The funeral services for the late Queen have finally reached London. The coffin of Elizabeth II is carried from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall in a festive procession. King Charles III walks along alongside his siblings and sons William and Harry.
London is all about mourning the Queen: the procession that took the coffin of the deceased Queen from Buckingham Palace to Parliament started punctually at just before 3:30 p.m. German time.
In the convoy ran the new King Charles III. as well as his siblings Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward and his sons Prince William and Prince Harry. Also part of the procession were Anne’s son Peter Philips and her husband Tim Laurence, as well as the Duke of Gloucester, a cousin of the Queen, and the Earl of Snowdon, her nephew. Charles’ wife Queen Camilla and the wives of William, Harry and Edward – Princess Kate, Duchess Meghan and Countess Sophie – followed the coffin in cars.
After almost 40 minutes the train reached Westminster Hall. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, led a short service here. In the oldest part of Parliament, the coffin, closed and covered with the royal standard, will remain in state for the next few days.
The spectator areas along the route of the funeral procession were completely filled with people. Hours before the procession began, thousands of mourners and onlookers had poured into the center of the British capital. People lined the palace forecourt and The Mall and filled the government district. Numerous security forces were deployed in central London.
Every detail of the funeral procession was carefully considered. For example, the flowers for the wreath on the Queen’s coffin were handpicked. These are white roses, white dahlias and a selection of foliage including pine from the royal residence of Balmoral in Scotland, as well as honeysuckle, lavender and rosemary from the gardens of Windsor Castle. The Imperial State Crown, which Elizabeth traditionally wore to the opening of Parliament, was enthroned on a velvet cushion.
The coffin was transported on a carriage, the bearers are from the Queen’s Company 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards regiment. An honor guard of three officers and 101 soldiers from the Royal Life Guard also attended the ceremony. The famous Big Ben bell chimed once every minute of the train. A gun salute was fired in Hyde Park. An army band played funeral music by Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Chopin.
Many horses also took part in the procession. The animals had previously received special training, as reported by the Sky News broadcaster. The focus was therefore on loudly screaming people along the route as well as flags and flowers that may be thrown by the mourners.
The Queen’s coffin will remain in state until early Monday morning, the day of the state funeral. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected around the clock who want to say goodbye to the monarch. However, you must expect waiting times of up to 30 hours. In the night of Wednesday, many people were already holding out at Parliament. Aid organizations provided them with hot drinks and snacks.
The expected rush of mourners is also a logistical challenge for the British government. As the responsible Ministry of Culture announced, more than 1000 volunteers, security staff and police officers will be deployed along the queue at all times. There are also hundreds of paramedics, adult scouts and 30 representatives of different religions. Two sign language interpreters should also be available.
There are not only first-aid tents along the route, but also 500 mobile toilets. Bracelets in different colors indicate the place in the queue – in case the people waiting want to disappear for a moment or buy food.
