The announcement comes as the United Kingdom mourns the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the country’s longest-serving monarch. A period of royal mourning – by members of the royal family, royal household staff and representatives, along with troops committed to ceremonial duties – will be observed from now until seven days after the Queen’s funeral, the date of which will be confirmed in due course , Buckingham Palace said. Global tributes pour in for ‘remarkable’ Queen – latest updates Senior members of the royal family spent the night at Balmoral following the death of the 96-year-old monarch, including the king and queen, and next in line to the throne, Prince William. His brother Prince Harry was the first to leave the royal family’s Scottish home this morning for Aberdeen International Airport, where he boarded a British Airways flight to London. King Charles III and the Queen Consort will return to the capital later, with the monarch holding his first audience with Prime Minister Liz Truss, before addressing the nation on television at 6pm. What will be done today to mark Her Majesty’s death? As people across the UK and the world react to the death of Queen Elizabeth II, events and ceremonies are planned, the full details of which have yet to be announced. In London, 96 salutes – one for each year of the Queen’s life – will be fired in tribute to the late monarch from 1pm in Hyde Park by The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery and at the Tower of London by the Honorable Artillery Company . . A service of prayer and reflection will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral in central London at 6pm. Approximately 2,000 seats will be allocated to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. Today’s sitting of the House of Commons will not start at 9.30am. as planned, with both Houses meeting at noon. MPs and peers will be invited to pay their respects to the Queen at the session, led by Ms Truss, which will run until 10pm. The government is not expected to announce any other cases unless something urgent comes up to allow the focus to fall entirely on the Queen. Read more: From new King to national mourning – it’s happening now Ms Truss and senior ministers will also attend the public memorial service at St Paul’s Cathedral. The government is expected to announce that the state funeral will be a public holiday in the form of national mourning. Throughout the day, the king is likely to meet the Earl Marshal – the Duke of Norfolk – who is in charge of the Queen’s funeral, to approve the carefully choreographed program for the coming days. He will also prepare his first address to the nation, in which he will pay tribute to his mother and pledge to serve as head of state. Image: Prince Harry left Balmoral earlier this morning to fly back to London As tributes pour in from around the world, hailing the Queen’s unwavering commitment to serving her country and the Commonwealth, books of condolence are being placed in town halls and big screens in major city centers for people to watch the rolling news coverage. There are no physical books of condolence in the royal residences, which will remain closed until after the Queen’s funeral. But there is an online condolence book for those who want to leave messages. Churches have been urged to ring their bells, with the Church of England sending guidance to parishes, chapels and cathedrals across the country encouraging them to open for prayer or special services. The Central Council of Church Bell Ringers recommended that dead bells be rung for one hour from noon. The bells will ring at Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral and Windsor Castle. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 17:34 The Life Of Queen Elizabeth II What will happen on Saturday? Unusually, the House of Commons will sit on Saturday to allow senior MPs to swear allegiance to King Charles III. It will start at 2 in the afternoon and will be followed by tributes, which will continue until 22:00. The session will conclude with a “formal humble address” to the King at the end, “expressing the House’s deep sympathy” on the Queen’s death, the House of Commons said in a statement. Click to subscribe to Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts All MPs will have the option to swear an oath to the King when Parliament returns, but are not obliged to. Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle will set the timetable in the coming days, but it is expected to be significantly reduced until after the state funeral as Parliament adjourns. This means no new laws can be passed until Parliament returns, although it could be recalled for the most urgent matters. Image: St James’s Palace is where the Accession Council will be held Also on Saturday morning, a Council of Accession will meet at St James’s Palace in London to formally declare King Charles III as the new sovereign. The first public proclamation of the new sovereign will then be read outdoors from the balcony of Friary Court at St James’s Palace by the Garter King of Arms. Union flags are raised again at 1pm and remain there for 24 hours to coincide with the proclamations before returning to half-staff.
