A funeral Mass was held in St Mary's Basilica and a procession later took the coffins to couple's final resting place is in a sarcophagus in the royal crypt in Wawel cathedral, next to Poland's revered independence leader, Jozef Pilsudski.

Many world leaders could not attend due to volcanic ash grounding flights.

One mourner, Bartek Kargol, said, "I wouldn't move the funeral. This event is for our president."

Maria Kurowska, mayor of the town of Jaslo, told Agence France-Presse news agency that her town had paid for three coaches to bring mourners to Krakow.

"It's an exceptional moment. Poles have to be here," she said.

On April 17, hundreds of thousands of people had attended an open-air memorial service in the centre of Warsaw.

Poland's first couple and 94 other people died eight days ago when their plane crashed as they flew to Russia.