Minute silence for Her Majesty: Britain reflects on the life of the Queen ahead of her funeral
18 September 2022, 20:00 | Updated: 19 September 2022, 05:51
The nation fell silent on Sunday evening to remember Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the eve of her funeral.
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Brits were encouraged to mark the moment privately at home, on their doorstep or street, or at community events and vigils.
A small crowd of people in the queue for the Queen's lying in state stopped near London Bridge and bowed their heads to observe the national minute's silence.
They applauded to mark the end of the silence at 8.01pm.
Read more: Kate meets Ukraine's first lady after President Zelensky's wife Olena pays tribute to the Queen
Dozens of Metropolitan Police officers also assembled in silence beside mourners and later sang the national anthem.
Prime Minister Liz Truss and her husband Hugh O'Leary also observed the silence outside No10.
In Chester, the silence was marked with a vigil in Town Hall Square, where more than 100 members of the public gathered.
The minute of silence was followed by a round of applause.
In a short ceremony afterwards, the poem written by Simon Armitage for the Queen, A Promise Made And Kept For Life, was read and prayers were said.
The national anthem was sung before a blessing by the Bishop of Chester, the Right Rev Mark Tanner.
People were then invited to light candles as a sign of "hope and prayer" for the nation.
The silence was also marked across Northern Ireland.
At Hillsborough Castle, hundreds of people stood with their heads bowed in front of floral tributes left before the gates of Northern Ireland's royal residence.
In Belfast, people gathered for a short service at West Belfast Orange Hall on the Shankill Road.
The silence took place in other venues across Northern Ireland, including Belfast International Airport and the landmark tourist attraction Titanic Belfast.
On Monday the Queen's state funeral will take place.
World leaders have been arriving in the UK on Sunday evening.
Many paid their respects in Westminster Hall, where the Queen is lying in state, before attending a reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by King Charles III.
Read more: Charles greets world leaders at 'reception of the century' in Buckingham Palace on eve of funeral
Among those to view the Queen's coffin were US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.
Olena Zelenska, the wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, also paid her respects to the late Queen.
She then met the Princess of Wales in Buckingham Palace.
