Australians are preparing to join hundreds of millions of people worldwide to watch Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral at landmarks and in homes across the nation.
Hundreds have registered to watch the funeral at Government House in Canberra while St Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney and Federation Square in Melbourne will host live viewings.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will be among more than 2000 people attending the funeral in London, along with the governor-general and a small delegation of Australians.
Mr Albanese was among the estimated crowd of 750,000 people who viewed Queen Elizabeth’s coffin in Westminster Hall ahead of her state funeral.
“It was a very solemn occasion and it was very emotional, and you could feel the emotion from people as they were filing through,” he told the ABC.
“What struck me most strongly in that room, in that moment, (was) the sense of history.”
Mr Albanese will travel to the Queen’s funeral by coach alongside other leaders as much of the world’s attention focuses on London.
The funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey at 8pm AEST before a committal service is held at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.
It will be led by the Dean of Westminster, Dr David Hoyle, with British Prime Minister Liz Truss reading the second lesson and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby delivering the sermon.
As the service comes to a close, the Last Post will be sounded followed by a two-minute silence and the Reveille.
The Sovereign’s Piper of the Royal Regiment of Scotland will play Sleep, dearie, sleep, as the coffin and processions leave the church.
Ahead of the event, Mr Albanese met with Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday before holding a lunch with Australia’s community champions at Australia House in London.
He also met King Charles III at Buckingham Palace along with his counterparts from the 14 Commonwealth realms as well as Ms Truss in Kent on Saturday.
The prime minister described his meeting with the King as warm and friendly, saying it provided him a moment to personally offer his condolences.
“It’s a very personal bereavement that he’s feeling,” Mr Albanese told the BBC.
“In his case, of course, the loss of his mother coming so soon after the loss of his father.
“I was able to offer the condolences of the people of Australia for whom the Queen was held in great affection.”
Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce said the Queen was a “beacon and a compass for people in political life, and politicians especially, of how to act with dignity”.
“This is really a celebration for us and a remembrance by us because she lived a good and wholesome life,” he told the Seven Network.
Australians will also be able to pay their respects on Thursday during a national memorial service to be broadcast across the nation from Parliament House.
All state and territory leaders, as well as justices of the High Court, will attend the service, with Australians given a public holiday to mark the occasion.
Mr Albanese said he and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton would give short tributes to the late monarch.
He dismissed questions about changes to the constitution following the Queen’s death, saying now was not the time.
“I don’t think now’s the time to discuss those issues, and I have made that clear,” he said.
“This is a time in which we should acknowledge the life of service of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.”
Mr Albanese said there was a standing invitation for King Charles to visit Australia.
© AAP 2022
