The death of Elizabeth II, very popular following more than 70 years of reign, has aroused immense emotion in the United Kingdom. The queue to view his coffin stretched for miles along the River Thames on Friday evening and the wait was estimated by the government at more than 10 p.m., before a cold night.
Some 750,000 people might be queuing to view the Queen’s coffin, London transport officials say. The public has until Monday morning 06:30 (05:30 GMT) to pay their last respects to the sovereign.
Great moment Friday evening, “the vigil of the princes”: the four children of Elizabeth II – Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward – came to watch over their mother’s coffin, as they had already done in Edinburgh.
All four in military uniform, their backs to the coffin, they gathered, heads bowed, for a quarter of an hour, while the public continued to parade through Westminster Hall.
For the occasion, Andrew, deprived of most of his military titles following a sex scandal, was authorized to wear the uniform.
The eight grandchildren of the queen must also come to collect on Saturday evening.
Friday, it was the former star footballer David Beckham who slipped into the crowd to bow, visibly moved, in front of the coffin of the monarch, who died on September 8 in his castle of Balmoral in Scotland.
“We are all here to say thank you to Her Majesty for being so kind, caring, comforting through the years,” he said upon leaving.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also went, dressed all in black, to Westminster Hall, in front of the coffin draped with the royal standard and adorned with the imperial crown.
On Saturday, representatives of the 14 Commonwealth realms should also gather there.
– Bigger than the Olympics –
Monday morning, a procession will accompany the coffin to Westminster Abbey where the funeral will be held at 10:00 GMT. It is the first state funeral since that of Winston Churchill in 1965.
Some 2,000 guests, including several hundred leaders from around the world, crowned heads, but also anonymous people decorated for their associative commitment, will attend the ceremony.
US President Joe Biden, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the Emperor of Japan, and French President Emmanuel Macron are expected.
It will be the biggest event ever supervised by the London police, she said. Even bigger than the Olympic Games that took place in London in 2012.
The British Prime Minister, the conservative Liz Truss, in power for ten days, must meet several leaders before the funeral, including Joe Biden, the head of the Irish government Micheal Martin, the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. She will also meet with her Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese and with Jacinda Ardern.
On Sunday followingnoon, Charles III, who became king at 73, will welcome heads of state to Buckingham Palace.
The King ended Friday in Wales his tour of the four constituent nations of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales).
After a final procession, Elizabeth II will be buried privately on Monday in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, west London, next to her father King George VI and her husband Prince Philip.
Source: AFP
