On Wednesday, King Charles III led his family in procession behind Queen Elizabeth II‘s coffin as she was taken from Buckingham Palace to lie in state until her funeral. A military band played in the background.
Following the horse-drawn gun carriage that will transport the queen’s remains to Westminster Hall, where hundreds of thousands of people will pay their respects, the king, his siblings, and sons, princes William and Harry, marched at a pace of 75 steps per minute.
Soldiers in full dress uniform performed Beethoven’s Funeral March, and Big Ben chimed the hour as the casket, draped in a royal standard and crowned with the Imperial State Crown, passed through silent throngs along the path.
The funeral of the United Kingdom’s longest-reigning monarch is scheduled for Monday, and the magnificent procession through the flag-lined center of London on Saturday was the latest dramatic step in 11 days of elaborately planned national grief around the country.
As expected, the sight of the future king’s two boys brought back painful memories of 1997, when William and Harry, then 15 and 12, marched behind the coffin of their mother, Princess Diana, with their heads bowed in mourning.
On the other hand, it seems that Harry’s relocation to the United States has strained relations between the brothers, who were once quite close.
Beginning at 5:00 pm (1600 GMT), the public (some of whom have been waiting in line since Monday) will be able to file past the coffin. Mourners have been informed that the line to see the body might stretch for up to five kilometers (eight kilometres).
At about 8:20 a.m., hundreds of people had already begun to line up, with those at the front having spent the night there using blankets, camping seats, tents, and rain ponchos.
Under the watchful observation of an army of stewards in fluorescent jackets, the line of mourners along the Thames continued to grow as day broke.
Dan Ford, a 52-year-old former police officer, told AFP, “The night was quite damp, cold, and wet, but I got a tiny chair and a big umbrella so I kept quite dry.”
Having missed the coronation of the Queen in 1953, 85-year-old Brian Flatman said there was “no way” he would pass up the opportunity to pay his respects today.
He reflected on his time in London, saying, “I was 16, we got there before midnight, Hyde Park Corner, beautiful position, but very immediately I became suddenly unwell and had to crawl all the way to South London.
“There’s no way I’ll be absent this time around. A moment or two at her coffin will be my tribute to her devotion. How illustrative!”
Prime Minister Liz Truss’s spokesperson said that strict restrictions and airport-style security procedures had been put in place since “many more” people were expected than the 200,000 who passed past the coffin of the queen’s mother in 2002.
Some people may have to wait overnight to have a look at the casket, therefore the government has asked that those attending dress “appropriate attire” and carry portable power packs to keep their mobile phones charged.
Transport managers and police are under pressure to keep the city running and safe amid extraordinary conditions, while hotel rooms in the British capital are in high demand and going for upwards of £300 ($350) per night.
It’s a tremendous responsibility for the Metropolitan Police and for me personally, but we have been planning for many, many years,” Mark Rowley, the newly appointed chief of the London police force, told Sky News on Tuesday.
The late Queen Elizabeth II, age 96, died “peacefully” at her Balmoral estate in Scotland on Thursday. Her body was brought to London from Edinburgh on an RAF jet on Tuesday evening.
The procession continued on to Buckingham Palace, with many onlookers getting out of their cars to see the casket.
Under the lit columns of the famous castle, thousands of people snapped photos of her as she arrived.
On Wednesday, the top page of The Sun tabloid read, “Welcome Home Ma’am.” Home to Rest appeared in the Times, while “Home to her Family” appeared in the Daily Mail.
On Monday, her coffin was carried through the streets of Edinburgh in a solemn procession before being laid to rest in St. Giles’ Cathedral.
The Scottish government estimates that 33,000 individuals visited the funeral home between Monday night and Tuesday afternoon to pay their respects.
“Scotland has now said its final, heartfelt goodbyes to its beloved Queen of Scots. There will never be another like her “said Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister.
Charles began his tour of the four nations of the United Kingdom on Tuesday, making his first official visit to Northern Ireland after previously visiting Scotland and England. On Friday, he’ll be in Wales.
There has been a rare moment of public togetherness in Britain thanks to the new 73-year-old head of state’s polite and often poignant response to his mother’s passing.
According to a poll released on Tuesday, his approval ratings have been steadily climbing since the tragic loss of his ex-wife Diana in a vehicle crash in 1997.
Mourning has also temporarily hidden the country’s strong political divisions and a serious cost-of-living issue that is likely to produce a big increase in poverty over the winter.
The Russian president is not invited.
Andrew, the queen’s son and heir apparent, was recently in the news after settling a case in the United States in which he was accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl. This Wednesday’s parade gave him yet another prominent role in public life.
There are many who don’t share the national sense of mourning and memory that the queen’s death has created; royal weariness has been on the rise on social media in response to constant media coverage.
Protesters who oppose the monarchy and have publicly disputed Charles’s succession have been met with harsh criticism from civil rights groups in Britain.
People who yelled anti-monarchy slogans or carried “Not My King” signs were arrested or intimidated by police, as evidenced by video footage and eyewitnesses.
There will be a nationwide holiday in Britain on the day of the funeral, which will be held at Westminster Abbey and will be attended by 2,000 dignitaries.
Despite the presence of hundreds of leaders of state and government and members of the royal families of the world, delegates from Russia, Belarus, and Myanmar were not invited.
Vice President Joe Biden of the United States, President Emmanuel Macron of France, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada have all confirmed their attendance.