The Queen: Archbishop of York's memories of monarch as he prepares for King Charles III Accession Council

The moving service saw Prime Minister Liz Truss give a reading and the first official rendition of God Save The King as a 2000 strong congregation joined for the National Anthem.

Members of the royal family did not attend the 6pm service at St Paul’s which was open to the public and was broadcast live by the BBC.

However, an audio of King Charles III’s televised address to the nation was played inside the cathedral.

The service came at the end of a day which saw church bells tolled across the nation, including at York Minster.

Speaking shortly after the conclusion of the memorial service, Archbishop Stephen Cottrell told the Yorkshire Post of how he was deeply moved by the King’s address in which he spoke of his own faith.

The Archbishop will today be part of the Accession Council, who will formally declare King Charles III monarch.

The Most Rev Stephen Cottrell said: “I had the privilege of meeting the Queen on many occasions, and I even stayed with her. But people who have never met her feel bereaved, and I think that is about her love for the people she served and the dedication of her service.

"I know from my knowledge of her that it came from her Christian faith. She was a person of simple but profound faith.

"So, we’re feeling a bit lost and bereft and bereaved because of what she meant to us. And up in Yorkshire that is very strong.”

Speaking of his role on today’s Accession Council, the Archbishop said: “It’s a huge honour. I will be there as a small group of eight who will sign it, as it were, Charles to become King.

"My responsibilities will bring me to London for a lot of next week, and of course, the funeral, but I’ve been writing letters to King Charles and Prince William this afternoon. Of course, I’ve expressed my condolences but I’ve also said I send them with confidence the prayers, greetings and good wishes of people in Yorkshire and the North.”

The Archbishop described how, on hearing the news of the Queen’s death a few hours earlier than it was made public, he felt a powerful calling to organise a service of prayer at York Minster.

He said: “I drove back to Bishopthorpe, and I knew I’d have to come to London today, but what I didn’t know was what to do that evening. So I phoned up the Minster and told them I thought we should do something.

"We had an hour and a half to plan a service, some of the choristers came back, we put something out on social media and it was amazing how many people came.”

Yesterday, like so many other churches across the land, the bells of York Minster tolled mournfully for the Queen.

The Minster, normally full of tourists, was instead a refuge for hundreds who gathered together in silent prayer and contemplation. Some lit candles, while others stood to view a gallery of photographs of the Queen’s many visits to York.

Many were tearful as they stood in reflection - and queues to sign a condolence book stretched halfway down the nave.

Speaking through tears, Mark Robinson, 61, from York, said: “She wasn’t someone who was famous for amazing abilities. She was famous because she was given a job she didn’t want on the day her father died. She had very limited choices but she chose to give her life in service.

“No one I know has ever done that in such a public way before.

“And so it’s a human life that all of us have watched, all our lives. She lived a remarkable life of service which says so much about what we can be as people.

“There’s so many people here today knowing we have lost something very special.”