Lhe death of Elizabeth II continues to arouse immense emotion in the United Kingdom. The line promises to be very long again on Saturday September 17 to Westminster Hall in London, where the sovereign rests until her funeral, which is to be attended by hundreds of world leaders and crowned heads on Monday. 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 lined up to view the Queen’s coffin, according to London transport officials. The public has until 6:30 a.m. Monday morning (7:30 a.m. French time) to pay their last respects to the sovereign. Accompanied by Prince William, the new sovereign came for about twenty minutes to meet the crowd which has been marching non-stop since Wednesday evening. He exchanged a few words and shook hands, as he did several times during the tour that took him all week through the four constituent nations of the United Kingdom, from Belfast to Cardiff. Staying longer, the very popular heir to the throne thanked the public, worrying about the state of their feet, under the cries of “I love you William! “.
Princes William and Harry and Queen Elizabeth II’s six other grandchildren attended a wake on Saturday evening around her coffin, two days before the monarch’s funeral. Often described as enemy brothers, the two sons of Charles III were in uniform – Harry no longer wore it since his resounding withdrawal from the monarchy – unlike their six cousins. They gathered at 6:00 p.m. in Westminster Hall, their backs to the coffin and their heads bowed, under the gaze of visitors who came to bow before the remains of Elizabeth II, on display to the public until Monday morning.
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The first state funeral since Winston Churchill
On Friday, it was ex-star footballer David Beckham who slipped into the crowd to bow, visibly moved, in front of the coffin of the queen, who died on September 8 at her Balmoral castle 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.
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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.
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On Monday morning, a procession will accompany the coffin to Westminster Abbey where the funeral will be held at 12 p.m. French time. This 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.
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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.
A busy schedule for Liz Truss
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.
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On Sunday afternoon, 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).
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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.