Queen’s funeral – latest: King Charles ‘to have slimmed-down coronation’ amid cost-of-living crisis

King Charles III is reportedly planning a “less expensive” coronation ceremony than his mother’s as he wishes to avoid extravagance while ordinary people struggle with the cost of living crisis.

A date has yet to be set for the crowning of the new monarch, though royal precedent and a large amount of planning involved suggest the ceremony will be at least several months away – possibly next spring.

Charles’s coronation “will be shorter, smaller and less expensive” than the Queen’s in 1953, a royal source told the DailyMirror.

The source told the paper: “The King is very aware of the struggles felt by modern Britons so will see his wishes carried through that although his coronation ceremony should stay right and true to the long held traditions of the past, it should also be representative of a monarchy in a modern world.”

Meanwhile, the Queen’s name has been inscribed alongside her mother’s, father’s and Prince Philip’s on a ledger stone in the Windsor chapel where she was buried on Monday evening.

Key points

• King Charles ‘vows to have slimmed down coronation’ amid cost of living crisis

• Queen’s name inscribed on to chapel stone alongside those of parents and Philip

• King Charles flying to Balmoral to privately mourn mother’s death

• Queen’s funeral service seen by average of 26.2 million viewers in UK

Jobs of 20 royal staff at risk after Queen’s death

08:32 , Furvah Shah

Up to 20 royal staff members who worked closely with Queen Elizabeth II have been told their jobs could be at risk, according to the Guardian.

Employees were reportedly told of their potential job losses shortly after the monarch’s death and were advised by the royal household that final decisions would be made following Monday’s state funeral.

Some of the all-female dressers responsible for the dressing the Queen and those who helped the monarch move between the royal palaces are those at risk, according to sources.

Collectors clamor for rare Queen Elizabeth coins and notes

07:53 , Sam Rkaina

The death of Queen Elizabeth II has collectors scrambling to secure rare coins and bills bearing her likeness, even as her portrait is set to remain in circulation for years to come on money throughout the Commonwealth.

Coin dealers say demand for rare-issue notes and coins - such as a pre-World War II Canadian $20 bill featuring Elizabeth as a child or Australia’s Platinum Jubilee 50-cent coin - has surged since the queen died in Scotland on 8 September.

Queries have been coming in from both seasoned collectors and novices eager to commemorate the death of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, who appears on a record 33 currencies around the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

“There’s been an incredible upsurge in demand,” said Peter Hutchison, heritage coin specialist at Hattons of London, adding he is fielding queries from as far away as Australia.

In highest demand are limited-issue coins that were sold to collectors in the first place. Prices are rising as seasoned numismatists try to fill gaps in their collections and newcomers join in, said Hutchinson.

“I think we’ll see them increase a considerable amount more now as more people enter the market and try to chase them down,” he said, pointing to items like Canada’s 1954 “Devil’s Head” note series where a part of the queen’s hair gives the illusion of a grinning devil.

“It just takes enough people on eBay to chase the price up.”

ICYMI: Who waited in the queue and who jumped?

07:29 , Namita Singh

This Morning hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield have insisted they would “never jump a queue” as they addressed their controversial visit to see the Queen lying in state.

The pair were accused of “skipping the queue” on social media after they appeared inside Westminster Hall on Friday without taking part in the public line.

Some media and MPs were able to bypass the queue and access Westminster Hall during the roughly four-day lying in state.

MPs are given special passes to bypass the public queue and can bring up to four guests with them – a privilege that has been criticised by members of the public as “elitist” and “unfair”.

But other celebrities joined the thousands of people who spent hours patiently standing in the line, which at one point reached a wait time of at least 24 hours.

ITV bosses later said Willoughby and Schofield attended to film a segment for an upcoming show, while Willoughby on Tuesday insisted they “would never jump a queue”.

As the fallout continues, my colleague Chiara Giodano gives a roundup of all the celebrities who waited their turn in the public queue:

Who waited in line and who didn’t in the queue for the Queen?

How the Queen’s orb, crown and sceptre were kept safe during her funeral

07:05 , Namita Singh

Symbols of the monarchy that adorned the Queen’s coffin before her burial were fixed in place to avoid any unfortunate incidents in a long series of processions.

The Imperial State Crown, Sovereign’s Orb and Sceptre stayed with the Queen from her coronation until moments before her coffin was lowered into the ground in St George’s Chapel on Monday.

The royal relics, which are usually kept in the Tower of London, were placed on top of Her Majesty’s coffin for her lying-in-state, travelling from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey then on to Windsor.

