Kings, presidents, an emperor and a million citizens have bid farewell toQueen Elizabeth in London. In Westminster Abbey there was modest mourning, butespecially thanks for a life of service to the Queen who died at the age of96.
“Few leaders receive as much love as we have seen for her,” the Archbishop ofCanterbury typified ten days of mourning. “The sadness there is – in herfamily but also around the world – stems from her rich life and the lovingservice that we now have to miss.”
The Archbishop said that loving service is rare, especially among those inpower. “But they are remembered long after those who clung to power andprivilege are forgotten.” The archbishop also prayed for strength for thebereaved as they face their grief “in the brightest spotlight”.
Emotions were seen among members of the royal family:
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King Charles at Westminster Abbey, where the state funeral was
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Charles during the service. He was moved when singing the national anthem
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The brothers William and Harry. William, the crown prince, wore his uniform
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Princess Charlotte, daughter of William and Kate, cries after mass
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The ceremonies started early in Westminster Hall, where the public had beenable to say goodbye to the Queen for five days. At exactly 6:30 am, the lastmourner passed the bier.
It turned out to be a woman who came by for the second time: yesterday at 5.15pm she joined for the first time and when it was her turn at 1.15 am she wentstraight back.
“I just had to go one more time,” said Christina Heerey, a member of theBritish Armed Forces. “I have sworn my allegiance to her. I am very proud as amember of the Air Force and as one of its subjects.”
After Heerey, the Black Rod, Parliament ‘s highest official, took a solemnfarewell:
Last citizens pass Queen Elizabeth’s coffin
A few hours later, King Charles accompanied his mother’s bier on foot fromParliament to nearby Westminster Abbey, along with his sons, brothers andsister. It was the first time since George II’s funeral in 1760 that thechurch had been used again for a royal funeral; other princes chose Windsorfor the ceremony.
The location was one of the many personal touches Elizabeth had added to theceremony. The Queen had a special bond with the Church, where she married in1947 and was crowned six years later. The personal touch was also evident inthe choice of music, with chants from her own wedding service and from lastyear’s funeral service for Prince Philip.
Just before noon in Great Britain, the Last Post announced two minutes ofnational silence, for which even air traffic at Heathrow was suspended forhalf an hour. The church then set God save the king in.
Charles, who of course did not sing along, was visibly moved:
King Charles emotional as national anthem ‘God save the king’ is sung
The service was carefully followed along the route that the funeral processionwould follow. In some places in the city large screens had been erected,elsewhere the ceremonies were followed on mobile phones.
The 11-year-old Alex had already picked a spot along the route with his motherLaura yesterday. “The Queen was there all my life, and my mother’s whole lifeas well. That’s why we have to be here today,” he explained. “I hope I don’tforget it for the rest of my life.”
Shortly afterwards, the funeral procession of 3,000 soldiers, a motley crewfrom all the countries of which Elizabeth had been the head of state, passed:traditional beef eaters , Asian gurkhas, Canadian mounties and a delegationfrom Jamaica. Employees from the merchant navy, fire brigade, ambulanceservices and police also followed. All armed units held their weapons upsidedown as a sign of mourning.
Impressive procession travels through London with coffin Elizabeth
The centerpiece of the procession was Elizabeth’s coffin with the symbols ofher power: the Imperial State Crown , scepter and orb. 148 sailors pulledthe gun carriage on which the coffin rested, the base of a cannon that hadbeen used for the funerals of Queen Victoria, Winston Churchill andElizabeth’s father.
In silence the crowd waited for the procession of veiled drums and bagpipes topass, accompanied by the sound of Big Ben and salutes from Hyde Park. En routeto Wellington Arch, where the car journey to the burial chapel in Windsorbegan, the procession passed Buckingham Palace, a final salute to the palacewhere the Queen lived for seventy years.
Broken staff
The funeral procession is now on its way to Windsor, where the Queen will beinterred in St. George’s Chapel, the resting place of ten other Britishmonarchs, but above all her parents, sister and husband Philip. A burialservice will follow to which 800 people have been invited. Among them, besidesthe family, are members of her court and representatives from theCommonwealth.