President Biden and other dignitaries arrive in London for the funeral, to which around 500 members of the royal family, heads of state and government from around the world have been invited. Thousands of people continued to queue around the clock to pass the Queen’s coffin as it lies in state in Parliament’s Westminster Chambers, braving chilly overnight temperatures and waiting up to 17 hours. The Queen’s eight grandchildren, led by Crown Prince William, circled the coffin and stood with bowed heads during a silent vigil on Saturday night. The mile-long queue is expected to close to new arrivals later on Sunday so everyone in line can pass the coffin before Monday morning, when it will be carried in a carriage to Westminster Abbey for the Queen’s funeral. President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, with U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain Jane Hartley, arrive at London’s Stansted Airport on September 17, 2022. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images People across the UK are to stop on Sunday afternoon for a national minute’s silence in memory of the Queen, who died on September 8 aged 96 after 70 years on the throne. Monday has been declared a public holiday and the funeral will be broadcast to a huge television audience and shown to crowds in parks and public spaces across the country. Thousands of police officers from across the country will be on duty as part of the biggest one-day police operation in London’s history. Crowds also gathered on Sunday near Windsor Castle, where the Queen will be laid to rest in a private family ceremony on Monday evening. “I think it was amazing,” said Anna Pettigrew, a 55-year-old teacher. “It was very moving and I think it was a very fitting tribute to a wonderful queen.” Camilla, the new queen consort, paid tribute to the queen in a video message, saying the monarch had “carved her own role” as a “lone woman” on a male-dominated world stage. “I will always remember her smile. That smile is unforgettable,” said Camilla, who is married to King Charles III. A wave of people continued to flow into Westminster Hall, where the Queen’s coffin lies in state, draped in the Royal Standard and covered with a diamond-studded crown. The number of mourners has grown steadily since the public first entered on Wednesday, with a queue stretching for at least five miles along the River Thames and into Southwark Park in the south-east of the city. In honor of their patience, Charles and William made an unannounced visit on Saturday to greet people in the queue, shaking hands and thanking mourners queuing near Lambeth Bridge. Later, all the Queen’s grandchildren stood by her coffin. Charles’ sons William and Prince Harry were joined by Princess Anne’s children Zara Tyndall and Peter Phillips. Prince Andrew’s daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenia. and Prince Edward’s two children — Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn. William stood with his head bent at the head of the coffin and Harry at the feet. Both princes, who are army veterans, were in uniform. The mourners continued to pass in silence. Prince William stands in front of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Hall on September 17, 2022 in London. Yui Mok/Getty Images “You could see they were thinking a lot about their grandmother, the Queen,” said Ian Mockett, a civil engineer from Oxford in southern England. “It was good to see them all together as a set of grandchildren, given the things that have happened over the last few years.” Harry, who served in Afghanistan as a British Army officer, donned civilian clothes earlier in the week as the Queen’s coffin left Buckingham Palace because she is no longer a member of the royal family. He and his wife Meghan stepped down from royal duties and moved to the United States in 2020. The king, however, requested that both William and Harry wear their military uniforms at the Westminster Hall vigil. Before the vigil, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenia issued a statement praising their “beloved grandmother”. “We, like many, thought you would be here forever. And we all miss you terribly. You were our matriarch, our guide, our loving hand on our back, guiding us through this world. You taught us so much and we will cherish these lessons and memories forever,” the sisters wrote. The Queen’s four children – Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward – held a similar vigil around the coffin on Friday. The silence in the hall was briefly broken Friday when a man fell into the casket. London police announced on Sunday that a 28-year-old Londoner, Mohammed Khan, had been charged with conduct intended to “cause alarm, annoyance or distress”. He will appear in court on Monday. The lie-in continues until early Monday morning, when the Queen’s coffin will be taken to nearby Westminster Abbey for the funeral, the finale of 10 days of national mourning for Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. After Monday’s service at the abbey, the late Queen’s coffin will be carried through the historic heart of London in a carriage. It will then be taken by hearse to Windsor, where the Queen will be buried alongside her late husband Prince Philip, who died last year. More
