WATCH: Strict decorum and solemn silence descend upon central Belfast as city says farewell to Queen Elizabeth II

Buses in the streets surrounding City Hall ceased moving, while inside the grounds none of the several-hundred-strong crowd spoke aloud, as the official silence for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was observed uniformly at 11.55am – no hiccups, no hecklers, just two minutes of solemn calm punctuated by the occasional sound of seagulls overhead.

People had begun gathering from about 10am in front of the big TV screen, and when proceedings got under way at 10.44am (with her body being moved by soldiers from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey) it was as if the attendees were present at the actual service itself: all observed the same quiet decorum as the dignitaries on the TV screen.

The sole interruption this reporter noticed was when, at the outset of proceedings, a young man in skinny black jeans sauntered through the grounds, declaring loudly to his friend that “she’s not my f**king queen” – prompting a sharp “shhh!” from somewhere in the audience. He soon moseyed off.

A great many of those present were tourists – some British, some Australian.

Other had military connections and bore medals.

Many wore black, some wore suits, and one woman sported a kind of hand-made jacket bearing a patchwork of pictures of the queen.

Neil Reid, a 66-year-old retired electrician from Ayrshire, had this to say: “I thoroughly enjoyed this service today. Nobody does it like the British. No other country in the world could put on a performance like this.

“The Queen got a great send-off. Great lady, great send-off.”

MORE TO FOLLOW.

More from this reporter:

Thank you message to British public from King Charles III