News updates following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 9th

People queuing at an information desk in the City of London to attend Friday night’s memorial service © Robert Wright/FT

A steady stream of people arrived in the City of London in light rain just before midday to collect bracelets for entry into a memorial service for the Queen scheduled for Friday night at St Paul’s Cathedral.

Liz Truss, who was appointed Prime Minister by the Queen on Tuesday, will read one of the Bible passages at the service, for which 2,000 bracelets will be made available at an information booth at the cathedral.

One of those lining up for a ticket, Judy Page, who is originally from Canada but now lives in London, said the late Queen was always a part of her life.

“This is a historic moment,” she said, explaining why she wanted to attend the service.

Roland McCall, waiting in line on his bike, expressed similar sentiments as a citizen of Australia, which like Canada had the Queen as head of state.

“I think a lot of Australians think she’s made a huge contribution to Australia,” McCall said. “She visited a lot and was there.”

Another Canadian, Lina Veri, said she was in London on her first-ever visit.

“I wanted to come, number one, for the Queen,” she said of the service, adding that she definitely wanted to attend a service at the cathedral.

A British participant, Fiona Potts, from Hertfordshire, said she was on a planned visit to London that day and took the opportunity to attend the memorial service at the same time.

“I’m going to visit my brother who is not well enough to come,” she said, adding that she hoped her visit would bring him some comfort.

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