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Deadline for confirming attendance at Queen Elizabeth II's funeral arrives as Leeds pays further tributes - live updates

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The guestlist for Queen Elizabeth II's funeral on Monday can soon be drawn up as the deadline for confirming attendance has arrived.

Monday September 19 has already been confirmed as a bank holiday as the country prepares to lay its longest-reigning monarch to rest.

The ceremony will be held at Westminster Abbey and an array of royals and politicians are expected to be in attendance.

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President Joe Biden has confirmed he will be making the journey from the United States for the ceremony, alongside First Lady Jill Biden.

The Queen continues to lie in state. Image: James HardistyThe Queen continues to lie in state. Image: James Hardisty
The Queen continues to lie in state. Image: James Hardisty

Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth II is set for her first full day of lying in state.

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All the places closing for Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral on 19 September: f...

There have been lengthy queues of people wanting to pay their respects at Westminster Hall and the coffin will remain there over the weekend.

Leeds has continued to pay tribute and yesterday, a special meeting of Leeds City Council was held.

Scroll down for live updates as Leeds continues to mourn Her Majesty.

Key timings for the Queen’s funeral confirmed

What the Commons Speaker said in his address

It is perhaps “very British” to celebrate revolutions by presenting an address to Her Majesty, Sir Lindsay Hoyle has said.

Presenting an address to the King on behalf of the lower house, the Commons Speaker told Westminster Hall: “Let me repeat a welcome to you and to Her Majesty, the Queen Consort, on this solemn occasion.

“Members of both Houses of Parliament gather here to express our deep sympathy for the loss we have all sustained in the death of our sovereign lady, Queen Elizabeth. We have seen that this is a loss that is felt around the world.”

He went on: “Our late Queen was here to mark the historic moments, such as the 50th anniversary of the Second World War, a war in which she herself served in the armed forces.

“And in 1988, we celebrated the 300th anniversary of the revolutions of 1688 to 1689.

“It is perhaps very British to celebrate revolutions by presenting an address to Her Majesty; but those revolutions led to our constitutional freedoms, set out the foundation for a stable monarchy, which protects liberty.”

An “inspiring reign of deep and unparalleled devotion”

Lord Speaker Lord McFall of Alcluith paid tribute to the Queen’s “inspiring reign of deep and unparalleled devotion” as he pledged loyalty to the new King on behalf of the House of Lords.

Addressing Charles in Westminster Hall, he said: “Your Majesty, I welcome you and Her Majesty the Queen Consort to Parliament today on this solemn occasion.

“Her late Majesty, our treasured Queen and your beloved and deeply missed mother came here to Westminster Hall many times to receive the congratulations of her loyal subjects in the two houses of Parliament and to celebrate with them historic landmarks and her long life of dedicated public service.

“She was both a leader to and a servant of her people. Her humility and integrity commanded the respect and captured the imagination of peoples and nations across the globe.”

He added: “Her late Majesty’s joyous, unstinting and reassuring presence across the years made it difficult to contemplate that her long and inspiring reign of deep and unparalleled devotion would ever end.

“We and the nation closed our eyes to this inevitability. But it has ended.”

King thanks MPs and peers for their words on the late Queen

The King has thanked MPs and peers for their messages, saying: “I am deeply grateful for the addresses of condolence.”

He said the addresses “touchingly encompass what our late sovereign, my beloved mother the Queen, meant to us all”.

A fanfare of trumpets had earlier sounded as the King and Queen Consort, both dressed in black, arrived in Westminster Hall.

The crowds in the hall stood to attention and only sat once the King had done so.

The Lords Speaker began the ceremony, reading out an address on behalf of peers.

Dressed in his ceremonial robes, Lord McFall of Alcluith read out a humble address on behalf of the House of Lords.

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle followed, reading an address on behalf of MPs.

Leeds Minster to host service of commemoration

A Service of Commemoration for Her late Majesty the Queen will take place at Leeds Minster on Kirkgate at 7.30pm on Tuesday September 13.

The service will be led by the Archdeacon of Leeds, Ven. Paul Ayers, and the sermon will be given by Rt Rev Arun Arora, the newly installed Bishop of Kirkstall.

Music will be provided by the Minster Choir and St Peter’s Singers, under the Director of Music Alex Woodrow. The choir will sing the anthem And I Saw a New Heaven and a New Earth by Edgar Bainton and prayers will be said by Rev’d Lizzy Woolf, Rector of St George’s Church in Leeds.

All are very welcome to attend as the City of Leeds pays its respects.

King Charles III and the Queen Consort are to visit Westminster Hall in London where both Houses of Parliament will express condolences to the new monarch.

Later on Monday, Charles and Camilla will fly to Edinburgh where they will attend a Ceremony of the Keys and the King will inspect the guard of honour.

Charles will then lead the royal family in procession as the Queen’s coffin is taken from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to nearby St Giles’ Cathedral for a service of thanksgiving.

Members of the public will be able to view the coffin at the cathedral and pay their respects from 5pm for a period of 24 hours.

The King will then hold audiences with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Alison Johnstone, the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament.

Later in the evening, the King and other members of the royal family will mount a vigil at the cathedral in honour of their mother.