation's planning for the mourning period, said some of the worst potential congestion hotspots on motorways are the M25 and roads feeding into London such as the M1, M3, M4, and M11.
He advised motorists to "allow plenty of time for your journey" and make sure vehicles are "well prepared".
London Victoria coach station and many central London roads will be closed on Monday.
Most National Express coaches due to depart from or arrive at London Victoria will use Wembley Stadium instead, while Megabus will switch to Hillingdon.
More than 100 of Heathrow Airport's flights will be also be cancelled to avoid aircraft disturbing the funeral.
The airport said it wants to ensure the skies over London will be quiet during the two-minute national silence as the Queen's funeral at Westminster Abbey nears its end shortly before noon.
No flights will be allowed to take off or land from 15 minutes before the silence starts until 15 minutes after it ends.
Departures and arrivals will also be halted during the arrival of the funeral cortege and procession at Windsor Castle, and diverted around the castle during the private family service on Monday night.
British Airways - the most-affected airline - will cancel 100 short-haul flights due to the restrictions. Virgin Atlantic said it will cancel four flights.
Heathrow warned that many roads near the airport will be closed on Monday due to the events in Windsor, and passengers are "strongly advised" to use London Underground and rail services to get to and from the airport.
The history of Westminster Abbey and the monarchy
Image:Pic: AP
As an 11-year-old girl, the Queen watched as her father was crowned at the Abbey, a venue that has been linked to the Royal Family since the 11th century, when Edward the Confessor rebuilt the church.
King Edward was the first to be buried here in January 1066. From then until 1760, some 13 kings of England - including Henry V and Henry VII, four reigning queens including Elizabeth I, 11 queen consorts and two other queens, including Mary Queen of Scots - have been buried in the Abbey. Since George II's burial in 1760, royal burials have been at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, or in the nearby mausoleum at Frogmore.
Queen Elizabeth's own coronation also took place here.
The last funeral for a British monarch
Image:Pic: AP
Prince Albert, Duke of York, the second son of King George V and Queen Mary, was proclaimed King in December 1936, following the abdication of his brother Edward VIII over his relationship with American divorcee Wallis Simpson.
He took one of his middle names, George, on succeeding to the throne.
George VI died on 6 February 1952 and his coffin lay in Westminster Hall where a short service was held and more than 300,000 people turned out to pay their respects. His funeral service took place at St George's Chapel in Windsor on 15 February 1952.
The Queen's coffin
The coffin is constructed out of English oak, lined with lead, and was made decades ago, according to experts.
Former Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Prince Philip and Princess Diana all had such coffins made for them, Sarah Hayes, manager for the Coffin Works museum in Birmingham, has said.
"It's to preserve the body for as long as possible, it's really about slowing down the process of decomposition," she said.
This is especially important for the queen because her coffin will be eventually placed in a church, not buried in the ground, she added.
The coffin is made of oak from the Royal Family's Sandringham Estate according to royal tradition, Ms Hayes said.
How will music play a part?
Image:Pic: AP
Funeral marches by classical composers Beethoven, Chopin and Mendelssohn will be played at the ceremony, as they were during the funeral procession for Queen Victoria in 1901, according to a former military music director.
"Everything that we do in state ceremonial is born out of a golden thread of history, heritage and tradition," retired Lieutenant Colonel Graham Jones, former senior director of music for the Household Division, said.
Throughout his 40-year career serving as a military musician and then director of music, Lt Col Jones was responsible for planning, co-ordinating and delivering the music for major state ceremonial events such as the funeral of the Queen Mother, the Queen's birthday parade, and the Armistice Cenotaph Parade.
He said the funeral service at the abbey could reflect the Queen's personal taste in music, which was said to include musicals such as Oklahoma! and show tunes such as Cheek To Cheek, performed by Fred Astaire (pictured above).
"That's a matter between church and monarch, to decide the service and service content, and I know there has been quite a little bit of rumblings in the media about Her Majesty's top 10 favourite tunes and will any of those feature in the service," he said.
