The tears keep on flowing... Heartbroken mourners break down as they lay flowers for the Queen in London and Windsor - as aerial pictures reveal scale of sea of flowers outside Sandringham

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Mourners wiped away tears as they laid flowers for the Queen outside Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle on Monday, while aerial pictures reveal the sheer scale of flowers being left at the gates of the late monarch's Norfolk estate. 

The sea of tributes including flowers, cards, soft toys, drawings, Union Jack flags and balloons kept pouring in as the steady stream of people travelling to Royal residences to express their condolences continued on the fourth day of mourning. 

Drone images show thousands of bouquets laid outside the Royal Sandringham Estate after crowds of well-wishers flocked there over the weekend to remember the Queen who 'dedicated her whole life' to the country.

The huge amount of flowers wrapped in plastic packaging, Paddington Bear soft toys and even marmalade sandwiches being laid outside Buckingham Palace has prompted the Royal Parks to urge people only to 'lay organic or compostable material'. 

Meanwhile, mourners broke down into tears outside Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle amid a national outpouring of grief for Queen Elizabeth II, who died 'peacefully' at Balmoral on September 8, aged 96.

Today, King Charles III, who was proclaimed in a historic service at St James's Palace on Saturday, paid tribute to his late mother and said he felt the 'weight of history which surrounds us' as he addressed parliament for the first time as monarch.

The King made the address after MPs and peers expressed their sympathies to His Majesty during a ceremony at Westminster Hall in central London.

King Charles travelled to Edinburgh following his address to parliament, and will later lead the Royal Family in procession as his mother's coffin is moved to St Giles' Cathedral for a service of thanksgiving in the afternoon.

Following this, the King and other members of the Royal family will mount their own vigil in honour of the Queen at 7.20pm.

Mourners will be able to view the Queen's coffin at the cathedral and pay their respects for a period of 24 hours.

Preparations are underway for Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral, which will be held at Westminster Abbey on September 19 and has been declared as a Bank Holiday in the UK. 

A huge sea of flowers pictured at the Royal Sandringham Estate on Monday morning. Over the weekend people queued to leave tributes to the Queen at the royal residence in Norfolk

A mourner covers her face while paying respects to Queen Elizabeth II at the Green Park memorial next to Buckingham Palace on Monday, September 12

A mourner covers her face while paying respects to Queen Elizabeth II at the Green Park memorial next to Buckingham Palace on Monday, September 12

A huge sea of flowers pictured at the Royal Sandringham Estate on Monday morning. Over the weekend people queued to leave tributes to the Queen at the royal residence in Norfolk

A little girl hugs her mother at the Royal Sandringham Estate in Norfolk on Monday morning. Thousands of flowers have been laid at the Norwich Gates since the Queen's death was announced at 6.30pm on Thursday

Masses of bouquets had been laid outside the Norwich Gates to Sandringham House by Monday morning, in scenes reminiscent of the aftermath of the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip's death, last April.

One mourner, Carolyn Walker, who had travelled to view the tributes at the estate on Monday, said: 'She deserves it, what she's done for our country and for our people.

'We're going to be lost without her. No-one will ever be able to replace her.'

The 56-year-old, who lives near Downham Market in Norfolk, added: 'She always had a smile on her face.

'She dedicated her whole life. I just had to come.'

Her daughter Natalie Metcalfe, 32, added: 'How long she's done it for, how hard she's done it for and just what she made the country be.

'Just as one. It shows, with the flowers.'

People flocking to Sandringham to pay their respects include pensioners making their way to the gates with the help of walkers, and children in their school uniform.

The estate has now entered an official period of mourning and all facilities will remain closed until further notice.

Two women read a message as they lay floral tributes to the late monarch at Green Park in central London on September 12

A mourner wipes away a tear as she pays tribute to the late monarch at Green Park in central London on September 12

A little girl is seen leaving pink roses in memory of the Queen in Green Park, central London on Monday September 12

Three sisters wearing matching t-shirts commemorating the Queen stand next to flowers and messages placed for the Queen in Green Park, London, on Monday morning

A mourner wipes away a tear as she pays tribute to the late monarch at Windsor Castle on September 12

Flowers today left at St James's Park in central London following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday, September 8

Meanwhile, two schoolgirls were seen laying flowers in Green Park before class starts on Monday morning in a touching tribute to the Queen, with young children arriving with their parents to remember her. 

