The Queen's funeral live: Crowds gather in London as doors close on Westminster Hall where Elizabeth II has been lying in state

Tens of thousands of people will gather in London today, Monday September 19, to mourn Britain's longest serving monarch Queen Elizabeth II as she is laid to rest. It will be the first time since 1760 that a monarch's funeral has been held at Westminster Abbey.

The service will be broadcast live with millions expected to tune in to watch the service. A national bank holiday was declared after the monarch's death on September 8, aged 96.

A queue of mourners of over five miles and totalling over 12 hours have snaked through London for the last four days as people waited to visit the Queen's coffin as she lay in state in Westminister Hall. The last peopke were admitted to the queue at around 10:30pm last night, with the coffin expected to leave ahead of the fineral early this morning. You can read more about the queue here

Read more: The Queen's funeral plans: The full hour-by-hour timetable of what will happen

The late Queen’s lying in state will continue until 6.30am on the day of the funeral. The coffin will then be taken in a grand military procession from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey for the state funeral at 11am. Following the service, there will be a procession through parts of London before the hearse reaches the Queen's final resting place at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.

Senior members of the family are expected to follow behind, just as they did for the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh. The military will line the streets and also join the procession. Heads of state, prime ministers and presidents, members of European royal families and key figures from public life will be invited to gather in the abbey, which can hold a congregation of 2,000.

After the service,