Queen’s Coffin Flown Home For Funeral, Grand Procession Today
King Charles III leads a procession of the coffin of his mother Queen Elizabeth II through London on Wednesday before hundreds of thousands of people pay their final respects.
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The body of Queen Elizabeth, who died last week, will be borne on a horse-drawn gun carriage from her Buckingham Palace home to Westminster Hall. It will remain there until her funeral Monday.
The procession of the coffin will be attended by all of the queen’s siblings. The Big Ben will toll and artillery guns will fire salutes in Hyde Park.
King Charles and other royals are expected to walk in silence behind the hearse as it winds through London’s streets. They will then hold a vigil upon its arrival at the 12th-century hall in the Westminster parliament complex.
People will be let into the Hall to pay their last respects. The queues can be as long as 8 km. “It’s our duty to say thank you,” said Vanessa Nanthakumaran, 56, originally from Sri Lanka, who is at the head of the queue.
Strict rules and airport-style security measures have been put in place. The government has advised people to wear “suitable clothing” and to bring portable battery packs to keep mobile phones charged.
Hotel rooms in London are increasingly hard to find, with even budget rooms going for 300 pounds per night. Transport bosses and police are under pressure to keep the city moving and safe.
British police have also faced criticism from civil liberties groups over their treatment of anti-monarchy protesters who have publicly challenged Charles’ accession to the throne.
The queen’s funeral will take place in Westminster Abbey in front of 2,000 VIP guests, with the day declared a public holiday in Britain.
Hundreds of heads of state and government, as well as global royalty, are expected, but Russia, Belarus, Myanmar and North Korea have not been invited to send representatives.
US President Joe Biden has confirmed he will attend, as will French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.