RAF flight carrying Queen's coffin lands at Northolt as Princess Anne pays tribute

The RAF aircraft carrying the Queen's coffin has landed at RAF Northolt in London.

The C-17 Globemaster, which has been used extensively in humanitarian efforts such as evacuating thousands of people from Afghanistan and carrying supplies to Ukraine, took off from Edinburgh Airport with Princess Anne also on board and arrived in north-west London just before 19:00.

The Princess Royal has issued a statement, paying tribute to her late mother, saying: "It has been an honour and a privilege to accompany her on her final journeys."

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Before the coffin was carried by a bearer party to the waiting state hearse, The Princess Royal and her husband left the military plane and stood with Chief of the Air Staff Sir Mike Wigston, with Prime Minister Liz Truss and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace also nearby.

On parade was a guard of honour made up of service personnel from the Queen’s Colour Squadron of the Royal Air Force, who presented arms when the coffin was first seen.

The King's Colour for the Royal Air Force was lowered in salute before the hearse carrying the coffin then began its journey to Buckingham Palace.

Her Majesty's coffin was first carried onto the aircraft by a bearer party from the Queen's Colour Squadron, RAF.

Members of the Royal Regiment of Scotland provided a guard of honour, while the Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland played the national anthem.

The flight is the last to be known as 'Kittyhawk' to air traffic control, as the 'Kittyhawk' callsign refers to any military flight when the Queen is on board.

A Kittyhawk was a monoplane used during World War Two, also known as the Curtiss Kittyhawk IV.

The fighter plane provided reinforcement in the Middle East when British resources were overstretched.