Claire Heald
Reporting from St James's Palace

We've seen the man who was prime minister until Tuesday walk in. Boris Johnson was in a small wave of former PMs - like Labour's Gordon Brown and Tony Blair.

It’s still extremely quiet and muted within the gates and brick walls, enough to hear the chat of the crowd at the end of the street.

But even politicians known for their willingness to speak up or lively bombast are filing in quietly, exchanging pleasantries.

Claire Heald
Reporting from St James's Palace

King Charles draws back part of the Royal curtain today - this ceremony is televised for the first time. It’s a huge contrast with the stark, few, black and white pictures from the time when this happened 70 years ago.

But it means the practicalities are being tried-out beforehand. The proclamation will be read out from this balcony this morning.

So “testing, testing, 1… 2…” is coming out loud and clear from the microphone speakers, as the guards march back and forth below.

Claire Heald
Reporting from St James's Palace

We've just seen PM Liz Truss walk in. She looked calm and composed on the Saturday morning of such a huge week for her - becoming the new prime minister on Tuesday, appointed by the Queen at Balmoral and now, being part of the ceremony which announces the Queen's successor, the King.

She's away from the crowd's gaze here, walking in under the crenelated balcony of the Palace. Inside she'll meet her Conservative colleague Penny Mordaunt - who, as Lord President of the Privy Council, has the role of announcing the death of the Queen during the ceremony.

Claire Heald
Reporting from St James's Palace

There's a hubbub here at Friary Court within St James’s Palace as everyone assembles for the coming ceremony.

Out on the Mall, a growing crowd of onlookers is starting to mass against the barriers leading to the palace gate. They would see more on the TV, but say they wanted to be here for Charles' moment.

Inside the courtyard the police, some armed, stand guard and the press are lined up, primed to deliver their on the spot coverage.

We're seeing a raft of familiar political faces and people from public life walk in - former Labour cabinet minister Yvette Cooper, retired bishop Richard Chartres, ex-Bishop of London, and former Tory leader William Hague.

They are there for the coming first part of this ceremony in a little under an hour's time.

Charles is already king - he automatically became so on the death of his mother. So the Accession Council performs a ceremonial role - it officially announces the name of the new monarch.

It's attended by members of the Privy Council (a group of senior politicians that formally advise the monarch), and is divided into two parts, and Charles will only be present for the second.

The first part sees the Queen declared dead, the name of the new king read out, and a document signed, and read out from a balcony - it will also be read in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh.

The second part will see King Charles give a personal declaration - he can also say if he objects to any of the oaths he is asked to make.

His coronation may not be for many months yet - some 16 months passed between the death of Queen Elizabeth's father and her coronation in June 1953.

Read about it all in more detail here.

10:00 BST: Charles is proclaimed King at the Accession Council in St James's Palace in London. He'll be accompanied by his wife, Camilla, and the heir to the throne, William.

11:00 BST: The proclamation will read from the balcony of the palace and there'll be gun salutes in Hyde Park and at the Tower of London.

In the afternoon: Senior MPs will swear an oath of allegiance to King Charles III in the Houses of Parliament - at present their oath is to the Queen.

Image source, PA Media

Roads have been closed and barriers are being erected in the Scottish capital Edinburgh for the arrival of the Queen's coffin this weekend.

The coffin is expected to be moved from Balmoral castle where she died, to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh on Sunday.

After this, members of the public will be allowed to file past the coffin in St Giles Cathedral in the Scottish capital, before it travels to London on Tuesday.

Former Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull has been sharing his memories of the Queen with the BBC, saying that she "always put you at ease".

He remembers meeting her on several occasions and discussing issues big and small - from security in the Asia-Pacific region to city planning and urbanism. "When my wife joined us for the last part of the audience, we moved on to the subject of planning... the Grenfell Tower disaster had just occurred and my wife and Her Majesty discussed fire regulations in cities."

"She was as knowledgeable about the issues of the day as any politician."

On her enduring legacy, Turnbull says that "the Queen has been one of the great intuitive, instinctive conservatives" who "understood that to preserve the institution of monarchy in the UK it had to evolve and change. It's about organic growth and ensuring institutions evolve to keep them alive."

And on King Charles III, whom Turnbull says he has met on several occasions, he says: "King Charles is a very good man, he's got very good values, and I believe he will be a very good king."

"I hold him in very high regard," Turnbull adds.

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Image source, PA Media

King Charles III is "aware that his role is now to embody a whole nation", says Rory Stewart.

