It is an “event of the century”. Hundreds of heads of state and government, monarchs and other dignitaries from around the world bid farewell to the Queen at Westminster Abbey in London. The Queen’s “selfless service” is honored.
The world is looking to London: Emperors, kings and presidents bid farewell to Queen Elizabeth II together with the Royal Family in Westminster Abbey.
The Dean of Westminster, David Hoyle, who presided over the funeral service, praised the Queen’s “selfless service”. “Here, where Queen Elizabeth was married and crowned, we have gathered from across the country and the Commonwealth and every country in the world to mourn our loss and to commemorate her long, selfless life of service,” he said.
The coffin of the dead monarch had previously been brought from Parliament to the church in a solemn procession accompanied by important royals and laid out there in front of the high altar. Around 2,000 mourners gathered at Westminster Abbey, including hundreds of heads of state and government, monarchs and other dignitaries from around the world.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, recognized Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II as a devoted head of state at the funeral service in Westminster Abbey. Speaking at the state funeral, Welby said of the Queen, “In any case, those who serve will be loved and remembered when those who cling to power and privilege are forgotten.” He sees the reason for the great sympathy for the Queen’s death in her way of approaching people. “She was joyful, was there for so many and touched a multitude of lives.”
The approximately one-hour ceremony in Westminster Abbey ended with a two-minute silence and the signal “The Last Post”, the national anthem and the piece “Sleep, dearie, sleep”, which was performed by the Queen’s bagpiper. The Queen’s coffin is then carried in procession from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch, accompanied by important royals and hundreds of military personnel. Hundreds of thousands of people had gathered hours before on the roads along the route to pay their last respects to their queen.
The state funeral is not only an event of the century for Great Britain. King Charles III entered behind the decorated coffin. punctually at 12 o’clock German time the church. The king was visibly moved by the state funeral for his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. When the national anthem “God save the king” was played at the end of the service, the eyes of the monarch, who did not sing along, seemed to fill with tears.
Even before that, during the funeral procession to Westminster Abbey, when Charles and other royals followed the Queen’s coffin, the king seemed moved. Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, and Queen’s grandchildren Prince William and Prince Harry were also part of the funeral procession. In contrast to the other family members, Andrew and Harry did not appear in uniform, as expected, but in civilian clothes.
Previously, the church bell had rung once a minute for 96 minutes. This was to commemorate every year of the life of the queen who died a week and a half ago. Among the guests are US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the Japanese Emperor Naruhito with their respective partners. The ex-prime ministers who are still alive and the incumbent British Prime Minister Liz Truss will also take part in the ceremony. Swedish King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia and Spanish King Felipe and Queen Letizia paid their respects at the coffin.
On the streets, too, the sympathy was enormous. There were no more seats along the route where the coffin was to be routed from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch after the service. “There is no admission for newcomers,” it said in the morning before the service in Westminster Abbey.
The coffin will be taken to Windsor Castle in the afternoon. There will be a family burial that evening. Hundreds of people flocked there by noon.
The coffin had been laid out near the Abbey in Westminster Hall since Wednesday. Since then, up to 750,000 people have lined up in the kilometer-long queue and waited many hours to pay their respects.
The state funeral is also an enormous challenge for the authorities: the police, secret services and anti-terrorist units are coordinating what is probably the largest security operation the city has ever experienced. Meanwhile, the country is standing still – schools and universities as well as shops and pubs are closed almost everywhere.
The event also had a massive impact on the travel plans of numerous people. More than 100 flights were canceled at London’s important Heathrow airport. The entry lanes lead via central London or Windsor Castle, where the Queen’s funeral is planned for the evening.
The airport said they wanted to make sure there was silence during the ceremony. For those unable to travel to London or Windsor on Monday, the funeral service will be broadcast in 125 cinemas and many churches across the country. Screens were also set up in public places. In Northern Ireland, for example, the event should be shown in parks and public buildings.
The Queen died on September 8th at the age of 96. The BBC quoted a foreign diplomat as saying: “This is the funeral of the century.” Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also spoke of an “event of the century”.
