Today, Monday, constitutes an exceptional security challenge for the British capital, London, represented by:Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral Which reached the age of 96 years following 70 years of rule, and for that occasion Britain developed a plan described as the largest operation to control security and protection in the history of the Kingdom since World War II.
Today, the world will witness the royal funeral or the funeral of the century, as some metaphorically called it, at the conclusion of ten full days of national mourning. Characterized by sophistication, blessing and protection, the casket is made of oak wood.
In the language of numbers
2,000 people are the number of dignitaries and guests who will be in a hall in Westminster for the state funeral, ranging from King Charles III and other members of the royal family to world leaders, including US President Joe Biden and US First Lady Jill Biden, who glanced at the coffin of the late British Queen Elizabeth The second in Westminster Hall in London, Sunday, along with the British who will observe two minutes of silence at the end of the funeral in Westminster.
800 guests will attend the ceremony at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
5,949 military personnel are scattered throughout the meticulously choreographed ceremony that began with the Queen’s death on 8 September at Balmoral in the Scottish Highlands.
This number consisted of 4,416 soldiers, 847 Navy officers and 686 Air Force personnel. In addition, regarding 175 members of the Armed Forces of the Commonwealth of Nations participated.
1,650 soldiers will participate in a solemn procession to transport the Queen’s coffin from Westminster to Wellington Arch following her funeral. Another thousand will line the streets along the procession route when the coffin reaches Windsor, 410 soldiers will participate in the procession, 480 will line the streets, 150 honor guards and 130 others will perform other ceremonies.
More than 10,000 police officers will perform the “extremely complex” policing task – the largest in London police history – more than the police force that secured the 2012 London Olympics.
One million people London transport authorities expect to visit the capital on Monday; It will also operate regarding 250 additional railway services to transport people to and from the city.
8 km is the length of the row that stretched in front of the Queen’s coffin in Westminster Hall, and the huge queue stretched from the Houses of Parliament along the south bank of the Thames to Southwark Park.
125 cinemas that will open their doors to broadcast the funeral Monday live.
2,868 diamonds, along with 17 rubies, 11 emeralds, and 269 pearls sparkle in the Imperial State’s crown that rested on the Queen’s coffin.
“Son’s Love”
Despite these high-level official and diplomatic ceremonies, for the Queen’s family, they bid farewell to mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.
Prince Andrew, the Queen’s second son, praised his mother on Sunday, saying “Mama, Mom, Your Majesty,” referring to the three roles he said Elizabeth played during her time on the throne.
“Mami, your love for Son (it’s me), your kindness, your care and your trust I will treasure forever,” he said.
Andrew, best known as the Queen’s spoiled son, was stripped of his “Royal Highness” title and banned from performing royal duties following a scandal caused by his friendship with convicted US financier Jeffrey Epstein and allegations of sexual abuse as a result of the friendship.
He was not charged with any criminal act, and he denied any wrongdoing, but he paid to settle a case in a US civil court, according to media sources.
On Saturday evening, his two daughters joined the Queen’s six other grandchildren, including Charles’ sons Princes William and Harry, in a silent pause in front of her coffin.
Camilla, the wife of the new king, said the late queen’s smile was “unforgettable”, in a letter of appreciation to the late queen published on Sunday.
Crowd grumbled
Monday’s funeral and mourning period has already drawn hundreds of thousands of people into the streets and parks of central London, with many grumbling to be able to see and experience the flowers laid out by mourners.
The government advised citizens not to travel to join the queues to take a farewell look at the coffin before entry was denied later on Sunday.
The desire to honor the popular Queen, the only one most Britons have lived in since ascending the throne in 1952, has made tens of thousands patiently wait for hours by the River Thames to stand a few seconds before her coffin.
Many of those standing in line were crying or praying for her, while some bowed their heads or got down on their knees.
VIPs also stood on the balcony to bid her farewell, and leaders from Canada, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago and other countries have already offered their condolences.
“I was really amazed at how many people are here,” Gary Thompson, 54, from London told Archyde.com. “It’s really unbelievable.”
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said “absolute silence” was one of the things that made the farewell so touching, adding that she shared her moment by the coffin on Friday with people who had queued for 20 hours or more.
“The Queen was here for her people and now her people are here for her,” she told the BBC.
Prince William joined his father Charles to address mourners waiting in line on Saturday. “You wouldn’t believe all this, you wouldn’t really believe it,” he said. “It’s amazing.”
meditation moment
Britain hosted a series of carefully designed events in the ten days following Elizabeth’s death, reflecting the traditions of the royal family that date back nearly a thousand years.
A minute of silence prevailed with the chimes of Big Ben above Westminster Hall at 1900 GMT Sunday.
London police describe the funeral as the largest security operation they have ever undertaken.
Members of the public camp at sites on the procession route and near Westminster Abbey, the site of coronations, weddings and burials of English and then British kings and queens since the reign of William I in 1066.
Britain has not organized a state funeral of this magnitude since the death of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1965.