September 19, 2022 16:26
King Charles and his two sons, Princes William and Harry, and senior members of the royal family began a solemn procession behind Queen Elizabeth’s coffin amid silence in the streets of London on Monday, after the conclusion of a state funeral held at Westminster Abbey.
A large number of world leaders and kings attended the unprecedented majestic funeral ceremony to bid farewell to a beloved figure who united the nation during a reign that lasted 70 years.
In a pompous ceremony, the flag-draped coffin was carried away at the country’s first state funeral since 1965, when Winston Churchill’s funeral took place.
Tens of thousands lined the streets to watch the Queen’s coffin pass from historic Westminster Hall, where it lay for days, to nearby Westminster Abbey.
There was silence in Hyde Park, also nearby in London, where thousands of people, who waited and chatted for hours, kept silent the moment the Queen’s coffin appeared on the screens placed in the park.
Inside the church, before the casket was moved to its final resting place, the usual chants at every state funeral had been heard since the early 18th century.
Among those who walked behind the coffin was Prince George (nine years old), son of Prince William, the heir apparent and grandson of the Queen. About 2,000 people attended the ceremony, including about 500 world heads of state, heads of government, members of foreign royal families and prominent figures including US President Joe Biden and leaders of France, Canada, Australia, China and Pakistan.
Biden had mourned the queen, who passed away at the age of 96 after spending the longest period of British monarchs on the throne and enjoyed respect almost worldwide for her service to her country. “You’ve been lucky to have it for 70 years,” Biden said. “And so have we all.”
Amid the crowds that flocked from across Britain and abroad, some climbed lampposts and stood on parapets to catch a glimpse of the royal procession. Millions of others will watch on television in their homes the funeral today, which has been declared a public holiday. The funeral of a British monarch has never been televised before.
Source: agencies
#Queen #Elizabeths #coffin #begins #journey #final #resting #place