The nation will hold a minute’s silence at 8pm on Sunday to mourn the Queen’s death and reflect on her life and legacy.

People are invited to mark the occasion privately at home, on their doorstep or street, or at community events and vigils, No 10 said.

Those living overseas are also encouraged to take part at 8pm their time.

Downing Street said the “shared national moment of reflection” will be an opportunity for everyone across the UK to mark the Queen’s death.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said people are encouraged to “come together”.

“At 8pm on Sunday September 18, the night before the state funeral, there will be a one-minute silence where the public are invited to come together and observe a national moment of reflection to mourn and reflect on the life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth II,” he said.

“The silence can be marked privately at home on your own or with friends and neighbours, out on your doorstep or street with neighbours, or at any locally arranged community events and vigils.

“We encourage local community groups, clubs and other organisations to mark this moment of reflection. And if you are overseas, people are encouraged to mark the silence at their local time.

“The shared national moment of reflection is an opportunity for everyone across the UK to mark the death of Her Majesty and we will set out details of where the Prime Minister will mark it closer to that time.”

The spokesman also suggested commuters may want to “change their working patterns accordingly” as the capital will be “extremely busy” for the Queen’s lying in state.

Infrastructure for the queue is being set up so the public can view the Queen’s coffin in Westminster Hall from Wednesday evening to Monday morning, before her funeral, with security staff preparing for millions of people to line up and pay their respects in the coming days.

Full details on the queue will be released at 10pm on Tuesday ahead of its opening on Wednesday at 5pm.

The PM’s spokesman said he could not be “specific on numbers”, but the city is expected to be “extremely busy”.

“I think for the Queen Mother it was around 200,000 people (who attended), we expect (it) to be far more than that for this lying in state,” he said.

On whether commuters should work from home this week if they normally travel into the capital from outside London, he said some people “may wish to change their working patterns accordingly”, but acknowledged “not everyone will have that ability”.

Members of the public are being encouraged to plan ahead, with the Army expected to be “on hand” to support the events in London over the coming days, the spokesman said.

“It will be about encouraging the public to plan ahead and to be prepared for obviously London being extremely busy during this time,” he said.

“We do want to ensure as many people as possible are able to come into London during this time. This is the overarching aim. But equally we do need to ensure that people know what to expect and that they should plan ahead.”

It comes after Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan reportedly told colleagues people could be queuing for up to 30 hours, with the Government planning for “unprecedented demand”.

Asked if there will be any facilities for those who physically cannot wait for that length of time, the spokesman said: “Obviously we want everyone to be able to attend regardless of whether they have disabilities.

“Our focus is on ensuring they have the information needed to make the decision about what’s right for them.

“There will be toilet facilities, there will be first aid available, there will be the ability for people obviously to go and use toilets and return to queues and things like that.”