Queen's coffin starts journey from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch

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By Phoebe Egoroff

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London has been at a stand-still for several hours as the United Kingdom says goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II at her historic state funeral today.

After the conclusion of her funeral service in Westminster Abbey, the Queen's coffin is now embarking on its next journey to Wellington Arch.

The procession - the size of which has not been seen in 70 years, since the death of King George IV - is being led by the Canadian Mounted Police.

The nation has been preparing for this somber yet momentous occasion since Her Majesty's passing on Thursday, September 8, in Scotland - just two days after meeting newly elected UK Prime Minister, Liz Truss.

Even until the very end, the hardworking monarch remained loyal to her public duties, and will always be remembered as having a long life marked by her sense of duty. She has been succeeded by her eldest child, 73-year-old King Charles III.

Prior to today's funeral, a four-day lying-in-state at Westminster Hall saw thousands of people patiently waiting for over 14 hours to pay their respects to the late monarch. This crowd consisted of numerous high-profile public figures and celebrities, including David Beckham, who appeared teary and emotional as he entered Westminster Hall to pay his respects to the Queen he famously adored.

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Thousands of mourners waited in a miles-long queue for up to 14 hours just to pay their respects to the late Queen. Credit: SOPA Images Limited / Alamy

The lying-in-state was open to mourners for 23-hours-a-day during those four days, and concluded this morning at 06:30AM.

Four hours later the coffin made its way via gun carriage to Westminster Abbey, with bells tolling each minute as a mark of respect for the late monarch.

Queen Elizabeth II's funeral commenced at 11:00AM BST this morning - the service was led by the dean of Westminster, Dr David Hoyle, and included a sermon by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The service was attended by 2,000 people - this included foreign royalty as well as both international and national politicians. POTUS Joe Biden, South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, and Kenyan President, William Ruto were just some of the notable faces in attendance.

The poignant Last Post was played at 11:55AM, followed by a two-minute silence, before the national anthem was played - bringing the extraordinary state funeral to a close.

Now, at 12:15PM, the coffin will slowly make its way to Wellington Arch, 1.5 miles away.

The coffin will then be transferred to a hearse, where the late monarch will make the journey to her final resting place, St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. It was just four years ago that throngs of well-wishers congregated there for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's sunny May 2018 wedding - though today marks a far more solemn occasion. In fact, much of the country is overcast.

Queen Elizabeth is expected to arrive there shortly after 3:00PM - the dean of Windsor is expected to conduct a committal service there at around 4:00PM.

The late Queen's family will attend a private service in the evening at around 7:30PM. She will be laid to rest alongside her late husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, who died two weeks before her 95th birthday in April last year.

Featured image credit: Sky/Twitter