A general view shows Guardsmen in formation in front of the Queen Victoria Memorial and The Mall seen from Buckingham Palace in central London on September 14, 2022, ahead of the ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall. (Photo: AFP)

Queen Elizabeth II left Buckingham Palace on Wednesday for the final time as her coffin began its journey to Westminster Hall, where the late monarch will lie in state.

The queen's coffin, draped in the royal standard and topped with the Imperial State Crown, was borne on a horse-drawn gun carriage out of the front gates of her London residence at 2:22 pm (1322 GMT).

Big Ben tolled and guns were fired at one-minute intervals from Hyde Park as a military band played funeral marches from Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Chopin to accompany the procession to Westminster.

The queen's eldest son and successor King Charles III, his heir Prince William and youngest son Prince Harry followed the coffin on foot as it made the one-mile (1.6-kilometre) journey.

Crowds lined the route, watching in silence, as the cortege passed.