The funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II from Westminster Abbey, which King Charles III and members of the royal family, and hundreds of world leaders and officials, arrived in the British capital, London, continues to attend the mass.
It is also expected that hundreds of thousands of people gathered in the streets of London, as well as millions of people around the world follow the march of the royal coffin, amid unprecedented security measures in the country’s modern history.
The coffin, made of oak and covered with the royal flag with the imperial crown, was placed on a cannon cart and dragged by members of the Navy to Westminster Abbey.
The Guardian reported that it took eight minutes for the coffin to be transported from a palace to Westminster Abbey, where it was loaded onto a chariot pulled by 142 marines.
Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin was moved from the chapel to Wellington Arch, to be taken to Windsor, where she will later be buried next to Prince Philip, with whom she was united by the bond of marriage over a period of 73 years.
It would mark the end of a period of mourning across Britain, although the royal family’s mourning will continue for another seven days after the funeral.
The Queen passed away on the eighth of this September, at the age of 96, 70 years after assuming the throne.
US President Joe Biden – accompanied by his wife – gave the last look at the Queen’s body, and also recorded a speech in the register of condolences in addition to leaders and leaders of countries.
Participating Arab leaders
A number of world leaders arrived in the British capital, including the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, accompanied by his wife, to participate in the funeral and reception organized by King Charles III.
Other Arab leaders will attend the funeral, including King Abdullah II of Jordan and King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain.
The funeral will also be attended by the head of the Sovereign Council in Sudan, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and the Crown Prince of Kuwait, Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, as well as the Egyptian Prime Ministers Mostafa Madbouly, the Algerian Ayman bin Abdel-Rahman, the Palestinian Muhammad Shtayyeh and the Lebanese Najib Mikati, in addition to Musa Al-Koni, the Vice President of the Presidential Council in Libya. And Moroccan Prince Moulay Rachid, brother of King Mohammed VI.
On the other hand, Archyde.com said that the list of Arab leaders expected to participate in the funeral ceremony of Queen Elizabeth II also includes Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, and President of the UAE Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
King Charles III’s message
Among the 2,000 people gathered for the funeral, about 500 world leaders, including Japan’s Emperor Naruhito, Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was not invited to attend the funeral, due to the war in Ukraine, which a foreign ministry spokesman considered “deeply immoral”, according to the British Sky News channel.
Also absent from the funeral ceremonies are Syria and Venezuela, due to the lack of full diplomatic relations with them, as reported by Archyde.com.
Afghanistan and Myanmar were not invited, while North Korea, Iran and Nicaragua were satisfied with the presence of their ambassadors in the United Kingdom.
King Charles thanked the British people, and the various peoples of the world, yesterday for the messages of sympathy they offered after the death of his mother.
“Over the past 10 days, my wife and I have been deeply moved by the many messages of condolences and support we have received from this country and around the world,” the king, who has been in the UK since his mother’s death, said in a statement.
Charles III added: “In London, Edinburgh, Hillsborough and Cardiff, we have been touched by all who took the trouble to come and pay their respects to the efforts of my dear mother, the late Queen, throughout her life.”
“As we all prepare for her final farewell, I simply wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to all those countless people who have provided such support and comfort to my family and me at this sad time,” he said.