Viewers of the funeral were puzzled by how the trio of objects, one of which is spherical, stayed in place throughout the journey.

Footage showed that special fixtures had been attached to the coffin to secure them in place.

Liam James has more:

How the Queen’s orb, crown and sceptre were kept safe during her funeral

Bolsonaro films his shock at UK petrol prices on trip for Queen’s funeral

06:50 , Namita Singh

Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has been criticised for filming a video in which he expressed his shock at UK petrol prices while visiting for the Queen’s state funeral.

The controversial leader shot the clip in an attempt to revive his flagging re-election campaign.

Critics accused him of using his funeral visit for his own political ends, saying such tactics were “disrespectful” of the late British monarch.

As part of this electioneering, the ex-army captain was filmed at a Shell forecourt on London’s Bayswater Road pointing at a sign showing the price of petrol.

In the video that was posted online on Sunday, he said the 161.9p per litre cost was “practically double the average of many Brazilian states”.

Rory Sullivan reports:

Bolsonaro films his shock at UK petrol prices on trip for Queen’s funeral

Scotland confirm minute’s applause for Queen before Ukraine game

06:35 , Namita Singh

The Scottish Football Association has confirmed a minute’s applause will be held in tribute to the Queen before Wednesday’s match against Ukraine.

The SFA has been granted approval from Uefa to hold the tribute in what is the country’s first match since the death of the Queen.

It comes following a weekend of disruption to tributes in the Scottish Premiership, with the SFA electing to hold a minute’s applause at Hampden rather than a period of silence in the wake of disturbances before matches at Rangers and Hibernian.

The Premiership gave clubs the option of choosing whether and how to pay respects, but the silence at Ibrox was disrupted by boos and chants from the travelling Dundee United supporters.

Some Celtic fans, meanwhile, chanted “If you hate the royal family clap your hands” after St Mirren elected to hold a minute’s applause before their match in Paisley on Sunday, defying pleas from their manager Ange Postecoglou to be “respectful” during any tributes.

Jamie Braidwood reports:

Scotland confirm minute’s applause for Queen before Ukraine game

How all the pieces of the monarchy move around after the Queen’s death

06:20 , Namita Singh

The Queen’s death marks a huge moment of transition for members of the royal family as they take on new roles, titles and responsibilities.

Following the late sovereign’s state funeral and burial on Monday, the national period of mourning came to an end and the royal mourning period of seven days began.

Royal family members are not expected to carry out official duties until after Monday September 26.

The details of future engagements that working members of the royal family will undertake are not yet clear.

But here we look at everything we know so far about what happens next and how the royal family members’ lives have changed:

How all the pieces of the monarchy move around after the Queen’s death

Queen’s funeral service seen by average of 26.2 million viewers in UK

06:05 , Namita Singh

The Queen’s funeral service at Westminster Abbey on Monday was watched by more than 26 million viewers in the UK, one of the country’s biggest ever TV audiences, provisional figures show.

The service was broadcast simultaneously on a range of channels between 11am and just after midday, including BBC One and Two, ITV and Sky News.

An average of 26.2 million people watched across all channels, according to overnight ratings released by the research organisation Barb.

The figure is not quite as high as the official ratings for the funeral service of Diana, Princess of Wales in September 1997.

This was seen by an average of 32.1 million viewers, including 19.3 million on BBC One and 11.7 million on ITV, and remains the highest audience for a television broadcast since comparable figures began in August 1981.

Report:

Queen’s funeral service seen by average of 26.2 million viewers in UK

Man awarded MBE in Queen’s last honours ‘grateful’ for chance to attend funeral

05:50 , Namita Singh

A man who was made an MBE in the Queen’s last birthday honours says he is “forever grateful” at having the chance to attend her funeral.

John Frace, 27, from Dunoon in Argyll, said it was hard to put into words the experience of attending the funeral, after being one of 182 MBEs invited to the service.

He received the honour after creating his website, TravellingTabby, which translated often complicated and hard to read data sets about hospital admissions and deaths into easily understandable numbers.

Mr Frace, a former student at the University of the Highlands and Islands, said the late monarch had been a “constant, calm presence” in his life.

In a thread on Twitter outlining his experiences at the funeral, he added: “I had the honour of attending Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral at Westminster Abbey.

Read the details here:

Man awarded MBE in Queen’s last honours ‘grateful’ for chance to attend funeral

Floral tributes for Queen to be composted and used in Royal Parks

05:35 , Namita Singh

Floral tributes to the Queen will be composted and given a new lease of life in planting projects throughout the Royal Parks.

