Catherine, the Princess of Wales, wore a diamond and pearl leaf brooch that belonged to Queen Elizabeth II at the short service marking the arrival of the late monarch's coffin at Westminster Hall, according to the UK’s Press Association.
Queen Elizabeth's death and funeral
By Rob Picheta, Ed Upright and Aditi Sangal, CNN
Updated 0152 GMT (0952 HKT) September 15, 2022
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Princess of Wales wore a brooch that belonged to Queen Elizabeth at today's service
From CNN's Jorge Engels in London
Women made up half of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery regiment, defense source says
From CNN's Lauren Kent in London
The King��s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, which led the procession of Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall earlier on Wednesday, has about 50% female regiment members, according to a defense source.
There is not a deliberate reason that a large number of the regiment members are women, the defense source told CNN.
"The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery role includes the firing of Royal Salutes to mark the grand occasions of State, including The Queen’s Birthday Parade, Royal Birthdays and Births," according to the British Army website.
Prince Pavlos of Greece remembers his late cousin, Queen Elizabeth II
From CNN's Eve Brennan
Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece, told CNN that his cousin, Queen Elizabeth II, was "one of the kindest people I knew."
“She was always smiling … knowledgeable about everything… and had a very good sense of humor," he said.
He also expressed his love and praise for King Charles III, and he acknowledged the unique position of being an heir.
“What you’ve been waiting for your whole life is also the saddest day of your life,” he said.
King Charles III, according to Pavlos, is “best prepared” to inherit the Crown due to his vast knowledge of his country and the Commonwealth that he has acquired through his charity work under the Prince’s Trust.
Around 100 jobs are now at risk at King Charles III's former official residence, union says
From CNN's Sharon Braithwaite
Around 100 employees at King Charles III's former official residence, Clarence House, were given notice that they could lose their jobs after he became king, the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) said Wednesday.
[The] decision to announce redundancies in the Royal Household during the period of national mourning is nothing short of heartless," PCS said in a statement published on its website, calling for an "immediate halt to the redundancy process."
Some employees have worked there for decades, PCS noted.
This is a "significant majority of the household and many of these staff will be the same people who have so diligently supported the new king during this period of mourning, working extremely hard over recent days only to be given redundancy notices as thanks," PCS added.
“While some changes across the households were to be expected, as roles across the royal family change, the scale and speed at which this has been announced is callous in the extreme. Least of all because we do not know what staffing the incoming Prince of Wales and his family might need," PCS General Secretary Mark Serwotka said.
Clarence House's press office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
"Hundreds of thousands" will visit Queen Elizabeth II lying in state, London mayor says
From CNN's Bianca Nobilo, Allegra Goodwin and Duarte Mendonca
Britain’s capital city expects hundreds of thousands of people to visit Queen Elizabeth II as she lies in state in Westminster Hall ahead her funeral on Monday, the mayor of London Sadiq Khan told CNN, adding that the situation was “unprecedented.”
The world has not seen a funeral like this,” he said, adding, “She was loved, revered, our monarch for more than 70 years.”
“We expect to see over the course of the next few days hundreds of thousands of people personally pay their respects to her majesty the Queen, but also we expect to see prime ministers, presidents, members of the royal family, and others from across the globe,” he continued.
“The really reassuring thing is our King, King Charles III, had the best possible mentor, and the best possible apprenticeship and that’s why I’m so confident he will be a wonderful king," he added.
As world leaders and their teams arrive in London for the Queen's funeral, Khan said the city has never before seen such crowd and this presence.
“In just a couple of days, we will have almost 300 world leaders and their teams and entourages coming to London. I don't think our city's ever seen the sort of presence we're going to see over the next few days,” Khan told Sky News.
The number of mourners far exceeds the scale of other events, such as the London Olympics and other Royal events, he said, suggesting that the crowds for the Queen’s passing are larger than all those events combined.
“If you think about the London marathon, the carnival, previous royal weddings, the Olympics -- it's all that, in one,” Khan said.
“This is a massive operation and we're working really hard together to make sure that we can do her, we can do King Charles, we can do the Royal Family, our city, our nation, and the Commonwealth, what it deserves,” the London mayor added.
Royals leave Westminster Hall following service for Queen
King Charles III and the rest of the Queen's relatives have filed out of Westminster Hall, following the short service marking the arrival of the late monarch's coffin.
In less than two hours, the doors of the hall will open to the public for her lying-in-state.
Queues are already weaving through central London and unprecedented numbers of mourners are expected.
The line of people to see the Queen lying-in-state is about 2 miles long right now
From CNN's Anna Stewart and Alex Hardie
The live queue tracker for people attending Queen Elizabeth II’s lying-in-state is now live on YouTube.
As of 10:26 a.m. ET on Wednesday, it says the line is approximately 2 miles long, with the nearest landmark to the end of the queue being Blackfriars Bridge.
This is being updated as the queue moves.
US President Joe Biden spoke with King Charles III on Wednesday
From CNN's Betsy Klein
US President Joe Biden spoke with King Charles III on Wednesday, the White House announced.
The rare call between a US President and a monarch comes ahead of Biden’s attendance at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on Monday and days after the King ascended to the British throne.
Biden, offered "his condolences on the passing of Queen Elizabeth II," the White House said in a readout of the call.
It added: “The President recalled fondly the Queen’s kindness and hospitality, including when she hosted him and the First Lady at Windsor Castle last June. He also conveyed the great admiration of the American people for the Queen, whose dignity and constancy deepened the enduring friendship and special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom. President Biden conveyed his wish to continue a close relationship with the King.”
Service marking Queen Elizabeth's arrival begins
Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, is giving a service after the Queen's coffin was placed in Westminster Hall.
Welby, the most senior bishop in the Church of England, read an opening prayer and an extract from John 14.
