Britain is marking six months since the deadly fire at Grenfell Tower that claimed 71 lives with a national memorial service at St Paul's Cathedral (AFP/Getty Images)
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A memorial service was held at St Paul's Cathedral on Thursday morning to honour the 71 victims who died in the Grenfell Tower fire in west London.
Six months on from the disaster, more than 1,500 people attended the service, including Prime Minister Theresa May and members of the Royal Family.
Families of victims and survivors of the 14 June tragedy also attended the memorial alongside members of the wider community and first responders.
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The service included messages of support for the bereaved, and a banner with the Grenfell Heart - a symbol of unity over the disaster - was displayed within the building.
Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures
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Following the service, families and survivors held up images of loved ones who had died in the blaze.
Good morning, and welcome to The Independent's live updates of the memorial service being held at St Paul's Cathedral to honour the 71 victims of the Grenfell Tower fire. The service is due to start at 11am.
Clarrie Mendy, whose cousin Mary Mendy and her daughter Khadija died in the fire, has been helping shape the multi-faith service.
She said she had asked for the event to be held at St Paul's Cathedral, exactly six months after the fire, and that she hoped the names of the 53 adults and 18 children who died would be read out as a mark of respect and recognition.
Ms Mendy told the Press Association: "I think a lot of people are anticipating and looking forward to this service at St Paul's. I know there's a lot of expectations. I know there's a lot of diversity from your normal tradition.
"I just hope this service resonates with people, with the hunger people have spiritually.
"A lot of people, right now there's no trust in the Government, a lot of people have more faith and trust in their religion."
She went on: "I just hope it measures up to everybody's expectations and people will ... a lot of family will find healing from the messages, the sermons, and I hope it's soul-enriching.
"I hope there's words that will just echo and resonate, and say, 'yes, there is empathy, there is humanity, there is hope for the world', because I think this service is the platform that can really start to change humanity depending on the right words and - it's a church, people of god - how they convey the message to mankind.
"I hope I'm just not hoping for too much, but I am expecting a lot from this service, especially words of healing, and of truth."
↵ Labour MP David Lammy, who has been vocal in his condemnation of the state of social housing in Britain, has shared his thoughts on the memorial service.
Cressida Dick, Metropolitan Police chief, has described the fire as a "tragedy of such a scale it is almost unimaginable" and said today was a day when "we should all reflect and remember what so many lost that terrible night".
She added: "My officers and staff are committed to doing everything in our power to support those so deeply affected and to carry out a thorough and effective investigation."
Outside the cathedral, Bishop of Kensington Graham Tomlin has shared a hug with emotional survivors, including former 19th floor resident Nicholas Burton.
The BBC are interviewing a survivor of Grenfell. She tells corporation how she escaped the fire and took her chemistry GCSE the next day in the same clothes. She got an A.
Harriet Agerholm, who is at St Paul's Cathedral for The Independent, says: "Crowd here is eagerly awaiting the arrival of the royals to the memorial. Diane Abbott just told me she and Jeremy Corbyn are running late - they went in the guest entrance to be seated before royals get here."
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