And dozens of mourners arrived at Windsor Castle from as early as 6am to pay their respects and leave bouquets and heartfelt cards to the late monarch, while have been laid out on the lawns next to the Cambridge Gate. 

Catherine Burden, from the Isle of Wight, was among those who laid flowers at Windsor Castle with her daughter, Claire Nunn, on Monday.

Ms Burden expressed fear at 'the emptiness left behind' by the Queen and described her as 'the fabric of our country'.

'There's the emptiness left behind. I think it's something that was the fabric of our country, of our society, and what she stood for was really what we would like all of us to stand for,' Ms Burden said. 

Clare Chandler, 40, from Windsor, recalled her daughter's admiration of the Queen after seeing she could 'still ride a horse' at an event to mark her 90th birthday.

Laying flowers at Windsor Castle to pay tribute to the late monarch on Monday, Ms Chandler said: 'She's our neighbour. We used to see her driving in the car and see her out and about.

'She's been part of all our lives and she's always been part of the community.

'I remember when she turned 90 we were here, and my daughter was asked what stood out, and she said: 'She can still ride a horse!''

Ms Chandler's mother, Sue Smith, 75, who saw the Queen's coronation, said: 'She was such a well-dressed lady, always beautiful and always looked great.'

Leslie Claridge, 64, whose mother died just months before the Queen, said her mother's life is 'reflected' in that of the monarch's, describing the head of state as 'the soul of the nation.'

Speaking outside Windsor Castle, Ms Claridge said: 'She's been there all my life and my parents' lives.

'I've just buried my mother, and her life is reflected in the footage their showing, and my grandparents' lives. 

'She's like the soul of the nation.' 

On Monday afternoon, well-wishers from as far away as Canada and the United Arab Emirates had travelled to Buckingham Palace to pay their respects.

Sylvia Willcox, from Putney, south-west London, remembers watching the coronation on television when she was seven years old.

She told PA that she wanted to come to the palace 'to pay respects and to see everyone in the same frame of mind. We've always admired her and loved her'.

Ms Willcox added: 'I think some lose touch as they grow older with royalty and maybe not think it's that important, but as I get older, I think especially now, it's come to the fore how important she was and what a good job she actually did.

'It's made people realise that lifelong, selfless duty that she's always done without any aggravation. It's just been supportive, she's been a supportive person for us all.'

Waiting in a queue of hundreds along the pavement outside St James's Park, visitors were directed to lay flowers in a designated area in Green Park, after the piles of bouquets were moved away from the front of Buckingham Palace.

Grace Drang, from Canada, told the PA news agency outside the palace: 'Our people have a long history with the crown. We're indigenous people from Canada, I think that we're very proud to be part of the Commonwealth.

'Her image was all over everything as well, our money, our coins. I think that people in Canada are deeply affected and showing their respect at our parliament and showing signs of condolence.'

One man, who did not give his name, had flown to the UK from Dubai as soon as he heard that Queen Elizabeth had died, and would return after spending a week in the capital.

He said: 'I wanted to pay my respects to the Queen and to the royal family. She meant stability, she meant sense of duty.

'I'm not from England, but the UK has been my home for 14 years and I have the most immense respect for the Queen and I felt that I needed to be here.'

Mourners have also dropped flowers into the fountain in St James's Park by the palace to pay their respects to the late monarch.

Over the weekend, people from across the world waited in lengthy queues outside Buckingham Palace and other Royal residences for their chance to offer their condolences. 

But the huge amount of flowers being laid in plastic packaging has prompted some visitors to tear off the wrapping to help royal gardeners in their mammoth clean-up operation.  

Members of the public are being urged to take off plastic packaging before laying down bouquets so the later job of turning them into compost is made much easier. 

Members of the public lay flowers and other tributes for the Queen in Green Park on Monday, September 12

Members of the public lay flowers and other tributes for the Queen in Green Park on Monday, September 12

Royal Parks has asked people to not leave marmalade sandwich tributes due to concerns for wildlife in the parks. Pictured: September 12

Royal Parks bosses have asked mourners to stop leaving marmalade sandwich tributes in honour of the Queen - and to stick to unwrapped flowers instead.

