The wait in line for Queen Elizabeth II’s wake was 16 hours at the entrance through Southwark Park, the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport announced at 10am this Saturday.
Two hours earlier, the announced waiting time was 24 hours and a warning had been issued that the queue could be interrupted if the park’s capacity was exceeded.
Thousands of Britons have passed through Westminster Hall to bid their final farewell to Elizabeth II, who was their sovereign for 70 years. This Friday, David Beckham was among the anonymous crowd.
“It is very moving and the silence and atmosphere in the room is very difficult to explain, but we are all here to thank Her Majesty for her kind, loving and comforting demeanor over the years,” Beckham told a group of journalists. . The former football player stood in line for 13 hours.
“She was our queen and the legacy she leaves is incredible,” he added as he left Westminster Hall, where the coffin has been lying since Wednesday afternoon.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid player told Sky News he was queuing up to enter Westminster Hall, where the coffin stands, in honor of a “special” queen, who died on September 8 at the age of 96.
The lines are so large that you can see them from space.
new ones #satellite footage in today at 12:01 local time #London and the long line of people waiting to pay their respects to HM The Queen at #WestminsterHall. #Queen Elizabeth II pic.twitter.com/zl2Ym7WzjL
– Maxar Technologies (@Maxar) September 16, 2022
Queues in Hong Kong
Hundreds of Hong Kong residents queue for hours every day in front of the British Consulate General to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, leaving behind piles of flowers and handwritten notes.
Some Hong Kongers long for what they consider to be a ‘golden age’ passed under the not-quite-democratic British colonial regime, when the city of about seven million people gained the status of the world’s tourist and financial center.
The Queen is nicknamed “si tau por” in Hong Kong. In the local Cantonese dialect, it is translated as “mistress”.
“We called her ‘si tau por’ when we were under her rule. It’s just a way of showing respect for her. There was a sense of kindness on her part, it’s not the kind of boss who is above herself,” CK Li, a resident who queued for more than two hours to pay tribute to Elizabeth II.
Another resident, Eddie Wong, 80, said he was there “out of true feelings” from the heart. “People in Hong Kong love her,” Wong said. “Because when we were under his rule, we enjoyed democracy and freedom and we were very grateful. I want to say goodbye to ‘si tau por’ who is in heaven.”
So far, the Chinese authorities have allowed the orderly displays of respect to continue. “I can imagine some people going there not so much for nostalgia reasons, but as a kind of protest now that dissent is being suppressed,” said John Burns, an honorary professor of politics and public administration at the University of Hong Kong.
Emotions are running high in Hong Kong, said Emily Lau, former Democratic Party chairman and former legislator, given the city’s political situation and pandemic prevention. “There are those who are genuinely nostalgic and have sentimental feelings for the Queen, but there are also those who have grievances about the current situation in Hong Kong,” he said. “We cannot rule out that some have taken this opportunity to express this,” Lau said.
At the same time, public figures in Hong Kong are under scrutiny for their reaction to the Queen’s death, and criticized for being seen as having too much admiration for her government or British rule in general.
Veteran actor Law Kar-ying has been criticized on Chinese social media for posting a photo outside the British consulate on Instagram with a caption that read: “Hong Kong was a blessed country under your rule”.
Law was harshly criticized for attributing Hong Kong’s prosperity to British rule, and removed the post and released an apology video on the social network Weibo.
“I am Chinese and I will love my homeland forever.” I’m sorry,” he wrote.
Chinese vice president attends funeral
Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan will attend Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, the Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday after an official Chinese delegation was denied the right to pray in front of the deceased sovereign’s coffin.
“At the invitation of the British government, President Xi Jinping’s Special Representative, Vice President Wang Qishan, will attend Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, which will take place in London on September 19,” said Mao Ning, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Foreign Affairs. Foreign Affairs, in a press release.
About 2,000 guests, including several hundred world leaders, monarchical families, as well as anonymous people decorated for their associative obligations, will participate in the ceremony. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will be one of the heads of state in attendance.
Wang Qishan’s presence was announced after House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle prevented an official delegation sent from Beijing from entering the parliament hall where the Queen’s coffin rests. Elizabeth II’s body has been in a burning room in Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the British Parliament, since Wednesday.
The decision by the Speaker of the House of Commons follows China’s sanctions against British lawmakers who criticized its human rights record.
At a press conference in London on Friday, Mao Ning said the UK should “show diplomatic courtesy and a warm welcome”.
Source: DN