It is expected that work to remove items laid by the public will begin on Monday, a week after the state funeral, and will continue for seven days.

Visitors will still be able to lay tributes but blooms which have already deteriorated will be moved to the Hyde Park nursery.

Once taken away, any remaining packaging, cards and labels will be removed, before the plant material is composted in Kensington Gardens.

The compost will then be used on landscaping projects and shrubberies across the Royal Parks.

More in this report:

Floral tributes for Queen to be composted and used in Royal Parks

Queen’s corgis will understand emotion of missing the monarch, says dog expert

05:20 , Namita Singh

A dog expert has revealed that the Queen’s corgis will feel the loss of the monarch, and may even display signs of depression following her death.

It was announced that the Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York are to look after the Queen’s beloved corgis, Muick and Sandy, who even made an appearance at the Windsor Castle quadrangle during her funeral on Monday.

John Smith, dog expert and founder of pet personalisation product website Yappy, said while dogs do not understand the concept of death, the canines might feel the loss of their owner being gone.

“Dogs don’t quite understand the full extent of absence due to their owner passing away, so they don’t grieve death in a sense… Instead, they suffer a feeling of loss and emotional despair which abandoned dogs would feel too,” Mr Smith said.

Report:

Queen’s corgis will understand emotion of missing the monarch, says dog expert

Mourners leave floral tributes to the Queen at Windsor Castle

05:05 , Namita Singh

Mourners have travelled hundreds of miles to lay cards and flowers outside the walls of Elizabeth II’s final resting place in Windsor Castle.

Although the official mourning period ended on Monday, when the late monarch was buried in St George’s Chapel, tributes have continued to pour in from across the country and the wider world.

Several cards, thanking Elizabeth for her service and expressing sympathy for the royal family, had been placed by people from as far away as Poland and Hong Kong.

Others were from closer at hand, with Fortescues, a cafe across the street from the castle, writing: “It has been a pleasure to be your neighbour.”

With the main entrance blocked off, flowers – particularly red roses and sunflowers – along with candles, flags, balloons and teddy bears have piled up along the castle’s west wall.

Read the details in this report:

Mourners leave floral tributes to the Queen at Windsor Castle

Queen’s name inscribed on to Chapel Stone alongside those of parents and Philip

04:50 , Namita Singh

The Queen’s name has been inscribed alongside her mother’s, father’s and Prince Philip’s on a ledger stone in the Windsor chapel where she was buried on Monday evening.

The late monarch was laid to rest together with the Duke of Edinburgh in a private service attended by King Charles and the royal family, which followed her state funeral at Westminster Abbey and committal service in Windsor.

Buckingham Palace said the inscription on the ledger stone in the George VI Memorial Chapel has the names of the Queen, George VI, the Queen mother and Philip, along with their years of birth and death.

The stone has replaced the black slab set into the floor which featured the names George VI and Elizabeth in gold lettering.

The new stone now contains, in list form, “George VI 1895-1952” and “Elizabeth 1900-2002” followed by a metal Garter Star, and then “Elizabeth II 1926-2022” and “Philip 1921-2021”.

Liam James reports:

Queen’s name inscribed on to chapel stone next to Prince Philip’s

King Charles ‘vows to have slimmed down coronation’ amid cost of living crisis

04:34 , Namita Singh

King Charles plans to have a slimmed-down coronation ceremony as he wishes to avoid extravagance while ordinary people struggle with the cost of living crisis, it has been reported.

A date has yet to be set for the crowning of the new monarch, though royal precedent and the large amount of planning involved suggest the ceremony will be at least several months away – possibly next spring.

The government has made no plans so far, Michelle Donelan, the culture secretary, said on Tuesday.

Pressed on LBC as to whether the coronation should be scaled down in light of the precarious economic circumstances, Ms Donelan said: “We will be considering everything, but we haven’t made these decisions yet.”

The King, however, is reportedly keen to demonstrate his understanding of the problems facing ordinary members of the public by holding a relatively modest ceremony.

My colleague Liam James reports:

King Charles ‘vows to have slimmed down coronation’ amid cost of living crisis

Man accused of trying to grab Queen’s coffin ‘did not believe she was dead’

02:05 , Tom Batchelor

A man who appeared to approach the Queen’s coffin in Westminster Hall on Friday night did not believe she was dead, a court has heard.

