The King and the Prince of Wales are greeting mourners in the queue for the Queen’s lying in state.

Hundreds of people in line at Lambeth, south London, cheered and applauded as Charles and William emerged.

Many took photographs and pressed against the metal barriers, eager to exchange a word with the King and the heir to the throne as they shook hands with those closest.

Several also shouted “God Save the King” and “God Save the Prince of Wales” as each passed by.

King Charles III meets members of the public in the queue along the South Bank, near to Lambeth Bridge, London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state

Thousands of people are in the queue and people were prevented from joining for seven hours yesterday, after it stretched around five miles “reached capacity”. Shortly before 12.30pm today, the Government said the waiting time was 14 hours.

It comes after the King and his three siblings guarded their mother’s coffin at Westminster Hall last night and observed a silent 15-minute vigil, during her lying-in-state.

Speaking ahead of the vigil, Edward, the youngest of the Queen’s four children, said her death had left “an unimaginable void in all our lives” and his family were now “united in grief”.

The Queen’s grandchildren are due to participate in a vigil at her coffin today, and they will be joined by the Duke of Sussex and his brother the Prince of Wales, who will both be in military uniform.

The King thanked emergency service staff for their work earlier today, ahead of the Queen’s state funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday.

Charles met London’s Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and was briefed by Deputy Assistant Commissioner Jane Connors and Commander Karen Findlay, who are leading police operations around London.

It comes as world leaders are arriving in London to pay tribute to the Queen and attend the funeral.

Prime Minister Liz Truss is due to meet with her counterparts from Australia and New Zealand, Anthony Albanese and Jacinda Ardern, at the Government’s Chevening country residence today.

On Sunday, she will meet Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Canadian premier Justin Trudeau, Polish President Andrzej Duda and US President Joe Biden at Downing Street.

However, she is not expected to sit down with Chinese vice-president Wang Qishan, who is set to attend the state funeral on Monday instead of leader Xi Jinping.

China’s official delegation is expected to be barred from attending the Queen’s lying in state in Westminster Hall by the Commons Speaker, while seven MPs and peers remain sanctioned by Beijing.

Around 500 dignitaries from around the world will head to London for the state funeral, in what is set to be one of the biggest logistical and diplomatic events in the UK in decades.

Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella and Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro are among those attending.

But Downing Street declined to confirm reports that Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s wife, will travel to the funeral.

Invitations to the Queen’s funeral have not been sent to Russia or Belarus, following the invasion of Ukraine. Taliban-ruled Afghanistan has also been excluded, as has Syria and Myanmar.

King Charles and William meet mourners waiting to pay their respects to the Queen