Stewart first met the new King when he was approached to be a tutor to the young Prince William and Harry.

The former Conservative cabinet minister said he believes the new King is "very aware" that he is now taking on a new role and will not be able to do many of the things he did as the Prince of Wales.

"I think he’s seen his life in two halves" - as the Prince of Wales, driving charities and speaking about the environment, and as the King now "he has a different set of responsibilities," explained Stewart.

"We're very very lucky to have him as King, a very sad moment, but could be a wonderful year ahead", he added.

Stewart highlighted the monarch's "thoughtfulness and compassion".

"Maybe what we don’t see enough in the media is what he’s like one to one."

Harriet Harman is Mother of the House of Commons - the woman with the longest continuous service in the Commons.

She will be attending the Accession Council later - the historic meeting which will see Charles formally declared king. She's been telling BBC Radio 4 Today a bit more about what will happen during the ceremony:

"Then we go back to the House of Commons, which can only operate if we have sworn allegiance to the monarch. The oath we have sworn was to Queen Elizabeth, so today at 1pm MPs will swear the oath of allegiance to the new King Charles."

Asked whether things are likely to change after King Charles' proclamation, Harman says that her concern and the concern of MPs "is that we have a stability in the relationship between the monarch and Parliament and we are encouraged and supported to get on with our work while the monarch gets on with their work, which includes supporting us".

All of the front pages focus on King Charles and his first address to the nation. Many of the papers highlight the personal tone of his speech, as he reflected on his mother's life while pledging to serve with loyalty, respect and love.

The i weekend says King Charles III has had decades to prepare for this moment , externaland he "rose to the occasion". The Express says he was "majestic" , external.

The Telegraph writes that his "heartfelt" speech was one of the most personal to have ever been delivered by a monarch , external. The Guardian describes the King as being at his "most emotional" , externalwhen paying tribute to the Queen.

The Times says he spoke with "warmth" , externaland The Mail describes him as being "sincere" and "surprisingly intimate" , external.

With his "moving" first speech in the role, King Charles has demonstrated he can fill the void left by the Queen, external, says The Sun. The paper goes on to describe his address as "full of love", not just for his "darling mama" but for his wife, Camilla, and for both of his sons.

There is also a lot of newspaper coverage given to the King's surprise walkabout on Friday afternoon when he met well-wishers who had gathered in front of Buckingham Palace. The Express suggests that the mood was both "sombre and jubilant", external, as the crowd were "anxious to express their sympathy" but also "eager" to cheer the King as he took on his new responsibilities.

James Landale
Reporting from St James's Palace

This is an extraordinary moment we've never seen before.

At St James' Palace later this morning, 200 of the most senior ministers, 14 diplomats from the realms, holders of the great offices of state will have a meeting.

The King will then join them - that will become a formal meeting of the Privy Council, his first official meeting in his new role. He will make various oaths and declarations about the death of his mother. He'll also agree various orders to allow for the continuity of government.

Once that's happened, the text of the proclamation that's been agreed will be read out from a balcony at St James' Palace.

In times past - before we had things like social media - this was a moment when the people would be formally told that the previous monarch had died and who the next sovereign would be.

There will be other declarations in the City of London and around the nation in the next 24 hours to tell the people what has happened and that King Charles is the new monarch.

Charles III will formally be proclaimed king at 10:00 BST on Saturday in a ceremony at St James's Palace.

It will be the first time the Accession Council is televised.

Charles became king automatically at the moment his mother died, so the council proclamation will be a ceremonial one.

It will be attended by Privy Councillors (a group made up of senior politicians), the Lord Mayor of the City of London, and other senior officials.

Flags will fly at full mast for 24 hours to honour the new king, before returning to half mast.

Read more here.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

Thailand's King Vajiralongkornhas sent a message of condolences to His Majesty King Charles III:

"Queen Suthida, the members of the royal Thai family, and I are deeply saddened by the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

The people of Thailand join the people of Great Britain in mourning this great loss of the head of state, and together remember Her Majesty’s royal grace and royal duties of which Her Majesty had carried out as the Queen, in the [constitutional] monarchy system, who had truly dedicated her life to serve the people.

May I, on behalf of the people of Thailand, express to Your Majesty, the Royal Family and the British people our heartfelt sympathy and condolences."

The Queen was an avid traveller, visiting 117 countries during her reign.

