Elizabeth II’s four children, including King Charles III, laid vigil at her coffin in London on Friday night, surrounded by many anonymous people who faced a very long wait to greet their beloved queen before her funeral.
Arranged around her, face down, Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward gazed for ten minutes at the coffin draped with the royal standard and adorned with the imperial crown, placed on an imposing catafalque in the oldest chamber of the British Parliament. Westminster room.
They had already done the same on Monday in Edinburgh, where the remains of the sovereign had arrived after her death in her domain of Balmoral, in Scotland, on September 8. For the occasion, Andrew, deprived of military titles after a sexual scandal, was authorized to wear the uniform, as were his brothers.
More than 24 hours of waiting
During this solemn “vigil of the princes”, a tradition that dates back to the death of King George V in 1936, the crowd was able to continue parading in front of the coffin, as it has been doing continuously since Wednesday afternoon. .
Proof of the immense emotion aroused by the death of Queen Elizabeth, unanimously acclaimed for her devotion to the Crown, the endless queue to collect has continued to lengthen this Friday, exceeding more than 24 hours of waiting at one point.
Like thousands of others, former soccer star David Beckham had waited patiently for more than 12 hours since 2 a.m., dressed in dark clothing. Facing the wreckage, he bowed his head seriously and wiped away a tear.
Mixed reception of King Charles III in Wales
The funeral vigil for the princes closed a day rich in emotions for the sovereign, in which he was applauded in Cardiff on the last leg of his tour of the four nations that make up the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales). . ).
“Long live the king!” (“Long live the king!”): For about twenty minutes, the 73-year-old former Prince of Wales enjoyed a stroll and shook many hands.
He left with the queen consort Camilla to the sound of the anthem ‘God Save the King’ sung by the public, after attending a mass and renewing his promise, in a speech partially in Welsh before Parliament, to follow the “example” of his mother .
But as the king was cheered by the conquered Welshmen, a handful of anti-monarchists carrying signs reading “Abolish the Monarchy” or “Democracy Now” gathered outside the castle. A petition protesting against the transfer of the title of Prince of Wales – for some a symbol of English oppression – to the new heir to the throne William instead of a Welshman has collected almost 30,000 signatures.
Back in London, Charles III, head of the Anglican Church, had received the country’s religious leaders at Buckingham Palace, pledging to defend all religions.
Source: BFM TV
