London
It has been more than two centuries since Westminster Abbey hosted a royal funeral.
It was in 1760, for King George II.
Since then, British sovereigns had preferred the less oversized setting of St. George's Chapel in Windsor.
But Elizabeth II had expressed the wish to return to Westminster, where the abbey can accommodate more people, some 2,200 people.
The queen had done well to wish that the vaults of Westminster again host the funeral mass.
Because, there will be people this Monday in London.
The entire planet rushes to the coffin of this extraordinary monarch.
Some 500 distinguished guests are expected, including more than 200 heads of state and government, high-ranking foreign dignitaries and other crowned heads.
On the British side, in addition to the "Royals", the Prime Minister, Liz Truss, former heads of government and other political figures will be present.
At 11 a.m. they will attend the religious ceremony at which the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, spiritual leader of the Anglican Church, will deliver the sermon.
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The procession that will lead the coffin from Westminster Hall to the abbey will be sumptuous and interspersed with rites borrowed from history.
The cart will no longer be pulled by horses but drawn by ropes by young Navy sailors.
Others will serve as a brake on the hitch, in memory of the funeral of Queen Victoria in 1901, where the horses had run dangerously away.
Such is the protocol of the national funeral, rare since the last was that of Winston Churchill, in 1965. The coffin will be carried by eight soldiers of the Queen's Company of the Grenadiers Guards, one of the five infantry regiments of the house of the sovereign.
They will be accompanied by the Queen's squires.
Historical convergence
Three other units will be particularly honored: the Yeomen of the Guard, created in 1485 and which still wear the red and gold uniform of the Tudor period, and the Honorable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms, two former guards units of the body of the sovereign which no longer has anything but ceremonial functions.
The third is the Royal Company of Archers, Queen Elizabeth II's bodyguards in Scotland.
Other British and Commonwealth detachments as well as Gurkhas will join the procession which will accompany Elizabeth II from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch.
In all, 6,000 soldiers will take part in the tribute.
The procession will be followed on foot by King Charles III and the other members of the royal family, to the sound of Big Ben and cannon shots every minute.
At Wellington Arch, the coffin will be placed in the royal hearse to proceed to Windsor, where a private burial ceremony will take place
.
As since the start of the mourning period, the details have been carefully thought out.
The coffin of Elizabeth II will thus be carried by the gun carriage used for Queen Victoria.
And in Westminster were invited carers from the NHS (public health service) involved in the response to the pandemic.
The presence of Scottish archers is also a way of celebrating the unity of the kingdom.
Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron arrive at Westminster Hall to pay tribute to Elizabeth II on Sunday in London.
DURSUN AYDEMIR/Anadolu Agency via AFP
This historic convergence towards London of the powerful of this world is a diplomatic headache.
Among the eminent and noticed figures, the American presidents Joe Biden, French Emmanuel Macron, or the boss of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
Some, like Joe Biden, arrived on Sunday to pay their respects in front of the queen's coffin.
The Emperor of Japan Naruhito and his wife will also be present, for their first trip abroad since their accession to the throne in 2019.
Security challenge
Among the crowned heads expected, Prince Albert of Monaco, King Philippe of Belgium and King Felipe VI of Spain.
Most of them were to attend a reception given by Charles III at Buckingham Palace on Sunday evening.
Other countries have not received an invitation card, such as Russia, Burma or even North Korea.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will be represented by his Vice President Wang Qishan.
But there was once talk of refusing access to the coffin of the sovereign to an official Chinese delegation, after the protest of British parliamentarians sanctioned by Beijing for having criticized Chinese violations of human rights.
Beyond this little voluntary diplomatic hitch, it is a question of not offending anyone in the placement of the guests.
The task is all the more difficult as London asked the leaders not to borrow personal vehicles but buses chartered for them… Unsurprisingly, Joe Biden obtained a derogation and the English press wondered on Sunday what Emmanuel Macron would do.
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The other challenge is security.
London's Metropolitan Police have admitted facing the biggest challenge they have ever faced.
Hundreds of thousands - possibly over a million - are expected to take to the streets of London.
On the route of the procession, admirers of the queen have been camping for forty-eight hours already.
Since Wednesday evening and until Monday at dawn, hundreds of thousands of them lined up to parade in front of the coffin of Elizabeth II.
Such a crowd that access to the queue had to be interrupted several times.
All records should be broken.