King Charles III is expected to address the nation for the first time as sovereign at 18:00 BST, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
He greeted crowds outside Buckingham Palace on his return to London with Camilla, Queen Consort.
A seemingly endless line of people held outstretched hands towards the King, passing on their condolences.
The Queen, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, died peacefully at Balmoral in Scotland on Thursday aged 96.
King Charles, 73, has already undertaken his first constitutional duties as monarch, after holding an in-person audience with Prime Minister Liz Truss at Buckingham Palace.
Shortly before, the sun shone brightly as the new King emerged from the state limousine outside the Palace to shake hands with people who had gathered there.
With cheers and spontaneous shouts of “God save the King”, the crowd swelled against barriers assembled across the entire length of the palace forecourt.
One woman in the crowd was so moved by the occasion that she leant forward and embraced him with a kiss.
Camilla, 75, held back while the King greeted people. The couple went to look at the hundreds of floral tributes laid outside the palace.
They then walked through the gates and on into the palace quadrangle, as the Royal Standard was raised on the roof, signalling the monarch’s presence.
It may have offered a glimpse of the King’s future style as monarch, our royal correspondent Sean Coughlan said, ahead of some tough days as he takes on one of the highest profile jobs in the world.
At Westminster, where MPs are paying tribute to the Queen, Ms Truss described her as “one of the greatest leaders the world has ever known”.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said her death “robs our country of its stillest point, its greatest comfort, at precisely a time when we need those things most”.
Former PM Boris Johnson, who met the Queen at Balmoral on Tuesday to stand down, described the Queen as “Elizabeth the Great”, adding she had “worked so hard for the good of her country, not just now but for generations to come”.
There will be a remembrance service at St Paul’s Cathedral in London at about 18:00, attended by senior politicians.
It will also be open to the public and 2,000 tickets were released on a first-come-first-served basis.
Charles will be officially proclaimed King at the Accession Council at 10:00 on Saturday in a ceremony televised for the first time.
The bells of St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and Windsor Castle rang out at noon on Friday in tribute to her life and service.
There have been gatherings and outpourings of emotion at Balmoral, Buckingham Palace and Windsor.
Members of the public have travelled to leave flowers, messages of thanks and condolence for the Queen and Royal Family, with many visibly tearful or overcome with emotion.
Union jacks are being flown at half mast and Lords and MPs have gathered to pay tribute to her momentous 70-year reign.
Gun salutes were fired in London’s Hyde Park, the Tower of London and on board Royal Navy ships at 13:00. Ninety-six rounds are being fired to mark each year of her life.
Thousands of people watched a procession of 71 horses gallop into position in Hyde Park ahead of the tribute.
The Accession Council on Saturday will be attended by his son the Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge on Saturday.
It is also attended by invited Privy Councillors and current serving government ministers – but that could also include former ministers, prime ministers, and senior clergy.
After the meeting, the Principal Proclamation, announcing Charles as sovereign, will be read at 11:00 from the balcony overlooking Friary Court at St James’s Palace, central London.
Premier league and English Football league fixtures this weekend have been postponed as a mark of respect.
All of the Queen’s children and her grandchildren, the Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex, travelled to Balmoral, near Aberdeen, on Thursday after the Queen’s doctors became concerned about her health.
Prince Harry left Balmoral on Friday morning to travel to Aberdeen airport, where he was seen placing an arm around a member of staff.
On Friday, the palace released some details of plans over the coming days, with King Charles declaring a period of Royal mourning be observed for seven days after the funeral of his mother.
The date of the funeral is yet to be revealed, but it is expected to be in the next two weeks.
Before that, the the Queen’s coffin will lie at rest in Edinburgh for 24 hours in the coming days and will then move to London to lie in state.
While it is lying in state in Westminster Hall, the coffin will will rest on a raised platform and members of the public will be allowed to file past and pay their respects.
There will be no physical book of condolences for members of the public to sign, but the palace has opened an online book of condolences for those who wish to leave messages.
The government has said it expects large crowds to gather in central London and other Royal Residences as a mark of respect, warning there could be some travel disruption, traffic delays and significant crowding.
Members of the public have been asked to leave their flower tributes in designated areas at Royal Residences.
The government has published guidance for the period of national mourning, to run until the day of the Queen’s funeral, which says:
- there is no obligation on organisations to suspend business
- public services will run as normal, although there may be some changes to availability
- no requirement to cancel or postpone events and sport fixtures, or close entertainment venues
- public museums, galleries or similar venues are not obliged to shut.
The Cabinet met on Friday morning, with the only item on the agenda to pay tribute to the Queen.
There will also be a rare Saturday sitting of the House of Commons, where senior MPs will gather to take an oath of allegiance to the new King from 14:00.
Source: BBC