In one tribute, a marmalade sandwich with a note that said 'A marmalade sandwich for your journey, Ma'am', which is a nod to Queen Elizabeth II's association with Paddington Bear, was left among the flowers. 

The Queen delighted viewers around the world by appearing in a surprise comic sketch with Paddington Bear to kick-start the Platinum Party at The Palace Jubilee Concert to celebrate her 70 years on the throne on June 4. 

The Royal Parks, which manages the dedicated site for tributes at Green Park, have asked for only unwrapped floral tributes to be left in memory of Her Majesty. 

They are encouraging people to only leave 'organic' material so it can begin to decompose. 

In a statement on their website, the charity said: 'Any form of floral tribute is acceptable. In the interests of sustainability, we ask visitors to only lay organic or compostable material.

'The public will be asked to remove all wrapping from floral tributes and place these in the bins provided.

'Removing the wrapping will aid the longevity of the flowers and will assist in subsequent composting which will start between one week and a fortnight after the date of the funeral.

They added: 'We would prefer visitors not to bring non-floral objects/artefacts such as teddy bears or balloons.

'Cards and labels will, however, be accepted and will be periodically removed by The Royal Parks' staff and contractors for storage offsite.

'This process will be carried out with discretion and sensitivity.'

Elsewhere, infrastructure has been set up in preparation for miles of people queuing for the Queen's lying in state in Westminster Hall.

From 9am on Tuesday, private security staff and stewards in hi-vis vests and Metropolitan Police officers are stationed along the route, where people will be able to queue from 5pm on Wednesday to see the late monarch's coffin.

People lay flowers, cards and other tributes to Queen Elizabeth II in Belfast, Northern Ireland following her death last Thursday

A woman in Belfast, Northern Ireland, paying her respects to the late monarch who died just after 6.30pm on September 8

A woman appears visibly upset as she pays tribute to Queen Elizabeth II following her death just around 6.30pm on Thursday, September 8

A police officer places flowers on behalf of a member of the public in the garden area outside the Palace of Holyroodhouse 

People are seen leaving flowers for the late Queen Elizabeth II outside the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh on Monday

Members of the public continue to bring soft toys as tributes to the Queen. Pictured: A corgi teddy wearing a crown has been laid among bouquets of flowers at St James's Park on Monday

Floral tributes following the death of the Queen pictured at Green Park in central London on Monday morning. Members of the public helped to arrange and prepare flowers for display, removing plastic wrapping

The Royal Parks, which manages the dedicated site for tributes at Green Park, said only unwrapped floral tributes should be left in memory of Her Majesty after marmalade sandwiches and Paddington Bear toys were left

People lay flowers outside Windsor Castle on Monday morning. Dozens of mourners arrived at Windsor Castle from as early as 6am this morning to pay their respects and leave bunches of flowers and heartfelt cards to the late monarch

Two schoolgirls could be seen laying flowers in the central London park on Monday morning in a touching tribute to the Queen, who died 'peacefully' at Balmoral on September 8, aged 96

It stretches from Parliament's tourist entrance, Cromwell Green, down Millbank, past the Lords and Victoria Tower Gardens, across Lambeth Bridge and loops back north on the other side of the River Thames.

Portaloos and crowd control infrastructure like barriers and flooring have been now set up in to Victoria Tower Gardens.

Full details of the route will be published at 10pm on Tuesday.

Security staff manning the queue route to Westminster Hall for the Queen's lying in state told the PA news agency that crowds are expected to swell ahead of Wednesday afternoon.

They said the queue is likely to snake for miles, all the way along the southside of the River Thames to Tower Bridge.

People will not be allowed to camp and will be given numbered wristbands to indicate their place in the queue so they are able to leave and come back, it is understood.

A sea of flowers, cards, drawings and other tributes has been laid for Her Majesty in Belfast, Northern Ireland

A little girl is seen laying flowers in remembrance of the late monarch outside the Palace of Holyroodhouse on Monday

A sea of flowers has been laid for the Queen outside the Norwich Gates on the Royal Sandringham Estate since the Queen's death was announced on Thursday. Pictured: People gather there on Monday to pay their tributes

Soft toys and teddy bears have been laid outside Windsor Castle as people flock to the Royal residence to pay their tributes to the Queen on Monday

Gardeners laying the floral tributes left by people onto the lawns inside the grounds of Windsor Castle by the Cambridge Gate on Monday morning

Floral tributes pictured at Green Park in central London on Monday morning. The sea of flowers laid for Her Majesty continues to grow with many more expected to visit in the coming days

A mourner reflecting in Green Park on Monday morning. People have been laying floral tributes to the Queen at the central London park since her death on Thursday

Today, King Charles III paid tribute to his late mother and said he felt the 'weight of history which surrounds us' as he addressed parliament for the first time as monarch.

