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Anthony Albanese has attended a reception for leaders from across the world, hosted by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, ahead of Queen Elizabeth II's funeral.

The prime minister met with Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday, before holding a lunch with Australia's community champions at Australia House in London.

Mr Albanese met with the new king along with his counterparts from the 14 Commonwealth realms.

The prime minister described the meeting as warm and friendly, saying it provided him a moment to personally offer his condolences to the King.

"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."

In Australia, senior Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek lauded the Queen's graciousness during her visits, with the environment minister having met the monarch briefly on two occasions.

"I have to say my mum came with me on both of those occasions," she said.

"She was super-excited; like a lot of women of her generation, she was a huge fan of the Queen and (she is) experiencing a lot of sadness at the moment."

Thursday will be marked by a day of mourning with Australians to get a one-off public holiday.

Idol star Anthony Callea will perform at the event, to be held at Parliament House in Canberra, with TV presenter Melissa Doyle to host.

"It will be an important day to pay tribute to the life and service of Queen Elizabeth II," Mr Albanese told Sky News.

All state and territory leaders, as well as justices of the High Court, will attend the service.

Mr Albanese said he and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton will give "short tributes" to the late monarch.

The prime minister also met with British prime minister Liz Truss in Kent on Saturday, where they spoke about national security in the Indo-Pacific.

Earlier in the day, Mr Albanese was forced to dismiss 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."

He said the late monarch had a "close affinity" to Australia, always standing with its people at "times of difficulty".

Mr Albanese said there was a standing invitation for King Charles to visit Australia, adding that he would be comfortable with the monarch continuing to express views on issues such as climate change.

"If he chose to do so, then of course that would be a matter for him. But I think that should be respected if he does choose to do so," he said.

The Queen's funeral will take place on Monday at 8pm AEST.

© AAP 2022

King Charles has thanked people from Britain and across the world for their messages of sympathy following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth.

The state funeral for Elizabeth will be held at London's Westminster Abbey on Monday, concluding 10 days of solemn ceremony and mourning during which hundreds of thousands of people have paid tribute to the monarch, 96, for her seven decades on the throne.

"Over the last 10 days, my wife and I have been so deeply touched by the many messages of condolence and support we have received from this country and across the world," Charles, who has toured the United Kingdom since his mother's death, said in a statement on Sunday.

"In London, Edinburgh, Hillsborough and Cardiff we were moved beyond measure by everyone who took the trouble to come and pay their respects to the lifelong service of my dear mother, the late Queen.

"As we all prepare to say our last farewell, I wanted simply to take this opportunity to say thank you to all those countless people who have been such a support and comfort to my family and myself in this time of grief."

Following the service at Westminster Abbey, the Queen's coffin will be taken to Windsor where she will later be buried alongside her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip.

That will bring to an end a period of national mourning in Britain, although royal mourning will continue for a further seven days.

© RAW 2022

US President Joe Biden paid his respects at Queen Elizabeth II's coffin as thousands of police, hundreds of British troops and an army of officials made final preparations for the queen's state funeral -- a spectacular display of national mourning that will also be the biggest gathering of world leaders for years.

Biden and first lady Jill Biden were among thousands of mourners -- from locals and tourists to royals and world leaders -- to pay their respects at Westminster Hall, where the queen is lying in state.

The president made the sign of the cross and put his hand to his heart as he stood quietly near the casket in the ornate 900-year-old hall with his wife and US Ambassador Jane Hartley.

Biden then signed the official condolence book and attended a reception Sunday at Buckingham Palace hosted by King Charles III. He is one of 500 world leaders and royals invited to the Queen's state funeral on Monday at Westminster Abbey, along with hundreds of British charity workers.

Biden called Queen Elizabeth II "decent" and "honourable" and "all about service" as he signed the condolence book, saying his heart went out to the royal family.

As the dignitaries poured in, the clock was ticking down for those seeking a place in the longest queue many have ever seen to file past the queen's coffin.

Family by family, thousands of people kept joining the line around the clock, braving chilly overnight temperatures and waits of up to 17 hours in a queue that stretched for over eight kilometres.

The queen's eight grandchildren, led by heir to the throne Prince William, circled the coffin and stood with their heads bowed during a silent vigil on Saturday evening.

Among the foreign leaders in London was New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who told the BBC she was humbled to represent her nation at the funeral and to witness the national outpouring of grief and respect for the late queen.

"The thing that I will take away from this period is just the beauty of the public's response, the kindness that you see from members of the public, the patience, the camaraderie. That has been, for me, the most moving tribute of all, has been the public response of the British people," she said.

People across the UK will also pause on Sunday evening for a nationwide minute of silence to remember the queen, who died September 8 at 96 after 70 years on the throne.

Monday has been declared a public holiday, and the funeral will be broadcast to a huge television audience worldwide and screened to crowds in parks and public spaces across the country.

Police officers from around the country will be on duty as part of the biggest one-day policing operation in London's history.

Crowds also gathered Sunday near Windsor Castle, where the queen will be laid to rest at a private family ceremony on Monday evening.

Camilla, the queen consort, paid tribute to her mother-in-law in a video message, saying the monarch "carved her own role" as a "solitary woman" on a world stage dominated by men.

"I will always remember her smile. That smile is unforgettable," said Camilla, who is married to Charles.

Ukraine's first lady, Olena Zelenska, was also among mourners paying respects to the queen's coffin. British royal officials said Zelenska met with Catherine, the Princess of Wales, at Buckingham Palace on Sunday afternoon. They did not release further details.

The lying-in-state continues until early Monday morning, when the queen's coffin will be moved on a gun carriage pulled by 142 Royal Navy sailors to nearby Westminster Abbey for the funeral, the finale of 10 days of national mourning for Britain's longest-reigning monarch.

After the service at the abbey, the late queen's coffin will be transported through the historic heart of London on the state gun carriage. It will then be taken in a hearse to Windsor, where the queen will be interred alongside her late husband, Prince Philip, who died last year at 99.

© AP 2022