Britain will come to a silent standstill at 11.45 on Saturday morning in tribute to Princess Diana. Buckingham Palace called the official one-minute silence in an apparent reversal of its earlier position, and in further acknowledgement of the outpouring of national grief following the princess's death.
Members of the public last night queued for up to eight hours to sign the books of condolence at St James's Palace, where the princess's body lies at rest in the Royal Chapel.
The astonishing scale and depth of that grief was further underlined as Kensington Palace confirmed the establishment of an official Diana, Princess of Wales, Memorial Fund to dispense a flood of cash donations to the charities with which Princess Diana was associated.
The princess's family will determine the longer-term status of the fund, which will provide at least a short-term expression for the immediate public response while the search continues for a "living memorial".
Virgin tycoon, Mr Richard Branson, is pressing ahead with plans for a "super charity" in lasting remembrance of the princess. And Mr Blair's government faces a growing public debate over whether millions of pounds planned for the controversial Millennium Dome should be diverted into some form of enduring memorial to Diana.
The official silence will fall before the princess's coffin leaves Westminster Abbey after a unique funeral service commemorating her life and work. It seems certain to be observed beyond the United Kingdom as international figures and the spouses of heads of state prepared to travel to London for a service which will combine Diana's "modernity, dignity and ceremony".
As shops, banks, supermarkets, building societies and sporting venues prepared to close, British Airways announced the silence would be observed on all its flights and at check-in desks worldwide.
President Clinton's wife, Hillary, will be among the mourners at the Abbey, alongside representatives of the princess's favourite charities and members of the general public.
As the Lord Chamberlain's office struggled to complete the arrangements for this unprecedented event, Buckingham Palace confirmed that 500 representatives of charities linked to Princess Diana would walk behind her funeral cortege. The princess's coffin will be borne on a gun carriage bearing the Royal standard, but no military music will be played.
The authorities were under pressure last night to consider extending the route for the funeral procession to the Abbey, and to narrow the roads to allow a wider area for crowds to line the route. The Palace said the route - just one mile long - had to be limited because of the disabilities and age of some of the participants.
While narrowing the width of the route was being considered in talks with police, the palace spokesman said crowd control and safety considerations had to be taken into account, and in the light of these, the route would be as originally announced. With up to two million people expected to arrive in London for the funeral, fears were expressed that the capital's transport system could be stretched to breaking point. Police last night appealed to people coming into London to take extra care of their possessions in order to reduce the risk of security alerts.
Meanwhile, the rector of St James's Church in Piccadilly has expressed regret at the decision not to have an official lying in state, and backed suggestions that pop superstar Elton John should be invited to sing at Saturday's service. The Rev Donald Reeves said: "The Prime Minister called Diana the people's princess and the music must reflect that."