Muhammad Khan, 28, allegedly left the queue while the monarch was lying in state as the live feed briefly cut away.

Mr Khan was arrested and appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, charged with two counts under the Public Order Act.

More on the story here:

Man accused of trying to grab Queen’s coffin ‘did not believe she was dead’

King Charles ‘vows to have slimmed down coronation’

Wednesday 21 September 2022 00:55 , Tom Batchelor

King Charles plans to have a slimmed-down coronation ceremony as he wishes to avoid extravagance while ordinary people struggle with the cost of living crisis, it has been reported.

A date has yet to be set for the crowning of the new monarch, though royal precedent and the large amount of planning involved suggest the ceremony will be at least several months away – possibly next spring.

Read the full story:

King Charles ‘vows to have slimmed down coronation’ amid cost of living crisis

Queen’s name inscribed on to chapel stone

Tuesday 20 September 2022 22:41 , Katy Clifton

The Queen’s name has been inscribed alongside her mother’s, father’s and husband’s on the ledger stone in the Windsor chapel where she is buried.

The late monarch was laid to rest together with the Duke of Edinburgh on Monday evening in a private service attended by the King and the royal family, which followed her state funeral at Westminster Abbey and committal service in Windsor.

Buckingham Palace said the inscription on the ledger stone in the George VI Memorial Chapel now has the names of the Queen, her parents and Philip, along with their years of birth and death.

The stone, which is new, has replaced the black stone slab set into the floor which had featured the names George VI and Elizabeth in gold lettering.

How the Queen’s orb, crown and sceptre were kept safe

Tuesday 20 September 2022 21:04 , Katy Clifton

Symbols of the monarchy that adorned the Queen’s coffin before her burial were fixed in place to avoid any unfortunate incidents in a long series of processions.

The Imperial State Crown, Sovereign’s Orb and Sceptre stayed with the Queen from her coronation until moments before her coffin was lowered into the ground in St George’s Chapel on Monday.

The royal relics, which are usually kept in the Tower of London, were placed on top of Her Majesty’s coffin for her lying-in-state, travelling from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey then on to Windsor.

Viewers of the funeral were puzzled by how the trio of objects, one of which is spherical, stayed in place throughout the journey.

Read more below:

How the Queen’s orb, crown and sceptre were kept safe during her funeral

Who waited in line for the Queen?

Tuesday 20 September 2022 20:20 , Tom Batchelor

Celebrities joined the thousands of people who spent hours patiently standing in the line, which at one point reached a wait time of at least 24 hours.

Here’s a roundup of all the celebrities who waited their turn in the public queue:

Who waited in line and who didn’t in the queue for the Queen?

Man awarded MBE in Queen’s last honours ‘grateful’ for funeral invite

Tuesday 20 September 2022 19:30 , Katy Clifton

A man who was made an MBE in the Queen’s last birthday honours says he is “forever grateful” at having the chance to attend her funeral.

John Frace, 27, from Dunoon in Argyll, said it was hard to put into words the experience of attending the funeral, after being one of 182 MBEs invited to the service.

He received the honour after creating his website, TravellingTabby, which translated often complicated and hard to read data sets about hospital admissions and deaths into easily understandable numbers.

Mr Frace, a former student at the University of the Highlands and Islands, said the late monarch had been a “constant, calm presence” in his life.

UK funeral audience figures revealed

Tuesday 20 September 2022 18:45 , Katy Clifton

The Queen’s funeral service at Westminster Abbey had an average TV audience of 26.2 million people across all channels, according to figures released by the research organisation Barb.

The service was broadcast simultaneously on a range of networks, including BBC One, BBC Two and BBC News; ITV along with ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4; and Sky News and Sky Sports.

Man appears in court over Queen’s coffin incident in Westminster Hall

Tuesday 20 September 2022 18:00 , Katy Clifton

A man who appeared to grab the flag draped over the Queen’s coffin planned to trespass at royal residences including Buckingham Palace because he did not believe she was dead, a court has heard.

Muhammad Khan, 28, allegedly left the queue in Westminster Hall on Friday night while the monarch was lying in state as the live feed briefly cut away.

Khan was arrested and appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, charged with two counts under the Public Order Act.

“The defendant had reached Westminster Hall. He was then seen by officers, who were present, to approach the coffin,” prosecutor Luke Staton said.

“He stepped off the carpet in the direction of the catafalque, then grabbed hold of the Royal Standard flag draped over the coffin with both of his hands.”