Here are some of the highlights from the late royal's most memorable moments in Asia.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Grace Tsoi
BBC News, Hong Kong

Image source, Getty Images

Many Hong Kongers remember Queen Elizabeth II fondly. In the former British colony, she was nicknamed Si Tau Por, which means “boss lady” in Cantonese.

Several of my friends posted photos of coins featuring the Queen’s visage on Facebook. The coins are still legal tender even though the city returned to Chinese rule 25 years ago.

The monarch visited the city twice during her reign. After her death, photos of her visits got people talking again. They remarked how approachable and friendly she was.

In one iconic photo, the Queen, dressed in bright pink, was standing in front of a vegetable stall at a wet market in Central.

Image source, Getty Images

Some Hong Kongers laid flowers at the British Consulate to mourn the passing of the Queen.“We adored the Queen,” said Mr Fung. “I was six when she came to the throne.”

“I studied at a government school, and there were photos of the Queen at government schools. We saw her photo every day we went to school.”

Denise Chu, in her 50s, was teary when she paid tribute: “I grew up during the colonial era so I feel very sad.”

“It was the good old days, but now a lot of things have changed," she said in reference to Beijing's growing grip over Hong Kong.

Amid the sadness and solemnity that followed the Queen's death, many people also have taken the time to remember some of the monarch's lighter moments, when the public got a glimpse of her sense of humour.

Most recently, there was the video clip with Paddington Bear which opened the BBC's Party at the Palace, marking her Platinum Jubilee earlier this year.

Paddington offered the Queen his favourite snack, a marmalade sandwich, which he pulled out from under his red hat: "I always keep one for emergencies." "So do I," said the Queen, taking out her own sandwich from her handbag.

It wasn't her first appearance alongside a famous film character: for the 2012 Olympic opening ceremony, she starred with Daniel Craig's James Bond, ending in a scene where the then 86-year-old monarch appeared to skydive into the stadium.

She also displayed her sense of mischief at a charity event in Cornwall in 2021 when she chose to cut a cake with a ceremonial sword. Reminded that an ordinary knife was available, she replied: "I know there is. This is more unusual."

Read more about the times the Queen made us laugh

Tessa Wong
Asia Digital Reporter

Image source, Getty Images

The Queen and the monarchy have left their mark on Singapore in more ways than one.

Her three visits to the former British colony drew huge, enthusiastic crowds, noted Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Friday.

“Her passing is deeply mourned by all of us in Singapore,” he said in a condolence message to the Royal Family. “Her Majesty always showed warmth and friendship through her natural affection and spontaneous good humour."

Singapore became an independent nation in 1965, and in the decades since the Queen’s relevance has receded.

But her legacy is everywhere. Roads still bear her name - such as Queen Elizabeth Walk, a promenade by Singapore’s waterfront - and an entire residential district - Queenstown - was named after her on the occasion of her coronation.

Image source, Getty Images

On a rainy Friday morning, a few Queenstown residents expressed muted sadness at her passing.

“I think it’s a distant affair for us. Having said that, her image and her authority has been strong over the years, the Royal Family is respected. So it’s sad and shocking news,” said Kimberley.

“She had always been very strong, even for her age. She had a sharp mind and she had a lot of power.”

Another said: “I think people respect the Queen for who she is… but Britain has a long and chequered history as a coloniser.”

Japan's Emperor Naruhito is planning to attend the funeral of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, his first overseas trip since his 2019 succession, Japanese media have reported.

The Emperor had been invited to Britain by Queen Elizabeth in 2020 after acceding to the throne in May 2019, but the trip was postponed due to the pandemic.

Image source, Getty Images

Shaimaa Khalil
Australia correspondent

Image source, EPA

The mood was sombre at Parliament House in Canberra as politicians and diplomats laid wreaths in silence.

Walking up to the Queen’s statue on the terrace named after her, Governor-General David Hurley - who represents the monarch in Australia - and his wife paused for a moment. They laid a wreath of bright yellow flowers.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and finance minister Katy Gallagher then laid green and gold wreaths at the foot of the statue.

Albanese has described the Queen’s commitment to service as an inspiration.

He’s also spoken of the depths of sadness of the Australian people at the loss of the sovereign.

The Queen was the only reigning monarch to have visited Australia. Starting in 1954, when she stepped on the shores of Sydney harbour for the first time, she toured the country 16 times. Her last trip was in 2011.

Parliament here has been suspended and will not sit for a fortnight. Both the PM and the governor-general will head to the UK for the Queen’s funeral. They will also meet King Charles III.

A national memorial service will be held in about two weeks, and the day will also be designated as a national day of mourning.