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People have flocked to central London to join a queue to file past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, undeterred by a government warning to stay at home to avoid standing in line for hours to see the late monarch's lying-in-state.

Tens of thousands of people have already filed past the coffin in a steady, solemn stream, queuing for hours through the dark and cold to pay their respects to Britain's longest-reigning monarch - a testimony to the affection in which she was held.

By mid-morning on Saturday, the culture ministry said the waiting time stood at up to 16 hours to reach Westminster Hall to take part.

Earlier, the ministry had said it would pause entry to the queue if demand became too high, adding: "Please do not travel."

On Friday night, King Charles III joined his three siblings - Princess Anne and Princes Andrew and Edward - in a silent vigil at the coffin while their eight children, including William and Harry, will form their own ceremonial guard later on Saturday.

Heir-to-the-throne William and his brother Harry, who have grown apart in recent years after Harry moved to the United States, will both appear in military uniform.

Harry served two tours of duty with the British Army in Afghanistan but so far has appeared in processions in civilian dress after he lost his honorary military titles when he stepped back from public royal duties.

The two brothers will be joined at the vigil by their cousins - Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, the children of Princess Anne; Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, the children of Prince Andrew; and Louise and James, the children of Prince Edward.

Thousands of people continue to queue to see the Queen's coffin, with some facing more than a day in line.

The state funeral on Monday, to be attended by nearly 100 presidents and heads of government including those from Australia, United States, France, Japan, Jamaica and Canada, is likely to be one of the biggest ceremonial events ever held in Britain.

On Friday, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern filed past the coffin - one of the first leaders to arrive. The premier of the Canadian province of Alberta, Jason Kenney, described the gathering in central London as "this huge, diverse gathering of people from around the world".

On Saturday, King Charles will meet the prime ministers of the 14 other countries where he is head of state. He will also meet workers in the emergency services who are helping to stage the funeral.

Later the focus will switch to the younger royals and their vigil.

Police said one man had been arrested following a disturbance near the coffin on Friday night, held for an offence under the Public Order Act.

© RAW 2022

King Charles III has shaken hands and spoken to wellwishers queuing for hours in central London to file past the coffin of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, after thanking emergency workers who are helping to stage the late monarch's funeral.

To cheers of "hip, hip, hurrah" and shouts of "God save the King", Charles on Saturday walked alongside part of the queue waiting to see the Queen's lying-in-state, asking those lining up how long they had been there and whether they were warm enough.

Prince William also chatted to the crowds wanting to honour the Queen who died aged 96 on Thursday.

People are continuing to flock to central London, adding to the already hundreds of thousands who have filed past the coffin in a solemn stream, to pay their respects to Britain's longest-reigning monarch - a testimony to the affection in which she was held.

With preparations for the state funeral on Monday well under way, the king visited police headquarters to thank emergency services workers involved in the planning.

Charles was also due to greet leaders of the 14 countries where he is head of state such as Canada and Australia, and have lunch with the governors general - the people who represent the monarch in overseas realms - at Buckingham Palace.

By lunchtime, Britain's culture ministry said the waiting time to reach the historic Westminster Hall where Elizabeth's body lies in state, with her oak coffin on a purple-clad catafalque, draped in the Royal Standard and with the bejewelled Imperial State Crown on top, was up to 16 hours.

In the silent hall, some mourners wept, many were tearful while current soldiers and veterans saluted their former commander-in-chief. Others fell to their knees.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese were among the dignitaries to pay their respects.

Earlier, the government had said it would pause entry to the queue if demand became too high, adding: "Please do not travel."

The death of the Queen at her summer estate in the Scottish highlands has sparked an outpouring of emotion across the country and 10 days of choreographed events.

Having laid at rest in the Scottish capital for 24 hours the coffin was flown south to London, where tens of thousands of people crowded onto a normally busy road in driving rain to observe the flag-draped casket being driven to Buckingham Palace.

On Friday night, Charles joined his three siblings - Princess Anne and Princes Andrew and Edward - in a silent vigil at the coffin while their eight children, including William and Harry, will form their own ceremonial guard later on Saturday.

