Last weekend to meditate in front of the coffin of Elizabeth II
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected this weekend to bow to Elizabeth II, who will rest until Monday at Westminster Hall in London.
King Charles III, after the “vigil of princes” in front of the coffin of Elizabeth II, Friday September 16, 2022.
AFP
The last weekend to meditate in front of the coffin of Elizabeth II: the line promises to be very long again on Saturday until Westminster Hall in London, where the sovereign rests until her funeral which is to attend Monday hundreds of world leaders and crowned heads.
The death of Elizabeth II, very popular after 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 could be queuing to view the Queen’s coffin, according to London transport officials. The public has until Monday morning at 6:30 a.m. to pay their last respects to the sovereign.
“Princes’ Vigil”
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.
On Friday, it was ex-star footballer David Beckham who slipped into the crowd to bow, visibly moved, before the coffin of the monarch, 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.
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 noon (Swiss time). This is the first state funeral since that of Winston Churchill in 1965. Some 2000 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.
British Prime Minister, Conservative Liz Truss, in power for ten days, is to meet several leaders ahead of the funeral, including Joe Biden, Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. She will also meet with her Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese and with Jacinda Ardern.
Buried Monday
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).
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.
AFP
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