The King, accompanied by his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, made the historic address after the Lords Speaker and the Commons Speaker expressed their sympathies to His Majesty in a ceremony in Westminster Hall.

During the speech, he said: 'While very young her late majesty pledged herself to serve her country and her people and to maintain the precious principles of constitutional government which lie at the heart of our nation. This vow she kept with unsurpassed devotion.

'She set an example of selfless duty, which, with God's help and your counsels, I am resolved faithfully to follow.' 

The Queen's cortege is currently at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, having left her Balmoral Estate in the Scottish Highlands yesterday morning.

King Charles, who is flying to Edinburgh following his address to parliament, will lead the Royal Family in procession as his mother's coffin is moved to St Giles' Cathedral for a service of thanksgiving this afternoon.

 Sunflowers have been one of the most common tributes left at Buckingham Palace, Windsor and Balmoral. Pictured: Flower tribute at St James's Park near Buckingham Palace

A volunteer removes the plastic packaging from flowers laid at Green Park to help gardeners with the mammoth clean-up operation amid concerns about the waste involved in disposing of non-organic items by well-meaning mourners

A sea of flowers, cards, drawings and other tributes has been laid for Her Majesty in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Members of the public will be able to view the coffin at the cathedral and pay their respects from 5pm for a period of 24 hours.

King Charles will also hold audiences with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Alison Johnstone, the presiding officer of the Scottish parliament.

After the Queen's doctors expressed 'concern' for her health last Thursday, members of the public have headed towards Royal residences including Buckingham Palace, Sandringham, Windsor Castle and Balmoral, to show their respects.

Last Friday, King Charles was consoled by members of the public, who shook his hands and kissed his cheeks, as he begun his first day as the nation's sovereign following his mother's death.

The King and Queen Consort, Camilla, were met with cheers of 'God Save the King' as he waved to crowds of well-wishers who had gathered at Buckingham Palace to show their support during a time of national grieving. 

Tens of thousands of flowers have been left for Her Majesty in the days since her passing, with people travelling from across the UK and around the world to be able to pay their respects.

And many more are expected in the coming days, ahead of her state funeral at Westminster Abbey on September 19, which has been confirmed as a Bank Holiday.

Long queues formed along The Mall in London as people lined up to view floral tributes to the Queen at Buckingham Palace on Sunday 

Crowds of public gather on the Long Walk to lay flowers at Windsor Castle on Sunday as many people headed towards the royal residences across the UK to pay their respects

Palace gardeners have been removing bunches of flowers off the gates and moved them to Green Park to help make space for the public to continue to get as close as they can to pay their respects. 

Lots of young families have made their way to Buckingham Palace this weekend, with parents taking the opportunity to show such a huge moment in history to their children.

The Queen will lie in state for 'four clear days' in Westminster Hall from Wednesday September 14 before the funeral, a senior palace official said.

Buckingham Palace said devoted daughter Princess Anne will accompany the late monarch's body to London ahead of the funeral, the only one from the Royal Family to do so.

On the day of the funeral at 10.44am the coffin will be taken in procession from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey where the state funeral service will take place.

People gather on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh to watch the cortege carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II. Pictured on September 11

Cards, flowers  and candles laid for the late monarch outside Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh. Pictured: September 12

Following the funeral, the coffin will be taken again in procession from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch, and from there to Windsor by road, where the Queen will be laid to rest in St George's Chapel, alongside her late husband the Duke of Edinburgh.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the 'poignant' journey would give the public a chance to come together to 'mark our country's shared loss'.

A spokesman for the King said the monarch's main focus will be leading the royal family and nation in mourning over the coming days.

'Whilst, in the next few days, the King will carry out all the necessary state duties, his main focus will be leading the Royal Family, the nation, the Realms and the Commonwealth in mourning Her Majesty The Queen. This will include meeting members of the public, to share in their grief,' the spokesman said.