“The defendant did express the idea that the Queen is not dead and that he approached the coffin because he wanted to check for himself,” said Mr Staton.

‘The best job’: Inside the Queen’s relationship with her children

Tuesday 20 September 2022 17:11 , Andy Gregory

Any mother-child relationship is at least a little bit complicated. Add being the reigning monarch of the UK into the mix, and it becomes markedly more so, reports Rachel Burchfield.

Though Her Majesty loved her four children and they loved her – there is no question about that – the Queen’s number one responsibility in her lifetime was being the sovereign. That, combined with her patented stoicism, made motherhood complex.

‘It is the best job’: Inside the Queen’s relationship with her children

Who are the younger generation of British royals?

Tuesday 20 September 2022 16:55 , Andy Gregory

The immediate members of the late Queen’s family are well-known to most Britons, including her four children, eight grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.

However, there are a number of lesser-known royals who are the descendants of the Queen’s sister, Princess Margaret, as well as from her uncles and cousins.

My colleague Kate Ng takes a look at who they are, and how they are related to the Queen:

Who are the younger generation of British royals?

Queen’s beloved horse Emma wore late monarch’s scarf as she bid farewell at Windsor Castle

Tuesday 20 September 2022 16:37 , Andy Gregory

Queen Elizabeth II’s beloved horse, Carltonlima Emma, was at Windsor Castle yesterday as the late monarch’s coffin was brought in a procession to St George’s Chapel.

The fell pony was dressed in a black riding blanket, adorned with the Queen’s cipher, and had one of the Queen’s headscarves draped on her saddle.

The Queen previously wore the same scarf while riding Emma through Great Windsor Park, in photos obtained by the Daily Mail.

My colleague Meredith Clark has more details:

Queen’s beloved horse Emma wears late monarch’s scarf at Windsor Castle

Floral tributes to Queen to be composted

Tuesday 20 September 2022 16:18 , PA

Floral tributes to the Queen will be composted and given a new lease of life in planting projects throughout the Royal Parks.

It is expected that work to remove items laid by the public will begin on Monday, a week after the state funeral, and will continue for seven days.

Visitors will still be able to lay tributes but blooms which have already deteriorated will be moved to the Hyde Park nursery. Once taken away, any remaining packaging, cards and labels will be removed, before the plant material is composted in Kensington Gardens.

The compost will then be used on landscaping projects and shrubberies across the Royal Parks.

Editorial | Cost of living crisis will present greatest challenge to monarchy in coming years

Tuesday 20 September 2022 16:00 , Andy Gregory

The Independent’s editorial today predicts that the cost of living crisis “will present the greatest challenge to the nation and the monarchy in the coming years”. It states:

“In such divided times, King Charles will be faced with challenges sometimes even greater than those his mother had to contend with, not forgetting that the transcendent crisis of our times, the climate emergency, has hardly disappeared.

“He will be attacked for being “political”, and will need to take care not to be drawn into party politics. For some, even expressions of compassion or concern from him will be seized upon and twisted. His will be a treacherous path.

“Behind the scenes, in quiet audiences with political leaders – in nuanced, very carefully weighted public interventions – the King can follow the exemplary lead of his mother to remind the politicians of their own responsibilities, and the dangers and costs of national division.

“In the familiar formula laid down by the constitutional scholar Walter Bagehot in the 19th century, King Charles has the right ‘to be consulted, to encourage and to warn’. He has all of his training and the example of his mother to draw upon.”

Editorial: The cost of living crisis will become the monarchy’s biggest challenge

Scotland confirm minute’s applause for Queen before Ukraine game

Tuesday 20 September 2022 15:42 , Andy Gregory

The Scottish Football Association has confirmed a minute’s applause will be held in tribute to the Queen before Wednesday’s match against Ukraine.

It follows a weekend of disruption to tributes in the Scottish Premiership, with the SFA electing to hold a minute’s applause at Hampden rather than a period of silence in the wake of disturbances before matches at Ibrox and Easter Road.

My colleague Jamie Braidwood has more details here:

Scotland confirm minute’s applause for Queen before Ukraine game

How will the royal family change following the Queen’s death?

Tuesday 20 September 2022 15:19 , Ollie Cooper

King Charles returns to Balmoral Castle

Tuesday 20 September 2022 15:06 , Andy Gregory

King Charles was driven past Ballater – the village neighbouring Balmoral Castle – shortly after 1.30pm, reports the Aberdeen-based Press and Journal newspaper.

Tracking data on the website Flightradar24 showed that a plane left RAF Northolt in London this morning, and landed at Aberdeen Airport just after midday.

