Queen Elizabeth’s grandchildren hold vigil around coffin in Westminster Hall

Truss and Biden talks cancelled as ‘full bilateral meeting’ scheduled for Wednesday

On Saturday evening the queen’s eight grandchildren held a vigil around their grandmother’s coffin. Photograph: Andy Hall/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
On Saturday evening the queen’s eight grandchildren held a vigil around their grandmother’s coffin. Photograph: Andy Hall/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

On Saturday evening the queen’s eight grandchildren held a vigil around their grandmother’s coffin ahead of the final day of the lying in state.

Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, joined his brother William, the Prince of Wales, in wearing uniform around the coffin in Westminster Hall.

Prince Harry, who served two tours of duty in Afghanistan, has previously been denied the chance to wear his military uniform in public mourning duties because he is no longer a working royal.

Separately, British prime minister Liz Truss’s meeting with US president Joe Biden on Sunday has been cancelled.

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They will instead attend a “full bilateral meeting” at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, No 10 said.

Ms Truss will still meet Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and Polish president Andrzej Duda in Downing Street on Sunday.

As Britain’s new King greeted members of the public, a man standing behind a metal barrier said taxpayers were funding the monarchy adding “Not my King.” (Reuters)

Meanwhile, people flocked to central London to join a queue to file past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth on Saturday despite a government warning to stay at home to avoid standing in line for hours to see the late monarch’s lying in state.

Tens of thousands of people have already filed past the coffin in a steady, solemn stream, queuing for hours through the dark and cold to pay their respects to Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.

By mid-morning, the culture ministry said the waiting time stood at up to 16 hours to reach Westminster Hall.

Earlier, the ministry had said it would pause entry to the queue if demand became too high, adding at 1am, “please do not travel”.

On Saturday, the king and the prince of Wales greeted mourners in the queue for the queen’s lying in state.

Hundreds of people in line at Lambeth, south London, cheered and applauded as King Charles and Prince William emerged on Saturday afternoon, before the pair thanked those waiting to pay their respects to the late monarch at Westminster Hall.

Separately, leaders from all over the world including Mr Biden are flying to London ahead of the funeral on Monday.

Ms Truss on Saturday spoke with the president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, who expressed his condolences following the queen’s death, her office said.

She was expected to hold a call with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman on Saturday evening.

The prime minister has also met her counterparts from Australia and New Zealand.

Ms Truss spoke with Australian PM Anthony Albanese and New Zealand’s premier Jacinda Ardern at the government’s Chevening country residence on Saturday.

The meetings were being framed by No 10 as chats, rather than formal bilateral sessions, with politics likely to feature.

People flocked to join a queue to file past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth despite the UK government warning to stay at home to avoid standing in line for hours. (Reuters)

On Friday night in Westminster Hall a man was arrested after moving out of the queue to approach the queen’s coffin. Police said the incident occurred at about 10pm, as the live feed from inside the hall cut away for a brief period.

Two thousand people will gather inside Westminster Abbey in London on Monday for the queen’s funeral.

Some 800 people, including members of the queen’s household and Windsor estate staff, will attend the committal service afterwards at 4pm in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.

After the funeral, the king and members of the royal family will walk behind the queen’s coffin to Wellington Arch when it leaves Westminster Abbey, before it is driven to Windsor on the state hearse. — Agencies