The late Queen’s children are mourning her at a special vigil in Scotland and Prince Harry is paying tribute to his “granny”.
Before standing by his mother’s coffin for a traditional service, King Charles accompanied his siblings – Prince Andrew, Princess Anne and Prince Edward – during a procession through Edinburgh.
Read on for all the latest news on the official mourning events – or follow this link to find out about what happens next and Australia’s plans for the public holiday.
Queen’s children stand by coffin
A military bagpiper played as the coffin of the late Queen, draped in the royal standard, was carried from the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
The hearse was flanked by a bearer party of the Royal Regiment of Scotland and a detachment of The King’s Body Guard in Scotland, the Royal Company of Archers.
The Queen’s four children then performed the traditional Vigil of the Princes, standing in silence and forming a circle around the coffin, at St Giles’ Cathedral
The King bowed his head and closed his eyes while standing around the coffin with the Princess Royal and brothers, the Duke of York and Earl of Wessex.
The vigil is a royal tradition. Photo: AAP
Princess Anne’s involvement makes her the first woman to be part of the vigil which, the BBC reported, has until now been carried out by male-only members of the royal family.
The coffin is set to remain at the cathedral until Tuesday so members of the public can pay their respect
Earlier, Charles and his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, were driven from the airport to the royal family’s official residence in Edinburgh, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where the late Queen’s coffin lay overnight in the throne room.
Prince Andrew has rarely been seen since the extent of his involvement with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein was revealed. Photo: Getty
On their way, they passed large crowds packed behind metal barriers along the Royal Mile, the road between Holyroodhouse and St Giles’ Cathedral. Onlookers clapped and waved as the king’s limousine passed.
Charles and Camilla got out of their car at Holyroodhouse and greeted people, and looked at floral tributes before a gun salute boomed from Edinburgh Castle.
Earlier, in London, Charles received condolences at parliament and told MPs he would follow his late mother’s example of “selfless duty.”
Elsewhere, Prince Harry hailed his grandmother as a “guiding compass” and praised her “unwavering grace and dignity.”
His wife, Meghan Markle, announced her podcast would pause to mark the official mourning period.
Meanwhile, the government announced that the nation will observe a minute of the night before the Queen’s state funeral.
The “moment of reflection” will be at 8pm Sunday (5am AEST).
Britons are encouraged to mark the silence at home or at community events.
Hundreds of MPs crowded into the 1000-year-old Westminster Hall at the Houses of Parliament for the service, rich in pageantry, in which parliament offered its condolences to the King, and he replied.
A trumpet fanfare greeted him and the Queen Consort as they entered the hall, which was packed with hundreds of legislators.
Charles told members of the House of Commons and House of Lords that he would follow his late mother in upholding “the precious principles of constitutional governance” that underpin Britain’s political system.
“As I stand before you today, I cannot help but feel the weight of history which surrounds us,” Charles said.
Harry’s tribute
Earlier on Monday, a personal statement posted on Harry and his wife Meghan’s Archwell website said he cherished their times together “from my earliest childhood memories with you, to meeting you for the first time as my Commander-in-Chief, to the first moment you met my darling wife and hugged your beloved great-grandchildren.”
The Prince and Princess of Wales with Harry and Meghan outside Windsor Castle. Photo: Getty
Harry quit as a senior royal and moved to the US two years ago. But on Saturday, there was a sign of a possible reconciliation as Harry and Meghan joined his brother Prince William and sister-in-law Catherineto meet mourners outside Windsor Castle.
On Tuesday, the Queen’s coffin will be flown to London where it will lie in state at the Houses of Parliament Palace from Wednesday until the morning of her funeral on September 19.
Authorities have issued rules and guidelines for people wanting to pay their respects in London, with a long queue expected.
-with AAP
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