Ballater is a 15-minute drive from Balmoral, which is said to have been the late Queen’s favourite place.

No plans yet for King Charles III’s coronation, minister says

Tuesday 20 September 2022 14:49 , Zoe Tidman

No plans have been made as of yet for King Charles III’s coronation, a minister has said.

She was asked whether the ceremony should be scaled back in light of the cost of living crisis facing millions of Britons.

Full story:

‘No plans yet’ for King Charles III’s coronation

New photo of Royal Family

Tuesday 20 September 2022 14:45 , Zoe Tidman

Buckingham Palace has shared a poignant photograph of the Royal Family taken 75 years ago, to honour Queen Elizabeth II.

The Queen was just 21 years old when the image was taken, Emily Atkinson reports:

Palace shares royal family photo taken 75 years ago

Brazil’s Bolsonaro comments on petrol prices as he visits UK for Queen’s funeral

Tuesday 20 September 2022 14:32 , Andy Gregory

Brazil’s far-right president Jair Bolonsaro remarked on the price of UK petrol as he visited London for the Queen’s funeral.

Standing on the forecourt of a Shell station in London, he pointed at the electronic sign displaying the price of gasoline, my colleague Oliver Browning reports.

Mr Bolsonaro claimed the 161.9p per litre cost was “practically double the average of many Brazilian states” and boasted that petrol in his country is “among the cheapest in the world”.

Voices | When all eyes were meant to be on the Queen, most were on Meghan Markle

Tuesday 20 September 2022 14:14 , Andy Gregory

“If Queen Elizabeth’s funeral is to forever be a source of British pride, then let the public treatment of Meghan Markle be our shame.”

The Independent’s Voices editor Victoria Richards gives her verdict on the “savage outpouring of vitriol in Meghan’s direction” in recent days:

Opinion: When all eyes were meant to be on the Queen, most were on Meghan Markle

King Charles photographed en route to Scotland

Tuesday 20 September 2022 14:01 , Andy Gregory

King Charles has flown to Scotland to grieve his mother, returning to the same airport where his siblings and children rushed to just 12 days ago upon learning of the Queen’s poor health.

Images taken in England showed the King sitting in the back of a car with a man thought to be a close protection officer, while his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, rode in the front passenger seat.

The pair landed at Aberdeen International Airport at 12.04pm, according to Flight Radar, where they will likely be driven the hour’s journey to the Balmoral estate.

My colleague Chiara Giordano has more details here:

King Charles flies to Scotland to grieve mother at Balmoral

‘Huge operation’ to clean central London during funeral

Tuesday 20 September 2022 13:46 , PA

Scores of staff were deployed for a clean-up operation to return the streets of central London to normal just a few hours after the Queen’s funeral had ended.

Westminster City Council and waste management partner Veolia said they had sent additional cleaning teams to the centre of the city over recent days in a “huge operation” to ensure it was kept clean as crowds flocked to the capital for the Queen’s lying in state and funeral.

Vehicles were dressed with black ribbons and council workers wore black bows while on duty, as a mark of respect. Once the funeral ended and guests departed, teams were sent to the areas which had been the focus of the funeral and the Queen’s final procession out of London.

Starting in Parliament Square, more than 150 people and 19 vehicles split into 11 teams to help clear litter and remove sand to get roads ready for reopening. The clean-up operation started at 2.45pm and was completed by 5pm, the council said.

Analysis | Queen’s funeral brought the world together in a remarkable display of British soft power

Tuesday 20 September 2022 13:31 , Andy Gregory

Our chief political commentator John Rentoul writes that the Queen’s funeral “brought together world leaders in a way that few events do”, describing it as “a United Nations of shared reflection”.

He wrote: “This was a show that did not put Britain on the world stage; it was a show for which Britain was the world stage, a display of the soft power of British ceremony and history. The English language and Christian religion don’t unite everyone, but they are inclusive enough to bring a TV audience of billions together.

“World leaders were equalised by the occasion and by the logistics of bussing them in. Hierarchy persisted, naturally. The president of the US was allowed to come in his own car, asserting the rights of the sole superpower. Sinning leaders were not invited – Afghanistan, Belarus, Myanmar, Russia, Syria and Venezuela were off the list, with Iran, Nicaragua and North Korea in the disapproval zone (ambassadors only), and China in a twilight category of its own.”

You can read his full analysis with Independent Premium:

The funeral brought the world together in a show of British soft power | John Rentoul