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King Charles III, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward at the wake for Elizabeth II.
Photo: Hannah McKay/AP
The late Queen's four children stood guard at their mother's coffin for 12 minutes on Friday night.
King Charles III, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, all in uniform, positioned themselves at the four corners of the catafalque, clasped hands and looked down.
Many other members of the Royal Family also attended the wake from a podium on the edge of Westminster Hall in Parliament, where the coffin has been laid out since Wednesday evening.
The wake is the only occasion at the funeral where Prince Andrew is allowed to wear a uniform.
The late Queen stripped her second eldest son of all honorary military ranks earlier this year for his involvement in the abuse scandal surrounding the late US multi-millionaire Jeffrey Epstein.
He is not allowed to appear in uniform at the state funeral on Monday.
On Saturday, the monarch's grandchildren will also come together for a wake.
According to the palace, eight of the grandchildren will gather, including heir to the throne Prince William and his brother Prince Harry.
The funeral service for Elizabeth II, who died last Thursday at the age of 96, will take place on Monday at London's Westminster Abbey.
The 85-year-old Pope Francis is being represented by Vatican Foreign Minister Paul Gallagher, as the Papal States announced.
The funeral of Elizabeth II will take place on Monday evening with the family at Windsor Castle.
100 presidents and heads of government expected
Around 2,000 guests are expected at the funeral service, including high-ranking members of other royal families and heads of state.
Nearly 100 presidents and heads of government and more than 20 royal figures will be in attendance, the UK Foreign Office said, according to Reuters.
The guests include the Crown Prince of Bahrain, the Amir of the State of Qatar and the Sultan of Oman, and the Saudi royal family should also be represented.
In addition, US President Joe Biden, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Japanese Emperor Naruhito are to travel to London.
On Friday afternoon, Prince William and his wife Kate visited soldiers at a military training center in Surrey, England, who will take part in Monday's funeral procession.
As could be seen on television pictures, the two talked at length with uniformed men on the premises.
In London, the funeral ceremonies for the late Queen meanwhile have apparently triggered the largest operation in the history of the London police.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman told the British news agency PA that the effort to mourn the Queen will exceed both her 70th anniversary on the throne this year and the 2012 Olympics Not.
The state funeral planned for Monday will also be the largest operation to protect international state guests, dignitaries and other important people.
The first mourners had already arrived on Monday afternoon.
A total of hundreds of thousands were expected.
On Friday afternoon, the line stretched about 8 kilometers along the Thames, the waiting time was estimated at 14 hours.
Football star David Beckham also waited twelve hours to pay his last respects to the late monarch in Westminster Hall.
At least 435 people received medical attention during the first few days of the queue for Queen Elizabeth II's farewell.
As the London Ambulance Service announced, a total of 42 mourners were taken to clinics on Wednesday and Thursday, waiting to be admitted to the coffin laid out in Parliament.
According to the Sky News broadcaster, most patients suffered circulatory collapse due to standing for a long time, which led to head injuries.
ani/dpa/Reuters/AFP
