The reburial service of Richard III has taken place at Leicester Cathedral.

It was presided over by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Most Rev Justin Welby, and included a reading by actor Benedict Cumberbatch – who is distantly related to the king – of a poem composed by poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy.

Addressed to the congregation by the king, the poem includes the lines: "Imagine you re-tie/ a broken string and on it thread a cross,/ the symbol severed from me when I died."

Among the guests were Sophie, Countess of Wessex and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.

The service was preceded by a march to the cathedral by the Queen's Division Band and musicians from the Royal Signals Band. It was shown live on a big screen in the Leicester's Jubilee Square.

During the service, the Rt Rev Tim Stevens, Bishop of Leicester, said: "People have come in their thousands from around the world to this place of honour, not to judge or condemn but to stand humble and reverent.

"From car park to cathedral ... Today we come to give this King and these mortal remains the dignity and honour denied to them in death."

Before the service the Dean of Leicester, the Very Rev David Monteith, told BBC Today: "There are no mourners. Instead it's much more of a hello, a welcome, a recognition of our history. Also [it's] a recognition of the pain of what happened to him, the humiliation he suffered after death, which is really not what we would want for any human being, and the Church would want to point to his dignity."

As well as invited dignitaries, the service was attended by representatives of those involved in finding the body of King Richard under its Leicester car park, local communities and known descendants of those who fought at Bosworth in 1485. Also present were 200 members of the public chosen by ballot.

The cathedral will open to the public tomorrow when visitors will be able to view the tomb.