The Queen’s coffin is laid out there on a crimson cloth-covered scaffold that stands on a tiered red pedestal. The royal standard lies over the coffin. Next to a wreath of flowers, the crown is also placed on it. The coffin is guarded by ten soldiers in historic-style uniforms, who remain motionless for 20 minutes before being relieved. Each shift lasts six hours.
Thousands of people queued up Thursday night to say goodbye personally at the coffin. The seat of the UK Parliament will be open 23 hours a day for the coming days to allow visitors to parade past the coffin. In view of the long waiting time, hundreds of helpers, police officers and paramedics are ready. The Queen’s coffin was laid out in Westminster Hall until Monday 07.30 (CEST).
The Queen’s body will then be taken to Westminster Abbey for the funeral service at 11:00 a.m. local time (12:00 p.m. CEST). This is followed by the state funeral, which is expected to be attended by around 2,000 guests – including hundreds of heads of state and government, members of royal families and other dignitaries. Numerous members of the royal family as well as the incumbent British Prime Minister Liz Truss and several of her predecessors are also expected.
It is a great honor that Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will travel from Japan – representatives of the oldest hereditary monarchy in the world do not traditionally attend funerals, either in Japan or abroad. Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen, US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have also been announced.
“This is the largest international event we have hosted in decades,” The Telegraph newspaper quoted a government source as saying. The logistical task is comparable to organizing hundreds of state visits within a few days. The newspaper spoke of “one of the greatest diplomatic moments of the century”.