The funeral, to be attended by nearly 100 presidents and heads of government including those from Australia, United States, France, Japan, Jamaica and Canada, is likely to be one of the biggest ceremonial events ever held in Britain.

Later on Saturday, the focus will switch to the younger royals and their vigil.

William and his brother Harry, who have grown apart in recent years after Harry moved to the US, will both stand guard at the coffin in military uniform.

Harry served two tours of duty with the British Army in Afghanistan but so far has appeared in processions in morning suits after he lost his honorary military titles when he stepped back from public royal duties.

The two brothers will be joined by their cousins - Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, the children of Princess Anne, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, the children of Prince Andrew, and Louise and James, the children of Prince Edward.

© RAW 2022

Geelong are one win away from an elusive AFL premiership after banishing their preliminary final demons with a 71-point thumping of the Brisbane Lions at the MCG.

Lifted by a heroic performance from star veteran Patrick Dangerfield on Friday, the Cats booked their second grand final appearance in three seasons by winning 18.12 (120) to 7.7 (49) in front of 77,677 fans.

Geelong will enter the September 24 decider on a 15-game winning streak and are guaranteed to start the game as warm favourites no matter if the Sydney Swans or Collingwood win the other preliminary final.

It was the Cats' sixth preliminary final since 2013, but they have not won a flag since 2011 and their only grand final appearance in that period was a loss to Richmond in 2020.

Young speedster Max Holmes is in some doubt for the decider after being subbed out with a hamstring injury in the third quarter.

The 20-year-old looked heartbroken on the bench, punching the ground, as Irishman Mark O'Connor was substituted into the match.

But Cats coach Chris Scott was confident Holmes had avoided serious damage and optimistic he would play in the grand final.

"I went down there thinking the worst (about Holmes), but I bounced out of the rooms," Scott said.

"It's not a sure thing but the quality of our medical staff, when they say they're optimistic, it gets me up on my toes."

Dangerfield set the tone for Geelong, booting the first goal of Friday night's match on his way to a first-quarter tally of nine touches and two majors.

The Brownlow medallist finished with 28 possessions, approaching the match with a steely determination to win the premiership that has eluded him in 302 games with Adelaide and the Cats.

"Compared to where he's (Dangerfield) been previously, it's chalk and cheese," Scott said.

"He's a bit older but he goes into the biggest game of the year in the best shape he's been for years."

The Cats fielded the oldest team in VFL/AFL history with an average age of 28 years 173 days, including 10 players aged more than 30, but it was not just their established veterans who stepped up.

Brownlow medal favourite Lachie Neale's influence was curbed after the Lions superstar opened the finals series with two dominant midfield performances.

Neale was restricted to just one touch in the second quarter as Geelong built a matchwinning lead, skipping away to a 30-point lead at halftime.

Geelong's defenders dominated Lions tall forwards Eric Hipwood and Joe Daniher as Tom Stewart, Jack Henry and Sam De Koning took intercept marks with ease.

Any hope the Lions had of repeating their second-half heroics from the semi-final win against Melbourne were ruined at the start of the third term when Joe Daniher kicked a set-shot out on the full, before Tyson Stengle snapped an opportunistic goal a minute later for Geelong.

Star forward Tom Hawkins (four goals) and dynamo Tyson Stengle (three) were crucial, while Gryan Miers and Gary Rohan slotted multiple majors.

In a blow for the Lions, former No.1 draft pick Cam Rayner was helped off the field with an ankle injury and was subbed off for Rhys Mathieson.

Rayner missed the entire 2021 season after rupturing his ACL and had taken time to recapture his best form this year.

Lions coach Chris Fagan said the Cats taught his team a lesson after two memorable finals victories over Richmond and Melbourne.

"There's been a lot of good things that have happened this year, tonight wasn't one of them," Fagan said.

"We should also talk about the learnings we get from playing against a great side like Geelong, who just played a brilliant finals game and look in great shape for next week."

© AAP 2022