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Queen Elizabeth's coffin has arrived at Buckingham Palace, to be received by King Charles III and other members of the royal family.
The royal hearse was applauded by crowds that had lined the roads despite the looming rain.
It will be a rare chance for private grief amid the very public farewell process to the long-serving monarch, with only Palace staff and the Queen's family on hand.
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The journey south
The Queen's coffin left Edinburgh, Scotland, overnight aboard a C-17 Globemaster Royal Air Force plane.
It was accompanied by the Queen's eldest daughter, Anne, the Princess Royal.
Anne has issued a statement saying it was an "honour and a privilege" to accompany Her Majesty on her final journey.
The plane landed at RAF Northolt, in western Greater London.
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The coffin was disembarked by a military guard and saluted, before being loaded into the hearse.
The 24km drive to the Palace took the better part of an hour, with crowds lining the roads where possible.
Traffic on unclosed roads halted as the royal convoy passed, cars and trucks beeping their horns as people threw flowers.
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In the palace
Former Palace press secretary Dickie Arbiter said it was a "very emotional moment" to see the Queen arrive at Buckingham Palace for the last time.
"It was marvellous, it just shows you and confirms the stature and the popularity and the love," he said of the applause that rang out.
The queen's coffin will be laid out in the Bow Room, where family and Palace staff will be able to mourn and pay their respects.
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Arbiter said the moment would be a difficult one for some of the staff, especially those who had worked in the Palace for decades.
"(Queen Elizabeth II) knows everybody works there, not necessarily by name. But she knows everybody and what they do," he said.
All four of Her Majesty's children, including King Charles III, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, are expected to be on hand.
Princes William and Harry are also expected to be present, along with their wives Duchesses Kate and Meghan.
What happens next
The coffin will remain at the Palace until 2.22pm tomorrow afternoon local time (11.22pm tonight AEST) when it will depart for Westminster, where the Queen will lie in state for another public farewell.
The precise leaving time is supposedly orchestrated so Her Majesty will arrive at Westminster on the stroke of 3pm (midnight AEST).
Source: 9News
