The funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in full, up until the committal service at St. George's Chapel. Video / AP
Queen Elizabeth's lying-in-state has officially closed as the world prepares to say their final goodbye to Her Majesty.
The last people to have said goodbye to the Queen joined the queue at 10.30pm last night (9.30am this morning NZT), giving them enough time to make it through before the closure at 6.30am (5.30pm NZT) today.
Having opened last Wednesday in the UK, the queue was thought to have comprised an estimated 400,000 mourners the Daily Mail reported, including former football star David Beckham.
One of the last members of the public who paid tribute to Her Majesty at Westminster Hall, Christina Heerey, has shared why it was an "honour" to say goodbye to the 96-year-old monarch in person.
The final member of the public paying her respects at 06.29am inside Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster in London. Photo / Supplied
Speaking to Sky News, Heerey said: "It is an honour. I currently serve in the Royal Air Force so to be able to do that on behalf of the Royal Air Force and a female to an amazing lady that will never be replaced, it was an honour. Obviously, I swore my allegiance to her and I just feel very proud being in the Air Force and being one of her subjects for her.
"Walking into the hall the first time, because I went through at 1.15am and felt that I needed to go through again, so I just obviously came through last of all then. I just felt very proud that I was there and just very honoured, very honoured that I was given the privilege to go through again and obviously be the last person."
Heerey said her 14 hours in the line was well spent and she would be staying for Her Majesty's funeral.
"I'm never going to do this again in my lifetime."
The second-last person to view the late monarch's coffin as she lay in state was 55-year-old Sima Mansouri.
Black Rod Sarah Clarke wiped away a tear as she paid her respects to Her Majesty. Photo / BBC
Mansouri had a special connection to the Queen. She used to live in Iran and during Her Majesty's royal visit to Tehran in the 1970s, the Queen showed her caring side toward Mansouri's cousin who was a flower girl during the visit.
"It was a boiling hot day and my poor cousin has got very fair skin, blonde hair and blue eyes," Mansouri said. "The Queen came out of her plane and was more concerned with my cousin burning in the sun than being a royal. She said, 'Can someone please get this little girl out of the sun?' Then she kissed her and grabbed the flowers. I thought it was amazing."
The final person to view Queen Elizabeth's coffin at Westminster Hall was Black Rod Sarah Clarke, who wiped away a tear as she bowed in respect for her late Queen.
7pm: Westminster Abbey opens for congregation to start taking their seats. 9:35pm: Bearer party of Queen's Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards lifts coffin from catafalque and places it on state gun carriage first used for the funeral of Queen Victoria. 9:44pm: Coffin, drawn by 142 Royal Naval Ratings, begins the short journey to Westminster Abbey, with members of the royal family following on foot. 9:52pm: Coffin arrives at West Gate of Westminster Abbey, where it is carried inside for the State Funeral and placed on a catafalque. 10:00pm: Funeral service begins. 10:55pm: The Last Post is sounded in Westminster Abbey followed by national two minutes' silence across UK. 11pm: State funeral service ends with a lament played by the Queen's Piper. 11:15pm: Coffin procession leaves Westminster Abbey for Wellington Arch.
The photo shows an empty Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster in London. Photo / AP
