Big Ben will toll at 8pm to mark start of minute silence for Queen

Big Ben will toll at 8pm to mark beginning of the national minute’s silence to pay tribute to the Queen as millions across UK pause to remember her ‘life and legacy’

  • Big Ben will toll to mark the start of the national moment of reflection at 8pm 
  • The Bell will be struck once to mark the start of the minutes’ silence
  • The UK parliament said it will be struck once more at 8.01pm to mark its end 

Big Ben will toll to mark the beginning of the National Moment of Reflection at 8pm today.

The bell will be struck once to mark the start of the minute’s silence, UK Parliament said.

It will be struck once more at 8.01pm to mark its end.

Big Ben will also ring on Monday at one-minute intervals as the funeral procession departs the service.

A muffler will be used for the bell, which reduces the impact of the sound and creates a quieter tone.

The moment of reflection is to ‘reflect on the Queen’s life and legacy’, the UK Government said. 

Big Ben will toll to mark the beginning of the national moment of reflection at 8pm today the bell will be struck once to mark the start of the minute’s silence, UK Parliament said

This comes as the public continued queuing for the final day of the lying in state in Westminster Hall, where the late monarch’s coffin will remain until 6.30am on Monday.

People have been warned not to set off from their homes to join the queue as it is due to close.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said: ‘A decision will be taken today on when entry to the queue for Her Majesty The Queen’s Lying-in-State will close as it reaches final capacity.

‘Queue times are already 13.5 hours and may increase.

‘To avoid disappointment please do not set off to join the queue.’

Waiting times were far shorter than the peak of more than 25 hours that was seen in the early hours of Saturday morning.

This comes as the public continued queuing for the final day of the lying in state in Westminster Hall, where the late monarch’s coffin will remain until 6.30am on Monday

However, St John Ambulance said in the early hours of the morning some 98 people needed medical support, nine of whom were taken to hospital.

The King and Queen Consort are to host world leaders and official overseas guests at the palace, in what the King’s spokesman described as an ‘official state event’.

Camilla will pay a televised tribute to the late monarch, recalling her ‘wonderful blue eyes’ and saying: ‘I will always remember her smile.’

In pre-recorded words on the BBC, she will speak of how Queen Elizabeth II was a ‘solitary woman’ in a male-dominated world.

She will add: ‘I can’t remember anyone except the Queen being there.’

There will also be a service of reflection near Falkirk, Scotland at 7.30pm.

It will see 96 lanterns, one for each year of the late monarch’s life, lowered into the pool of reflection at the foot of the Queen Elizabeth II Canal, before wreaths are placed into the water.

The DCMS has said the Queen’s funeral will be shown on giant screens in various locations across the UK, from London’s Hyde Park to Coleraine Town Hall in Northern Ireland.

Around 125 cinemas will also be screening the event, along with Sky News, ITV and the BBC for people watching from home.

On Saturday evening, the Queen’s eight grandchildren together staged a heart-rending evening vigil around their beloved Granny’s coffin.

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