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The Queen's coffin is to begin its poignant final journey to Buckingham Palace, while the King will travel to Northern Ireland for the first time as monarch.

Thousands of members of the public moved solemnly past the oak coffin throughout the night on Monday as it stood on public view for 24 hours at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh.

Charles, on his Operation Spring Tide tour around the UK with the Queen Consort, will leave Scotland and head to Belfast before returning to London in the evening.

Members of the public are already queuing for the Queen's lying in state at Westminster Hall, which opens on Wednesday, with thousands placing floral tributes in London's Green Park.

Mourners have been asked by Royal Parks not leave marmalade sandwiches - a nod to the Queen's popular comedy sketch with Paddington Bear - for fear of a negative effect on wildlife.

At 6pm on Tuesday (3am Wednesday AEST), the Queen will depart Scotland for the final time.

Her coffin will be flown from Edinburgh Airport to London on an RAF Globemaster C-17 flight, accompanied by her daughter the Princess Royal.

The King will be joined by Camilla as he receives his mother's coffin at Buckingham Palace, where she spent so many of her decades as sovereign.

The Prince and Princess of Wales will also be at the Palace.

A guard of honour formed of three officers and 96 soldiers from The King's Guard will be mounted in the Quadrangle.

Military commands, usually shouted, will be given as quietly as possible in honour of the solemn occasion.

The coffin will be carried by a bearer party to the Bow Room where a sovereign's piper will play a lament.

It will remain in the Bow Room overnight before a procession on Wednesday to Westminster Hall for the start of the lying in state.

The King's visit to Northern Ireland earlier in the day comes ahead of a trip to Wales later in the week.

After touching down in Belfast, Charles and Camilla will travel to Hillsborough Castle in Co Down, the royal residence in Northern Ireland, for several engagements.

They will hold a private audience with the new Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris, as well as meeting representatives of political parties in the region.

The couple will receive a message of condolence on behalf of the people of Northern Ireland.

Charles and Camilla will then travel to St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast where they will attend a service of reflection for the life of the Queen.

The new monarch will also meet leaders from all the major faiths in Northern Ireland.

Irish President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina, Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney are due to attend a memorial service at St Anne's Cathedral.

Both Houses of Parliament gathered at Westminster Hall in London on Monday to express their condolences to the new monarch, and Charles promised "faithfully to follow" the example set by his mother.

Later, the King led the royal family in a procession behind the Queen's coffin in Edinburgh as it was taken from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles' Cathedral.

© RAW 2022

King Charles has told Britain's parliament he is "resolved faithfully to follow" the example set by his mother, Queen Elizabeth, addressing MPs and peers in what he described as the "the living and breathing instrument of our democracy".

At a ceremony in Westminster Hall, the oldest building on the parliamentary estate, Charles used his address to the upper and lower houses of parliament to pay tribute to his mother and to pledge to uphold the principle of constitutional government.

"While very young, her late Majesty pledged herself to serve her country and her people and to maintain the precious principles of constitutional government which lie at the heart of our nation. This vow she kept with unsurpassed devotion," he told the assembled MPs and peers on Monday.

"She set an example of selfless duty which, with God's help and your counsels, I am resolved faithfully to follow.

"As Shakespeare says of the earlier Queen Elizabeth, she was 'a pattern to all Princes living'."

The Queen died at home on Sunday on Thursday, triggering a period of national mourning when tens of thousands of Britons are expected to pay tribute to her.

During the ceremony at Westminster Hall, when the Speakers of the House of Lords and House of Commons offered their sympathies to the new King, Charles also paid tribute to parliament as "the living and breathing instrument of our democracy".

"As I stand before you today, I cannot help but feel the weight of history which surrounds us, and which reminds us of the vital parliamentary traditions, to which members of both Houses dedicate yourselves with such personal commitment for the betterment of us all."

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Britain's Prince Harry has paid a highly personal tribute to his "granny", the late Queen Elizabeth, saying how he cherished the time he had spent with her and how he would honour his father as the new King.

In a statement, Harry, who stepped down from royal duties with his wife Meghan in 2020, praised the Queen's service as head of state and monarch, and also spoke emotionally of her role as a grandmother.

"Granny, while this final parting brings us great sadness, I am forever grateful for all of our first meetings - from my earliest childhood memories with you, to meeting you for the first time as my Commander-in-Chief, to the first moment you met my darling wife and hugged your beloved great-grandchildren," he said.

"I cherish these times shared with you, and the many other special moments in between. You are already sorely missed, not just by us, but by the world over."

He praised her "unwavering grace and dignity" and her commitment to duty, saying she was globally admired and respected.

"We, too, smile knowing that you and grandpa are reunited now, and both together in peace," he said, a reference to her husband of 73 years Prince Philip, who died last year.

"Thank you for your commitment to service.

"Thank you for your sound advice.

"Thank you for your infectious smile."

After he and Meghan left their official royal roles, they became alienated from the family, including his father, now King Charles, and delivered withering criticism of Buckingham Palace and how they had been treated.

Since becoming King following the Queen's death at the age of 96 last Thursday, Charles has expressed his love for the couple.

"As it comes to first meetings, we now honour my father in his new role as King Charles III," Harry said.

Harry and Meghan were only in Britain when the Queen died because they were coincidentally visiting to attend a number of charity events , a rare trip since they moved to California where they live with their two young children.

They had not been even been expected to speak to their close relatives on the visit prior to the Queen's death.

On Saturday, Harry and Meghan unexpectedly appeared with his elder brother William for a walkabout near Windsor Castle , in a show of unity that suggested the death of their grandmother could lead to a rapprochement.

A royal source described it as an important show of unity at an incredibly difficult time for the family.

© RAW 2022