Witnessing the start of the Queen's extraordinarily moving final journey from Buckingham Palace today was a moment I will remember for the rest of my life.
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Draped in the royal standard and adorned with a wreath of white roses, dahlias, pine from Balmoral and pittosporum, lavender and rosemary from the gardens at Windsor and with the dazzling Imperial State Crown glinting in the bright sunlight, her coffin was followed on foot by the new King and her loved ones.
WATCH: The royal family deliver Queen to nation ahead of lying in state
With the high emotion and strain of the past week marked all too clearly on their faces, they processed on foot and by car behind the gun carriage, moving at a steady 75 paces a minute, in time to the minute guns and the muffled beat of a drum.
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As they passed, solemn and dutiful, there was utter silence from the crowd – air traffic overhead had been suspended – punctuated only by a burst of applause after the casket had moved on.
This was the moment in which the royal family handed over their beloved mother and grandmother to the nation, after saying their own personal goodbyes behind Palace walls.
As they walked to the accompaniment of funeral played by the Band of the Scots Guards and the Band of the Grenadier Guards, they kept their composure even as some of those lining the streets shed a tear.
The King and Princess Royal were by the Queen's side when she passed
The late Queen’s children and grandchildren were joined in the procession by some of her close personal staff, making it somehow feel intimate, even at the heart of an international media event.
And it was impossible not to recall similar scenes from 25 years ago as the now King Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry walked behind the coffin of Diana, Princess of Wales.
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Inside the vast and ancient Westminster Hall, members of the bearer party looked sombre as they discharged their sad duty, laying the Queen's casket on a purple-draped catafalque with a lit candle at each of the four corners.
The royal family remained standing for the 20-minute service, grief etched on their faces, as the Choirs of Westminster Abbey and His Majesty's Chapel Royal sang the psalm.
Crowds gathered to watch the procession
Prayers were led by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and the Dean of Westminster Dr David Hoyle and the royals joined in with the Lord's Prayer.
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Before filing out slowly behind the King and Queen Consort the men bowed and women curtseyed towards the late Queen's coffin before emerging again through the North Door.
Camilla looked tearful as she and the King were driven away, to shouts of God Save the King from wellwishers waiting outside.
Members of ther royal family paid their respects
Others were driven away in blacked out vehicles, perhaps taking a moment to process the historic scene as members of the public stood in a queue more than two miles long to pay their own respects.
MORE: Prince Harry overcome with emotion following emotional procession
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In a week heavy with emotion, the emotions and images of today will be recalled for decades to come by all those who were there.
Our thoughts are with the late Queen's family at this most difficult time as they come to terms with their enormous loss.
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