With an unexpected appearance, King Charles III and Crown Prince William on Saturday thanked people who queued for hours for Elizabeth II’s final farewell, ahead of Monday’s “funeral of the century”.
“God save the King” and “God bless the Prince of Wales,” shouted the subjects in central London as they shook hands and chatted for a few minutes with the new faces of a monarchy that has lost its queen.
“Thank you very much,” William replied to people who had to wait tens of hours before paying their respects to the Queen’s coffin in Westminster Hall.
The nearly millennial building, the oldest in Britain’s parliament complex, received the monarch’s coffin on Wednesday and is expected to be visited by 750,000 people.
Ambulances support people
Although authorities warned in the early morning that the queue was 24 hours, by midday the delay in the queue dropped to 2 pm.
In recent days, ambulance services in London have treated more than 700 people who queued for several miles along the Thames, according to The Guardian, most of whom passed out, and 81 were taken to hospital.
The farewell takes place in an atmosphere of remembrance, solemnity and discipline. However, on Friday night, a man was arrested as he stepped out of line and tried to approach the coffin, authorities said.
On the same day, the British captured another solemn moment: the new King Charles III, aged 73, and his three brothers Anne (72), André (62) and Edward (58), stayed close to their body for 15 minutes. mother to the “Vigil of the Princes”.
On Saturday afternoon, it will be the turn of the Queen’s eight grandchildren, including the Crown Prince and his brother Harry, who appeared in public last week along with their wives Kate and Meghan.
The moment, which according to the British press was possible after 45 minutes of “long negotiations”, was meant to show a rapprochement between the children of Charles III and Diana.
funeral of the century
British authorities are preparing to hold the first state funeral since that of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1965, in the presence of dozens of world leaders on Monday.
“I can confirm that this will be the biggest event the London Police Force will have to lead, bigger than the 2012 Olympics,” said Deputy Commander Stuart Cundy.
The “Funeral of the Century” kicks off Monday at 10 a.m. at Westminster Abbey, in front of 2,000 guests. Analysts estimate it will be viewed by 4.1 billion people worldwide, thanks to television and social networks.
United States President Joe Biden confirmed his attendance, as did Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Brazilian Jair Bolsonaro and King of Spain Felipe VI.
Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan will represent his country. Unlike Russia, China was invited to the funeral because of the war in Ukraine.
After burial, the coffin is transported through the British capital to the Arch of Wellington in Hyde Park Corner. There you will be placed in a hearse for the final journey to Windsor Castle.
A final private ceremony, attended by only the hard core of the royal family, will be held and the Queen will be buried at 7.30pm.
The monarch’s body, along with her husband, will remain in King George VI’s chapel, where her mother and father are buried, as well as the ashes of her sister Margaret.
Source: DN
