7.04 The stars will be entering the premiere shortly so we will sign off for the evening. Thanks for joining us.
6.51 The author has just made her fans very happy by refusing to entirely rule out a further Harry Potter installment. “It’s my baby and if I want to take it out and play again, maybe I will,” she says.
6.47 JK Rowling follows the stars of the film in speaking of how overwhelming this evening is. “How can it be anything other than very emotional?” she says.
6.41 He says the crowd is “crazy” and is greeted by... yes, more screaming.
“I’m so proud of this film and the way we have gone out in this film - we could not have made a better version of this film,” he says.
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“I think people are going to go crazy for it”. Yes, I think we’ve established that.
6.40 Am I the only one feeling seriously concerned for one particular member of the crowd? She’s screaming so loudly and so hysterically at Daniel Radcliffe that she must surely be about to pass out.
6.36 And here he is! He’s looking around, drinking in the scene. The patient crowd are being rewarded with an ear-to-ear grin from the star.
JK Rowling is hot on his heels. Frantically signing autographs while trying not to trip on her full-length dress, the author is making her way down the red carpet.
6.35 Daniel Radcliffe is on his way. Watch this space...
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6.11 Kate Muir, the chief film critic of The Times, has seen the film today and her verdict is in. She gives Deathly Hallows 2 four stars.
“This eighth movie is bloody, and that’s not just Ron goofily saying “bloody hell” at regular intervals. Much-loved characters die gruesome deaths, and the sinister atmosphere is aided by shadowy 3D,” she says.
Read her full review here
6.10 Helena Bonham Carter is at her quirky best. No safe outfit for her. She’s sporting a brilliantly mad hat.
6.09 Emma Watson is just so sweet, isn’t she? “I’ve been so priveleged to play this role and be part of these films,” she says.
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“I’ve had the most amazing ten years of my life.”
5.50 Emma Watson has just arrived. She’s living up to her reputation as a style queen in a very girly, full-length, layered dress. Part pixie, part ballerina, the fans would be screaming for her autograph even if she was wearing a sack, no doubt. Her minder is having to usher her along as endless hands grab for her and scream for her attention.
5.49 Harry Potter producer David Barron is overwhelmed by the crowd. “I never thought we could get more people than we have before but we must have twice, three times as many”, he says.
5.35 Still no sign of the boy wizard. Perhaps Daniel Radcliffe is still en route from New York where he is starring in the Broadway theatre production of How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying?
5.27 At the risk of sounding like a caricature of a grandparent, isn’t Rupert Grint looking all grown up, what with the sweeping fringe and tie and jacket? Or maybe it’s his slightly weary demeanour. But then, after ten years of Potter premieres, we can probably forgive his enthusiasm levels for lagging ever so slightly.
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5.15 Julie Walters has gone for a low-key look, wearing black trousers for the event. She says she “adores” her character Molly Weasley.
5.11 Evanna Lynch, who plays Luna has called today is “epic and monumental”. “What comes next? I don’t know,” she says.
5.09 Michael Gambon, Professor Dumbledore himself, says filming the final film was “overwhelming”.
5.01 Tom Felton, who plays Draco Malfoy, is doing his best to keep it together as he scans the crowds. “I’ve never seen Trafalgar Square like this before!” he says. “I may break down in tears. It’s quite emotional.”
He says he’ll take away “a life time of friendship” from the films. Awwww.
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4.55 Rupert Grint , who plays Ron Weasley in the films, said it was “emotional” to be arriving to see the final film. “Every film has been just so special.”
Asked to pick his favourite moment from his time in the hugely successful films, he said: “I think it’s probably this.”
4.50 James and Oliver Phelps, aka The Weasley Twins, are making slow progress down the red carpet. They look like they are at risk of getting RSI from signing autographs.
4.39: 4mm of rainfall has fallen on the crowd today, according to the Met Office. It is 3.75mm more than the average daily rainfall for the month. This will come as no surprise to the hardened Potter fans. It has rained at every Harry Potter film premiere apart from the first.
4.31: Events staff are manoeuvring at least eight electric buggies to ferry the cast along the red-carpeted Whitcomb Street and St Martin’s Street from Trafalgar Square to the cinema, although some of the younger cast members may choose to walk.
4.28: Trafalgar Square has about 1,000 fans either inside the cordon at the centre of the square or lining St Martin’s Place on the eastern side of the square. They all look quite damp, but chipper nonetheless. It takes a more than a shower to make a Harry Potter fan miserable.
4.17: The centre of Leicester Square is, inconveniently, hidden behind hoardings in preparation for the London 2012 Olympic Games, but the streets outside are thronged with fans, drying slowly from the earlier downpour. There are people pressed against barriers along the streets that link Leicester Square with Trafalgar Square, where the main spectacle is taking place.
4.11: The Harry Potter premieres in Leicester Square have always been among the most popular, beaten only by James Bond premieres, but the crowds for this last one are the largest of any premiere in living memory.
4.07: The fans lining Trafalgar Square are looking surprisingly fresh considering they have been camping out since Monday and have faced rain all day today.
4.02pm Harry Potter fans have been camped out in London’s Trafalgar Square for days in the hope of catching a glimpse of the stars of one of the most successful film series of all time.
Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson should have these premieres down pat after attending them since they were children. But this afternoon’s launch will no doubt introduce them to a whole new set of nerves. All three have spoken of how emotional they feel about saying goodbye to the series that made them household names and multi-millionaires.
Radcliffe is perhaps most nervous of all. Just days ago the 21-year-old admitted that he had struggled with a drinking problem and will now have to face a swarm of journalists no doubt eager to drill him for the details.
4pm: Welcome to our live coverage of the premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2. You can click on the tabs above to access live video and pictures as the stars walk the Harry Potter red carpet for the last time.