With royal regalia and the Crown of State resting on top of the coffin and artillery salutes at one-minute intervals, the official procession was designed to mark the Queen’s 70 years as head of state as the process of national mourning shifts to the high avenues and historical landmarks of the British capital. King Charles, his sons Princes William and Harry, and other members of the royal family walked behind the carriage. Authorities planned a 10-mile route, with 1,000 marshals, airmen and police on hand at all times to help manage it. An army of other volunteers includes multifaith pastors and sign language interpreters. King Charles, front, and his son Prince William, Prince of Wales, walk behind Queen Elizabeth’s coffin, adorned with the Crown Royal and the Imperial Crown and pulled by a carriage of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, in London on Wednesday. (Daniel Leal/Reuters) People are warned they may have to wait for hours, but are given numbered wristbands so they can take food and bathroom breaks without losing their place in line. When they arrive at Parliament, mourners must go through an airport-style security check. Prohibited items include liquids, spray paint, knives, fireworks, flowers, candles, stuffed toys and “advertising or marketing messages”. WATCHES | Unprecedented security challenges for a royal funeral:
The Queen’s funeral is a “huge security project”, says analyst
Security preparations for the Queen’s funeral on Monday are on a scale not seen, even in London, because of the huge crowds and gathering of world leaders in the same venue, says former military intelligence officer Philip Ingram. Major General Christopher Ghika of the Household Division, who organized the ceremonial aspects of the Queen’s funeral, said it was a sad day but that “it’s our last chance to do our duty for the Queen and it’s our first chance to we do for the King and that makes us all very proud.” London’s Heathrow Airport suspended flights to prevent planes from disturbing the procession. The airport said in a statement that the changes would “ensure silence in central London as the ceremonial procession moves from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall”. Troops taking part in the procession have been preparing since the Queen died on September 8 aged 96. So are the horses of the King’s Royal Artillery Cavalry. Sgt. Tom Jenks of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery said the horses have undergone special training, including how to handle mourners, as well as flowers and flags being thrown in the streets as the procession passes. Queen Elizabeth’s coffin is carried from Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, en route to Westminster Hall in London. (Vadim Ghirda/Reuters)
Thousands in Scotland are watching
Crowds have lined the route of the Queen’s coffin as it was carried on its long journey from Scotland back to London. On Tuesday night, thousands braved the typical London drizzle as the state hearse, with interior lights illuminating the sovereign’s flag-draped coffin, drove slowly from a military airbase in the heart of London. WATCHES | ‘Your heart starts pounding’: High emotions at Edinburgh screening:
Mourners describe ‘spiritual experience’ seeing Queen’s coffin in Scotland
The line-up to spend just a few moments of silence next to Queen Elizabeth’s coffin stretched for miles across Edinburgh, but those who made it described having a spiritual, even surreal experience inside. Meanwhile, King Charles traveled to Northern Ireland to continue his mother’s work. Geoff Colgan, a taxi driver who took leave to watch the occasion, was stunned in the moments after the Queen’s coffin passed. “It’s one of those things that you know is going to happen, but when it does you can’t believe it,” he said, holding his little one. Earlier in Edinburgh, around 33,000 people paid their respects in silence past her coffin as it lay in state for 24 hours at St. Giles. Hundreds of thousands are expected to do the same in London when the Queen lies in state at Westminster Hall for four days before her funeral on Monday. The hall is where Guy Fawkes and Charles I were tried, where kings and queens held magnificent medieval banquets and where ceremonial speeches were presented to Queen Elizabeth during her silver, golden and diamond jubilees. Chris Bond, from Truro in south-west England, was among those who lined the banks of the River Thames. He also attended the Queen Mother’s repose in 2002. “Obviously, it’s very difficult queuing all day, but when you walk through those doors in Westminster Hall, in this wonderful, historic building, there was a great sense of silence and someone was told you take as much time as you want, and it’s just amazing,” he said. “We know the Queen was of good age and served the country for a long time, but we hoped this day would never come.”
