Britain will say its final goodbye today to Queen Elizabeth II – the country’s monarch who ruled for 70 years. The State Funeral is the first of its kind since Winston Churchill’s in 1965 and will take the form of an elaborate ceremony which will see Her Majesty’s coffin carried from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey and finally Windsor Castle. Hundreds of dignitaries are set to attend the service at the Abbey, with presidents, prime ministers among the 2,000-strong congregation. Transport for London said it expects more than a million people to take the route in London, as millions more watch the televised service around the world. The queue for mourners to visit the late monarch’s coffin which lay in state closed at 10.45pm on Sunday. The hall will be closed to guests remaining in the queue at 6.30am. and will be taken to Westminster Abbey for the 11am ceremony. On Sunday night it was confirmed by order of service that the Queen’s great-grandchildren, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, will attend the historic event.
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Warning to avoid driving in areas of London on Monday
People have been warned to avoid driving in parts of London on the day of the Queen’s funeral. One of the UK’s biggest transports will take place on Monday, with around one million people expected to visit the capital. Road closures will start to come in on the A4 and A30 from 6am, with full closures in both directions after 10am, which are not likely to be lifted until the evening. There will also be a number of local road closures along the A4 route. Those wishing to drive around Central, West and South West London are advised to check before travelling, allow extra travel time and expect long delays. Bus routes will also be severely affected with many routes being diverted or stopping close to their destinations. Andy Lord, Chief Executive of Transport for London, said: “We know London will be very busy tomorrow and we advise everyone to check before travelling. “If you can avoid driving into London tomorrow, we strongly recommend that you do as there are a significant number of road closures and journeys will take much longer than usual, especially in west London.” Some road closures will last into the evening. Around 250 extra train services will run – including some overnight trains – and National Highways has suspended planned motorway closures across England. There are fears the transport network will be overwhelmed on Monday afternoon if too many people visiting the capital travel home immediately after the funeral which leaves Westminster shortly after midday. Sam Rkaina19 September 2022 05:00 1663558200
Queen ‘meant so much to the entertainment industry’
The chairman of the Royal Variety Charity said it was “always wonderful” to see the face of each performer who met the Queen because she “meant so much to the entertainment industry”. The annual Royal Variety Performance is held in aid of the charity, of which the Queen is patron, and at various venues across the UK. Giles Cooper, chairman of the charity, told the BBC’s Huw Edwards: “The Queen was very careful what she said because if you say something good about someone, then what happens to others. “She was very discreet but it was great to always see the look on each performer’s face, whether they were legends from the past or new performers, it meant so much to the entertainment industry.” Over the years, there have been many performances for members of the royal family, many involving the Queen in the audience. In 2009, pop star Lady Gaga wore a full-length red latex dress with a 20-foot train to perform for the monarch. The singer, known for her eccentricity, was also suspended 30 feet in the air, as was the grand piano she played. Speaking about the Queen meeting Gaga after the show in Blackpool, Mr Cooper said: “What a great year. “The Queen would always like to visit the territories and so for many years we would alternate going to a city outside London – we would go to Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh. “It was a great day to meet Lady Gaga and support local theater in a way that supports charity. “As often as Lady Gaga or Bette Midler went to Blackpool, it was a great way to show her support for the areas.” Sam Rkaina19 September 2022 04:30 1663554600
The Queen’s funeral will be a beautiful day, says the Master of the King’s Music
The Queen’s state funeral will be a day to highlight the “wonderful things that can happen in music”, said the Master of the King’s Music. Judith Weir served the late monarch as Master of the Queen’s music until her death, having become the first woman to be appointed to the post in 2014. Following Charles’ accession to the throne, Mrs Weir becomes Master of the King’s Music until her term ends in 2024. The Queen’s funeral will be a ‘momentous day’ that will touch millions. “It’s going to be a beautiful day, we’re going to see the most wonderful things that can happen in music,” he said. “I think it’s also an important time to really realize that we’re not going to see the Queen again. “He’s not going to turn up like he did that often, even in the last year doing some great things, cutting a cake in WI or something. Die, this is our moment of reality.” The composer and musician, 68, also spoke of the Queen’s enjoyment of music. He said: “In my experience, she was a person who had a lot of music in her life. She had a very musical upbringing, piano lessons, she sang amateur plays when she was young. “But of course, in her mature life she was surrounded by music, she really admired these wonderful military bands. “She was devoted to the church and head of the Church of England, she went at least once a week and she and her husband really listened to this beautiful Anglican music and could really distinguish it. “I would also say, of course, that she was young in the 40s and would have heard a lot of great music shows of that era. “I don’t remember her being strong on pieces of music, but she was very clear about good or bad performances, regardless of whether the crowd had gone well or not. “I think that’s why she deserved a good talking to.” Sam Rkaina19 September 2022 03:30 1663551000
One of the Queen’s oldest patrons represented at her funeral
The chairman of an equestrian company who had a lifelong relationship with the Queen has spoken of his pride at being invited to her funeral. Daniel Morgan, 61, will represent the 6,000 members of the Welsh Pony and Comp Society at Westminster Abbey on Monday. “I’m very proud. I’m president now for the second year and I never thought this would be a stone for me,” said Mr Morgan, a farmer from Lampeter, Ceredigion. “I’m the fourth generation of my family to breed Welsh cobs – they’d be really proud of me now. “Our chief executive rang me last week saying she had an email from the Palace asking the society representative to go to Her Majesty’s funeral.” The Queen had a passion for horses and became patron of the society aged 18 in 1944. Her love of the breed is said to have come from Vardra Greylight, a gray Welsh mountain pony she received as a present on her 13th birthday in 1939. “She was given a B section Welsh pony when she was 13 and her grandson William got an A section when he was about six or seven,” Morgan said. “Dr Wyn Davies, who died last year, was the editor of our magazine for years and the Queen always loved to have a copy of it when it was published.” Sam Rkaina19 September 2022 02:30 1663547400
The head of Irish Co-operation was honored to attend the Queen’s funeral
The head of an island-wide peace charity said it was an honor to be invited to the Queen’s funeral, adding it would be a “significant moment in history”. Representatives of charities the Queen has patronized will join the royal family and world leaders at the service at Westminster Abbey on Monday morning. Among them is Co-operation Ireland, a charity dedicated to peace and reconciliation on the island of Ireland. Its chief executive Peter Sheridan told the PA news agency that the invitation was “in recognition of the Queen as our joint patron with the President of Ireland and her significant contribution to Anglo-Irish relations and peace and reconciliation between these islands”. “I am honored to be invited to this on behalf of Co-operation Ireland. “It’s an important moment in history, but it’s also important because I think the Queen was part of building modern British-Irish relations. “I’m very happy to be there in it.” He said he agreed with Taoiseach Micheal Martin’s comments on Sunday that the Queen’s “authentic actions” had “consolidated” Anglo-Irish relations in the modern era. “I think it’s absolutely right,” Mr Sheridan said, adding that her 2011 visit to Dublin was “laden with gestures of healing”. “When you think about her visit to Dublin, you could almost feel her growing on people straight away.” Sam Rkaina19 September 2022 01:30 1663545600
“You wouldn’t dare ask the Queen on horseback”
The late monarch was never happier than when visiting her thoroughbreds at the royal stud or watching them race and Camilla commented on her ‘passion for racing’. The Queen Consort said: “He was able to escape to Sandringham. He had the nail next to him. She could go every day, see her foals, work out you know, the next meets for the year. I think she always kept that, you know, her personal part. “You wouldn’t dare question her or argue with her about how the horses were bred or how she ran, because you’d see a very steely blue-eyed look again.” The Queen…
