The funeral of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is being held in the streets of London on Monday morning. The 96-year-old monarch, who was Queen of Malta until 1974, died aged 96 at Balmoral, her Scottish Highland retreat, on September 8. The funeral has been planned for years and will be the grandest since the death of Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1965. Proceedings start at 11.30am when the coffin is carried on a gun carriage out of Westminster Hall in a ceremonial procession to Westminster Abbey, where the funeral service will be held, starting at noon. Heads of State from around the world will be present, including Malta's President George Vella. King Charles III will lead mourners, alongside his three siblings and his heir, Prince William. In the abbey pews will also be Liz Truss, whom the queen appointed as the 15th British prime minister of her reign just two days before her death. All of Truss's living predecessors will be there too. Huge crowds at dawn Huge crowds gathered in central London overnight and from early morning on Monday to secure a spot to watch the funeral. As dawn broke over the River Thames, a steady stream of well-wishers streamed out of...