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The funeral is gradually drawing to a close, and the Last Post is about to be played by four state trumpeters of the Household Cavalry.

The piece is an eighteenth-century military bugle call which later gained significance as a sacred anthem of remembrance.

It will be followed by a two-minute national silence - which will be observed throughout the abbey and the UK as a whole.

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The choir sings a second piece of music composed for today's service, this time by the Scottish composer Sir James Macmillan.

It's based on Paul's letter to the Romans, with the choir singing that nothing "shall be able to separate us from the love of God".

Afterwards, the Dean of Westminster gives the blessing. "God grant to the living grace; to the departed rest," he says.

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The Archbishop of Canterbury gives the commendation, a prayer which entrusts the soul of the deceased to God.

"We entrust the soul of Elizabeth, our sister here departed, to thy merciful keeping, in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life," he says.

Daniel Rosney
Outside Westminster Abbey

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About 500 leaders and dignitaries from the UK and around the world are at Westminster Abbey watching this service.

Many members of foreign royal families are sitting opposite the British Royal Family in the church.

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark is sitting directly opposite King Charles - Europe's longest-serving monarch is facing its newest.

Margrethe and Elizabeth II were very fond of each other. The Danish queen is marking her golden jubilee this year – 50 years on the throne – but altered celebration plans last weekend in respect of her friend’s death.

Other foreign royals here include the King and Queen of Bhutan, the Emperor and Empress of Japan, Belgium's King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain.

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After the Lord's Prayer, the congregation stands to sing the hymn "Love divine, all loves excelling".

It was previously sung at the weddings of the then Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles and of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

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The choir is now singing Psalm 34 - "O taste and see how gracious the Lord is: blest is the man that trusteth in him".

The music was composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams for the Queen's coronation in 1953.

Moderator of the Free Churches Group Helen Cameron praises the Queen's "unstinting devotion to duty" and "her compassion for her subjects".

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, gives thanks for "the rich bonds of unity and mutual support she sustained".

Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell offers thanks for the Queen's "unswerving devotion to the Gospel".

A series of church leaders are now offering prayers at the service.

The Church of Scotland's most senior figure, Moderator of the General Assembly Iain Greenshields, begins, offering thanks for the Queen's "long life and reign" and her "gifts of wisdom, diligence and service".

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The choir sings "My soul, there is a country" by Hubert Parry, written during World War One but based on the words of the 17th Century poet Henry Vaughan.

It's said to have been chosen for the funeral as an anthem of great hope.

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Welby speaks of the Biblical call to serve rather than being served.

"People of loving service are rare in any walk of life. Leaders of loving service are still rarer," he says.

"But in all cases those who serve will be loved and remembered when those who cling to power and privileges are forgotten."

He continues by saying she "was joyful, present to so many, touching a multitude of lives".

"We pray especially for all her family, grieving as every family at a funeral - including so many families round the world who have themselves lost someone recently - but in this family’s case doing so in the brightest spotlight."

He reflects on the Queen's broadcast during coronavirus which ended with the words of Vera Lynn's famous song: "We will meet again."

The Archbishop of Canterbury ends his sermon by saying "we can all share the Queen’s hope which in life and death inspired her servant leadership".

"Service in life, hope in death.

"All who follow the Queen’s example, and inspiration of trust and faith in God, can with her say: 'We will meet again.'"

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The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has begun his sermon.

"The pattern for many leaders is to be exalted in life and forgotten after death," he says. "The pattern for all who serve God - famous or obscure, respected or ignored - is that death is the door to glory."

He continues: "Her late Majesty famously declared on a 21st birthday broadcast that her whole life would be dedicated to serving the nation and Commonwealth.

"Rarely has such a promise been so well kept."

Few leaders have received the outpouring of love which we have seen since the Queen's death, he adds.

"Her late Majesty's example was not set through her position or her ambition but through whom she followed.

"I know His Majesty shares the same faith in Jesus Christ as his mother."

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A hymn that was sung at the wedding of the then-Princess Elizabeth and Lt Philip Mountbatten in 1947 is now sung at the funeral: "The Lord's my shepherd, I'll not want", based on Psalm 23.

The psalm, and the hymn, are famous for the words: "Yea, though I walk through death’s dark vale, yet will I fear none ill; for thou art with me, and thy rod and staff me comfort still."

The Queen lost her beloved husband in April last year after more than 70 years of marriage.

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Prime Minister Liz Truss gives the second reading from scripture, from the Gospel According to John: "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me."

The passage concerns Christ's promise to his followers of a place in heaven.

He says to his disciples: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

The choir sings Psalm 42, with the words "Like as the hart desireth the water-brooks: so longeth my soul after thee, O God."

The music has been specially written for the funeral by Judith Weir and is said to be inspired by the Queen's "unwavering Christian faith".

Weir was appointed Master of the Queen's Music in 2014, the first woman to ever hold the office, which is a ten-year appointment.

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Baroness Scotland, secretary general of the Commonwealth, reads the first lesson from Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, about the resurrection of Christ and the promise of eternal life to Christians.

It says death will be the final enemy to be defeated by Christ.

“Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"

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The first hymn is "The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended", which was also sung at Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 1897 and at the ceremony for the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997.

The hymn's last words contrast the transience of earthly powers with God's eternal kingdom.

"Thy throne shall never, like earth's proud empires, pass away," it says.

"Thy kingdom stands and grows for ever, till all thy creatures own thy sway."

Watch the funeral service live by clicking the play button at the top of the page.

Fergal Keane
Commentating on BBC One and BBC iPlayer

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The queen has been borne to Westminster Abbey. It is where she was married in 1947 and crowned in 1953, and where she attended royal weddings and funerals.

All, as with her own funeral today, are part of the recurring seasons of death and renewal.

The Dean of Westminster gives the bidding, an invitation to the congregation to pray.

He says in this church "remembrance and hope are sacred duties".

And he recalls that people from all over the nation, the Commonwealth and the world are gathered today in the place where the late Queen was married and crowned.

"With gratitude we remember her unswerving commitment to a high calling over so many years as Queen and head of the Commonwealth," he says.

"With admiration we recall her lifelong sense of duty and dedication to her people. With thanksgiving we praise God for her constant example of Christian faith and devotion.

"With affection we recall her love for her family and her commitment to the causes she held dear."

The Dean of Westminster, David Hoyle, is leading the funeral.

But it’s the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who will give the sermon and the commendation - the ceremonial moment when the Queen is entrusted to God.

Prayers will come from 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.

The Prime Minister Liz Truss and the Secretary General of the Commonwealth Patricia Scotland are set to deliver lessons - readings from scripture.

And it will be down to the Dean of Westminster to pronounce the blessing.

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Marie Jackson
At The Mall

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All of a sudden the speakers come alive in the Mall with the sounds of the funeral choir.

People get to their feet and the crowds fall quiet.