Live updates: British PM Truss meets with Aussie, NZ leaders

British Prime Minister Liz Truss has met her counterparts from Australia and New Zealand who have arrived in town ahead of Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral on Monday.

Truss met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New Zealand Premier Jacinda Ardern at the government's Chevening country residence outside London on Saturday.

Ardern said the talks would focus on the queen's death and King Charles III, as well as the war in Ukraine and the UK's free trade agreement with New Zealand.

Truss' meeting with Albanese will likely also touch on trade. The Australian leader signed a condolence book for the queen's family with his partner, Jodie Haydon. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also signed the book.

Key development: — Thousands wait in shivering cold to view queen; King stops by for a visit — Queen's death both a challenge and a reprieve for new UK Prime Minister Liz Truss — US-UK relations enter new chapter as new PM, king settle in — Crowds paying respects to queen boost London tourism amid slump — Queen's death triggers media bonanza that has been at work for decades — In Yemen, queen's death recalls oppression under British colonial rule — Once home to a princess, Malta remembers a queen — Palace reveals details of queen's state funeral on Monday Other developments: While thousands of mourners line up along the River Thames to pay their last respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, others are already staking out prime viewing locations in the heart of London for the late monarch's funeral on Monday.

Shirin Thorpe, 62, from Sevenoaks south of the English capital, arrived Thursday and was camped out Saturday near Westminster subway station. It's near the historic hall where the queen is lying in state and Westminster Abbey, where her funeral will be held.

She says, "There's going to be millions of people here and we didn't want to miss the chance." Thorpe and her friends are well prepared for a few nights of camping amid cold temperatures: They've brought inflatable mattresses, sleeping bags, winter coats and battery packs to keep gadgets running. They have hung Union Jack flags from security barriers and added a photograph of Elizabeth.

While the sun was shining Saturday, Thorpe says she's ready to brave worse weather should it come.

She says, "We're tough women like the Queen." London: King Charles III is making an unannounced visit to greet people waiting to file past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II.

Charles and his son, Prince William, shook hands and thanked mourners in the miles-long queue near Lambeth Bridge on Saturday.

Charles has made several impromptu walkabouts since he became king on Sept. 8, in an attempt to meet as many of his subjects as possible.

Thousands of people are lining up to see the queen's coffin in Westminster Hall, despite waiting times of 16 hours or more.

___ London: King Charles III is spending much of the day meeting dignitaries who have arrived in London for his mother's funeral on Monday.

On Saturday morning, he held an audience at Buckingham Palace with the country's military chiefs, who have provided thousands of armed forces personnel to take part in the pageantry surrounding Queen Elizabeth II's funeral as well as helping line crowd-packed roads and performing other ceremonial duties.

In the early afternoon, the king was holding a reception for Governors General of the Realms – the monarch's representatives in the UK's former colonies ranging from Antigua and Barbuda to Tuvalu.

And later in the day, Charles was meeting prime ministers including Justin Trudeau of Canada, Anthony Albanese of Australia, Philip Davis of the Bahamas, Andrew Holness of Jamaica and New Zealand's Jacinda Ardern.

___ Windsor: Hundreds of troops from the British army, air force and navy have taken part in the first full rehearsal of the procession that will bring the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II to its final resting place.

With troops lining The Long Walk, a picturesque path leading to Windsor Castle, the thumping of drums echoed as marching bands walked ahead of a hearse early Saturday.

On Monday, they will do the same, only surrounded by thousands of people expected to travel to Windsor for a final farewell to the queen, who died last week at age 96.

Her funeral is to be held at Westminster Abbey on Monday before some 2,000 guests, including visiting heads of state. After the church service, the late queen's coffin will be transported through the historic heart of London on a horse-drawn gun carriage.

It will then be taken by hearse to Windsor, where the queen will be interred alongside her late husband, Prince Philip, who died last year.

Some people who won't be in Windsor on Monday decided to wake up early to watch Saturday's rehearsal.

Local resident Katharine Horsfall said she set her alarm for 3:15 am She said: "I think it will be an amazing tribute to the queen, a great send off, with all the pageantry that she so well deserves." ___ Beijing: China announced Saturday that Vice President Wang Qishan would attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II as the special representative of President Xi Jinping.

A group of British legislators sanctioned by China have expressed concern that the Chinese government has been invited to the funeral. One told the BBC the invitation should be rescinded because of human rights abuses in the treatment of the Uyghur ethnic group in China's far-western region of Xinjiang.

Wang, who is close to Xi, was a member of the ruling Communist Party's all-powerful, seven-member Politburo Standing Committee from 2012 to 2017. During those years, he led a crackdown on corruption that has been one of Xi's signature initiatives as China's leader.

Wang was named to the largely ceremonial post of vice president in 2018 and often attends events on Xi's behalf.

___ Tokyo: Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako left for Britain on Saturday to attend Queen Elizabeth II's funeral to pay respects to her and the British royal family who considered as a model for Japan's monarchy in modern history.

The decision for the emperor and empress to attend the queen's funeral underscores the importance and the deep bond between the royal families. Traditionally, a Japanese emperor stays away from funerals except for those of their own parents because of a cultural belief based in the Shinto religion that considers death impure.

Former Emperor Akihito, as crown prince, attended the Queen's 1953 coronation and her Diamond Jubilee in 2012. Queen Elizabeth visited Japan in 1975.

Naruhito and Masako's trip to Britain is their first as the Emperor and Empress. The Queen's invitation for them to visit following Naruhito's 2019 ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne had to be postponed due to the pandemic.(AP) RUP RUP

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