King Charles begins preparations for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral

King Charles III at Aberdeen Airport as he travels to London with the queen following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday. Picture: Aaron Chown/PA Wire

King Charles and his wife Camilla, now queen consort, left Balmoral late on Friday morning and travelled to Aberdeen airport to fly to London and begin preparations for the queen’s funeral and the formal process of starting Charles’s reign.

Once in London, Charles III will have a busy schedule, with an address to the nation to pre-record and a meeting with the British prime minister, Liz Truss, at Buckingham Palace.