After the death of his mother Elizabeth II, the new King Charles III. visited all four parts of the UK. Now all eyes are on London, where the Queen’s farewell ceremony is approaching.
London/Cardiff – A good week after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Charles III. completed his funeral journey through the four parts of the United Kingdom with a trip to Wales. The new king was expected back in London on Friday evening, where he and his siblings were to hold a wake at the monarch’s coffin. The coffin was laid out in the Westminster Hall of the British Parliament until Monday morning. Countless people lined up in a kilometer-long queue to be able to pause for a moment at the Queen’s coffin hours later.
In the Welsh capital Cardiff, the new King Charles III. and King’s consort Camilla held a service in memory of the Queen on Friday. Speaking to Wales’ regional parliament, known as Senedd, Charles highlighted the monarch’s special affection for the region: “Throughout the years of her reign, Wales could not have been dearer to her heart,” he said.
In Cardiff there was also silent protest from opponents of the monarchy. They held up signs with inscriptions such as “Abolish the monarchy”, “Citizens instead of subjects” or “Democracy now”.
The trip to Wales was for Charles III. the last part of a tour that the new king embarked on after the death of his mother through the four parts of the country – England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Before Charles became king, he held the title Prince of Wales. Now his son William has taken over this; his wife Kate is now Princess of Wales.
Preparations for the state funeral are underway
In London, meanwhile, preparations for the state funeral intensified: early Friday morning, soldiers rehearsed for the procession on Monday. Then the Queen’s coffin is to be taken from Westminster Hall to nearby Westminster Abbey, where a funeral service is scheduled. About 300 government officials have been pulled from their jobs to help plan the historic event, the BBC reported.
Hundreds of monarchs, heads of state and government from all over the world are expected in London on Monday. The biggest challenge is getting the attendees to the funeral ceremony on time. As the BBC and the online portal “Politico” reported, the highest-ranking guests such as the Japanese Emperor Naruhito, whose visit is considered a special honor, as well as European monarchs and heads of state and government are to be taken by bus to Westminster Abbey from a secret meeting point will. Accordingly, there should only be a few exceptions, for example for US President Joe Biden and Israeli President Izchak Herzog.
After the service in Westminster Abbey, the coffin is taken in a procession to Wellington Arch, the route leads from Parliament via The Mall and past Buckingham Palace. Such a ceremony has not taken place in Britain since the death of Winston Churchill in 1965, the BBC reported. The actual funeral should then be on Monday evening in a private circle at Windsor Castle west of London.
Elizabeth II died last Thursday at the age of 96 at her Scottish country estate, Balmoral Castle. Her coffin was taken to the Scottish capital of Edinburgh on Sunday and then to London on Tuesday evening. There, the closest family to Charles led him on Wednesday afternoon in a solemn procession from Buckingham Palace to Parliament, where he has been laid out ever since.
David Beckham waited around twelve hours in line
Ex-soccer star David Beckham also joined the kilometer-long queue in front of Westminster Hall on Friday. The 47-year-old told Sky News that he got in line at 2 a.m. and waited around twelve hours. He was there to honor the “special” Queen. “It’s a sad day, but an unforgettable one,” Beckham said. “I’ve been fortunate to have had a few moments in my life to be with Her Majesty.”
According to media reports, King Consort Camilla is completing her current appointments with a broken toe. The newspaper “Daily Telegraph” quoted a source close to the royal family as saying: “It was unfortunate timing, to say the least, but she coped with it absolutely bravely.” dpa
#Charles #III #concludes #funeral #journey #visit #Wales