Queen Elizabeth II: World leaders gather ahead of Monday’s funeral

Image: NDTV.com

On Sunday, all preparation was in top gear in readiness for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. As the UK prepares to host the world, thousands of police, hundreds of troops, and an army of officials made last minute for the national mourning, which has been termed the biggest gathering of world leaders for years.

A report from CBS News says that the President of the United States, Joe Biden, and other dignitaries, arrived in London for the funeral. Interestingly close to 500 royals, heads of state, and heads of government from around the world were invited.

On Saturday evening, the heir to the throne, Prince William, and the remaining seven grandchildren of the late Queen circled the late Queen’s coffin with their heads bowed during a silent vigil.

The miles-long queue at Westminster Hall closed to new arrivals on Sunday for everyone in line to file past the coffin before Monday morning when it will be borne on a gun carriage to Westminster Abbey for the Queen’s funeral.

People across the United Kingdom observed a pause Sunday evening for a nationwide minute of silence to remember the Queen, who died September 8 at the age of 96 after 70 years on the throne.

Monday (today) has been declared a public holiday, and the funeral will be broadcast to a vast television audience and screened to crowds in parks and public spaces across the country.

A tide of people continued to stream into Westminster Hall, where the Queen’s coffin was lying in state, draped in the Royal Standard and capped with a diamond-studded crown.

The lying-in-state continues until early Monday morning, when the Queen’s coffin will be moved to nearby Westminster Abbey for the funeral, the finale of 10 days of national mourning for Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.

After the service Monday at the abbey, the late Queen’s coffin will be transported through the historic heart of London on a gun carriage. It will then be taken in a hearse to Windsor, where the Queen will be interred alongside her late husband, Prince Philip, who died last year.

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#Queen Elizabeth

#State Funeral