Image source, PA Media

John Warren features in one of the most repeated TV clips of the last week, when the Queen clapped her hands and beamed as her horse Estimate claimed victory in Royal Ascot's Gold Cup in 2013.

The racing adviser says he spent the weekend before the Queen died discussing her horses.

"She was in such a healthy state of mind and in tremendous form.

"It's very important to know that she was absolutely, wonderfully switched on.

"On the Tuesday evening she was in really good form, delighted she had had a winner, and talked about the prime ministers coming in and out, and I can hardly believe it possible that within less than 48 hours the Queen had died.

"Shocking as that was, it is wonderful to know that she led a long and full life, and dutiful to the very end.

"I was just fortunate and incredibly lucky to be a part of being so close to her through our shared fascination."

Image source, DCMS

Another slight update on the government lying-in-state queue tracker.

The wait time is down from "at least 24 hours" to now an expected "up to 16 hours".

The government has just updated the guidance on the queue for people with accessibility needs...

John Maguire
Reporting from Buckingham Palace

It is cold in Windsor, but the uniforms and the marching are helping to keep the 1,000 members of the Armed Forces here warm.

These military rehearsals in the peace and quiet of the early morning are essential to ensure the ceremonial duties on Monday are carried out to perfection.

Following the service at Westminster Abbey, Queen Elizabeth II's coffin will travel to Windsor Castle for a committal service at St George’s Chapel.

The military precision on these occasions, so admired around the world, follows enormous amounts of planning and rehearsals.

From the 4,000 members of the Royal Navy, Air Force and Army there will be around 1,000 military personnel involved here.

Image source, DCMS

There's been a slight update to the government's official queue tracker.

Earlier it warned people not to travel to Southwark Park as the queue had reached capacity.

Now it says the queue is in the park and should it reach capacity then entrance to the back of the line will be paused.

Wait times are still at least 24 hours, the government says.

We've reported that some flights to and from London's Heathrow Airport would be disrupted on Monday, in order to guarantee quiet conditions for the Queen's funeral.

Flying restrictions have also been imposed over central London and Windsor on the same day.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) says no aircraft, including drones, will be permitted to fly below 2,500ft (762 metres) over areas where services are taking place.

The CAA says the ban - which includes small balloons and kites - is necessary for security reasons.

John Hand
Reporting from the queue

Image source, Reuters

I started queuing at 17:00 BST with the first group of people to join the queue after it officially reopened.

Friendships were formed, sweet treats handed round and memories of the Queen shared as we edged towards our target destination - all despite warnings of a 24-hour wait.

So to reach the penultimate stretch along the south bank of the River Thames was an exhilarating moment that gave the tired and weary fresh energy.

But, then came the warning that no-one would be moving forward for the the next hour as no pedestrians would be allowed across Lambeth Bridge during the rehearsals for Sunday's funeral procession.

Firefighters were on hand to offer free tea, coffee, water, blankets and comforting words for all those who knew there was no turning back now as the end remains in sight.

The amazing experience ended as I entered Westminster Hall at 05:00 BST - 12 hours after setting off.

Image source, EPA

Hundreds of foreign royals and leaders are expected to attend Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral on Monday.

Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will be in attendance - their first overseas trip since assuming the throne in 2019.

They boarded a plane at Haneda Airport in Tokyo this morning and will arrive in the UK later today.

The visit also marks a departure from Japanese tradition which rarely sees the emperor attend funerals.

Harry Low
BBC London News

An empty train will sit on platform 18 at London Waterloo station for those unable to get home over the next few days.

It's for those who may have missed the last train home due to queuing for many hours for pay their respects to the Queen - the official queue tracker claims the waiting time is currently 24 hours.

South Western Railway has introduced what it describes as "an additional waiting area", external available between 12.45am and 6.30am.

Image source, Getty Images

Let's hear now from someone who knew Queen Elizabeth II extremely well - her former private secretary.

Speaking to the BBC's royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell, Lord Robin Janvrin, who served the late monarch between 1999 and 2007, remembered the Queen as someone who "quite liked being an executive woman" even if she had "no executive power".

The monarch was a "pragmatic" person who enjoyed nothing more than "meeting people and dealing with affairs of state", he said.

Lord Janvrin's words come as thousands queued through the night to see the Queen's coffin at Westminster Hall. Asked what he thinks about the many people wanting to pay their respects, Lord Janvrin says it is "extraordinarily humbling".

BBC presenter Victoria Fritz, who waited 14 hours in queue to see the Queen lying in state at Westminster Hall, said it was markedly different from watching the events unfold on television.

Getting to the end of the line was "surreal" and extremely emotional", she said.

Fritz said the queue becomes "more purposeful and sombre the closer and closer you get".

"It feels like the final act of the Queen was to bring people together," she explained.

Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan will attend the Queen's funeral on Monday, the country's foreign ministry has confirmed., external

Mr Wang will attend as a special representative of President Xi Jinping, at the invitation of the UK government, said the ministry on Saturday.

Earlier, news reports had quoted diplomatic sources saying Mr Wang was expected to attend. This led several UK MPs and peers to write to the foreign secretary expressing their concerns.

Senior Tory MPs Tim Loughton and Sir Iain Duncan Smith were among those who said it was "extraordinary" that the "architects" of genocide against the Uyghur minority had been invited.

Last year, the House of Commons declared that a genocide was taking place against the Uyghurs in north-west China, with more than a million people estimated to have been detained at camps in the region of Xinjiang.

China has denied the allegations, claiming the camps are "re-education" facilities used to combat terrorism.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Screenshot

The queue to see the Queen lying in state at Westminster Hall still remains near total capacity with an expected wait time of least 24 hours, according to the government's live queue tracker. , external

People have been advised not to travel to join the queue.

It spans several miles, starting at Southwark Park and going along London's South Bank of the River Thames before getting to Westminster Hall.

The London Ambulance Service (LAS) has advised people to ensure they bring any regular medication and appropriate clothing while waiting in line.

The service urged people to follow advice on the government website, external, and to drink plenty of water and to eat regularly.

Mohammed, an enthusiastic admirer of the Queen, spent 13 hours in the queue to see the Queen lying in state because he wanted to "witness history".

"I'm in shock right now," he says, after making it to the end of the line at Westminster Hall. "This is the greatest moment of life, nothing beats this moment."

The Queen, he says, was an important figure for his family, who had moved from Bangladesh to Britain decades ago.

"I think growing up my mother needed a role model," Mohammed says, and she found one in the Queen, inspired by "the way she conducted herself."

Temperatures in London have dipped into single figures overnight, but that hasn't deterred thousands of people from persevering in the queue.

Take a look at some of the latest pictures here:

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

We reported earlier that the Metropolitan Police force was calling the Queen's funeral its largest-ever operation. The Civil Service is now saying similar.

Government sources say all those involved view their part in the proceedings as a "privilege" and a "genuine honour".

There are more than 100 civil servants working shifts on the central operational team handling events related to the Queen's death, with efforts headed up by the permanent secretary at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

Planning for the event of the Queen's death has been going on for "many years", sources add, with officials convinced the funeral on Monday will be the "largest event the UK has hosted in decades, possibly ever".

Hundreds of world leaders and dignitaries - including US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern - are making the trip to London for the occasion.

Robyn Wilkinson, 58, is originally from New Zealand and moved to the UK in 1990.

She lives in Milton Keynes and is accompanying her friend Nicola MacKinnon, 48, also from Milton Keynes.

They joined the queue in Southwark Park – a long, snaking zig-zag of barricades broken up into four zones – at 21:00 on Friday. They reached Tower Bridge at 00:20 and are currently still in the queue.

Both women are in bright spirits and energetic despite the late hour. They say it was important for them to pay their respects to the Queen.

Wilkinson says the Queen was an "incredible woman who has done so much for so many".

MacKinnon says: "I'm here because the Queen shaped my life and those who I love and it is important to me to be here to thank her for everything she has done."

Among those who will be sitting with heads of state from around the world at Queen Elizabeth's funeral on Monday will be Monty Roberts, a Californian cowboy who developed an unlikely bond of friendship with the Queen.

In 2011, she made Monty an honorary member of the Royal Victorian Order, which is bestowed on people who have served the Queen or the monarchy in a personal way.

Image source, EPA

The queue to the lying-in-state is now almost full, officials say. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is advising mourners not to join the line and check back on Saturday morning for updates.

"The queue to view the lying-in-state is near total capacity," says a statement on the official Queue Tracker page, external.

"Please do not travel to join the queue."

It is often said that the British love a good queue, and this one is now about five miles (8km) long, stretching back to Southwark Park in south-east London.

Not even the overnight cold seems to be putting people off.

Mark Lobel
Reporting from Westminster

Neil's mother passed away at the start of the pandemic and loved the Queen. He wanted to honour her memory by doing his bit. When he and his wife Grace turned up at 8am on Friday they had provisionally agreed amongst themselves to a six-hour wait - but not if it started at Southwark Park.

It did, and the wait was advertised as 14 hours, but they did it anyway and it indeed took 14 hours exactly. They said it was a lovely walk in beautiful, iconic surroundings.

I found them beaming as they left Westminster Hall. Proud of the 22,000 steps their phone and Fitbit show they’ve clocked up.

Most of all, though, struck by the silence and sparkle inside the Hall, where they both bowed to the Queen. Grace says both the late sovereign and the Queen Mother were her family’s favourites.

Neil would do it all over again if he didn’t have to wait so long.