London: Huge queues outside Westminster Abbey;
750 thousand people are expected to pass by the Queen's coffin
Vanessa Nathakumaran was the first to enter the hall to pass the casket.
The 56-year-old from London, who stood in line already on Monday morning, said that she tried not to cry: "It was an emotional experience. I fought back tears as I approached the coffin."
Tali Goldstein
09/15/2022
Thursday, September 15, 2022, 11:44 am Updated: 11:52 am
Share on Facebook
Share on WhatsApp
Share on Twitter
Share by email
Share in general
Comments
Comments
On video: Two-day queue: British residents and tourists wait to pass the Queen's coffin (Reuters)
Mourning citizens from all classes and from all parts of the country yesterday (Wednesday) began to pass by the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall in London and paid their respects to the longest-serving monarch in British history.
After days of processions and ceremonies, the Queen's body was brought from Balmoral Castle in Scotland to Westminster Abbey on Tuesday - and it was the turn of ordinary people to take direct part in the ceremony.
According to estimates, about 750 thousand people are expected to pass by the palace - the longest line in history.
King Charles III returned yesterday to his home in Gloucestershire in southern England after days full of events.
Vanessa Nathakumaran was the first to enter the hall to pass the casket.
The 56-year-old from London, who stood in line as early as Monday morning, said she tried not to cry.
"It was an emotional experience. I fought back tears as I approached the coffin, and I managed to keep my dignity," she said.
"I wanted to do something, so I prayed for the queen and thanked her for her service and wished her peace and tranquility."
A coffin is moved to Westminster Church, yesterday (Photo: Reuters)
King Charles and his sister Princess Anne walk after the coffin, London (Photo: Reuters)
The line waiting to pass the coffin stretched for miles along the banks of the River Thames.
Those waiting had to wait for hours to enter the hall.
"We're doing all this to pay our respects to the lady...I think after waiting so long, and then the moment you've been waiting for comes, the moment becomes much more exciting," said 20-year-old Thomas Hughes, who waited 14 hours overnight with his brother .
Most of those waiting in line were British citizens but tourists also came to pay their respects.
Old men and children, ex-soldiers in uniforms decorated with medals, babies in prams, all waited in perfect order for their turn.
Many walked past the casket, bowed their heads and wiped away a tear.
Some came in place of their elderly parents, others came to see history in the making and to thank the woman who came to power in 1952.
"We lost someone special. Her service to the country was stable and unwavering. She is the queen of kings," said one of the first people who entered the hall and walked past the casket.
According to 72-year-old Kenneth Taylor of Redding, who came with a neighbor and stayed in the tent all night.
"I felt a suffocation in my throat when I passed the coffin," he added.
The coffin procession, London, yesterday (Photo: Reuters)
The coffin procession, London, yesterday (Photo: Reuters)
The procession on the day of the Queen's funeral, on September 19, is expected to be one of the largest in the country and poses enormous security challenges to the authorities.
Royalty, presidents and leaders from all over the world will attend the funeral.
French President Emmanuel Macron is the latest so far to confirm participation.
The President of the United States, Joe Biden, spoke with King Charles yesterday "and conveyed to him the great admiration of the American people for the Queen".
The London "Times" reported that British Prime Minister Liz Truss will have a private conversation with Biden and other leaders on the sidelines of the funeral.
The coffin procession, London, yesterday (Photo: Reuters)
A quarter of the 2,000 seats in Westminster Abbey are reserved for heads of state and their spouses.
Joe Biden, Macron, Japanese Emperor Naruhito are among the more famous leaders to attend.
The President of India (and not Prime Minister Narendra Modi) will also attend the funeral.
Some leaders chose to pass the invitation to a lower level of foreign ministers.
Turkey said it would be represented by the foreign minister and not President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Foreign leaders will fly to London at the end of the week.
The British Foreign Office asked the leaders to arrive on commercial flights to avoid overcrowding, but Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that he would use the government's private plane and bring with him at least four leaders from island nations in the Pacific Ocean.
Details of Biden's arrival have not yet been released, but he is expected to use his own means of transportation as well as a security team.
In addition, Biden will not have to travel on a bus that will be dedicated to driving the leaders to Westminster Abbey.
On Sunday, the King will hold a reception at Buckingham Palace.
Afterwards, Foreign Secretary James Calverley will host them at nearby Church House.
The royal family will make their way to Windsor for the funeral.
Leaders scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, September 20, including Biden, will fly from Britain on Monday to New York. It is not yet clear whether representatives from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, which are all ruled by royal families with close ties to Britain, will arrive. Saudi King Salman is not expected to attend - and if the kingdom decides to send a representative, it will be his son Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince. The rulers of Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Russia, Belarus, and Myanmar have not been invited. The leaders of North Korea, Iran, and Nicaragua have been asked to send ambassador-level representatives. .
Royal participants in the funeral:
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain
King Philip and Queen Mathilde of Belgium
Juan Carlos I, former King of Spain, and his wife Sofia
Queen Margaret II of Denmark, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Marie
King Carl Gustav XVI and the Queen Sylvia of Sweden
, Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway
International leaders who have confirmed attendance at the funeral:
Joe Biden and Jill Biden, US President and First Lady
Yitzhak Herzog and Michal Herzog, President of Israel and his wife
French President Emmanuel Macron
Alexander Van der Bellen, President of Austria
III Sinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand
Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia
Gitanas Nausada, President of Lithuania
Ranil Wickremesinghe, President of Sri Lanka
Frank Walter Steinmeier, President of Germany
Yoon Seok-yeol, President of South Korea
Jair Bolsonaro, President of Brazil
Andrzej Duda, President of Poland
Sergio Mattarella, President of Italy
Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
Charles Michel, President of the European Council
Aguilas Levits, President of Latvia
Paula-Mai Weeks, President of Trinidad and Tobago
Mohamed Eshteyeh, Prime Minister of Palestine
Sauli Niinista, President of Finland
Katlin Novak, President of Hungary
Michael Higgins, President of Ireland
Michal Martin, Prime Minister (Tisch) of Ireland
news
world news
Europe
Tags
Queen Elizabeth II
King Charles III
London
