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| Photo Credit: AP. |
LONDON (AP) — Thousands of police, hundreds of troops and an army of officials made final preparations Sunday for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II — a spectacular display of national mourning that will also be the biggest gathering of world leaders for years.
U.S.
President Joe Biden and other dignitaries are arriving in London for the
funeral, to which around 500 royals, heads of state and heads of government
from around the globe have been invited.
Thousands of
people continued to line up around the clock to file past the queen’s coffin as
it lies in state at Parliament’s Westminster Hall, braving chilly overnight
temperatures and waits of up to 17 hours. The queen’s eight grandchildren, led
by heir to the throne Prince William, circled the coffin and stood with heads
bowed during a silent vigil on Saturday evening.
The
miles-long queue is expected to be closed to new arrivals later Sunday so that
everyone in line can file past the coffin before Monday morning, when it will
be borne on a gun carriage to Westminster Abbey for the queen’s funeral.
Among the
foreign leaders in London was New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who
told the BBC she was humbled to represent her nation at the funeral and to
witness the national outpouring of grief and respect for the late queen.
“The thing that I will take away from this
period is just the beauty of the public’s response, the kindness that you see
from members of the public, the patience, the camaraderie, that has been, for
me, the most moving tribute of all, has been the public response of the British
people,” she said.
People
across the U.K. are due to pause Sunday evening for a nationwide minute of
silence to remember the queen, who died Sept. 8 at the age of 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 screened to crowds in parks and
public spaces across the country.
Thousands of
police officers from around the country will be on duty as part of the biggest
one-day policing operation in London’s history.
Crowds also
gathered Sunday near Windsor Castle, where the queen will be laid to rest at a
private family ceremony on Monday evening.
“I think it’s been amazing,” said Anna
Pettigrew, a 55-year-old teacher. “It’s been very emotional, and I think it’s
been 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 “carved her own role” as a “solitary woman” on a world stage dominated
by men.
“I will
always remember her smile. That smile is unforgettable,” said Camilla, who is
married to King Charles III.
A tide of
people continued to stream into Parliament’s Westminster Hall, where the
queen’s coffin is lying in state, draped in the Royal Standard and capped with
a diamond-studded crown. The number of mourners has grown steadily since the
public was first admitted on Wednesday, with a queue that stretches for at
least five miles (eight kilometers) along the River Thames and into Southwark
Park in the city’s southeast.
Honoring
their patience, Charles and William made an unannounced visit Saturday to greet
people in the line, shaking hands and thanking mourners in the queue near Lambeth
Bridge.
Later, all
the queen’s grandchildren stood by her coffin. William and Prince Harry,
Charles’ sons, were joined by Princess Anne’s children, Zara Tindall and Peter
Philips; Prince Andrew’s daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie; and
the two children of Prince Edward — Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount
Severn.
William
stood with his head bowed at the head of the coffin and Harry at the foot. Both
princes, who are military veterans, were in uniform. Mourners continued to file
past in silence.
“You could
see that they were thinking hard 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.”
Before the
vigil, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie issued a statement praising their
“beloved grannie.”
“We, like
many, thought you’d be here forever. And we all miss you terribly. You were our
matriarch, our guide, our loving hand on our backs leading us through this
world. You taught us so much and we will cherish those 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 lunged at the coffin. London
police said Sunday that a 28-year-old London man, Muhammad Khan, has been
charged with behavior intended to “cause alarm, harassment or distress.” He will
appear in court on Monday.
The
lying-in-state continues until early Monday morning, when the queen’s coffin
will be moved on a gun carriage pulled by 142 Royal Navy ratings to nearby
Westminster Abbey for the funeral, the finale of 10 days of national mourning
for Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.
After the
service Monday at the abbey, the late queen’s coffin will be transported
through the historic heart of London on the state gun carriage. It will then be
taken in a hearse to Windsor, where the queen will be interred alongside her
late husband, Prince Philip, who died last year.
Follow AP
coverage of Queen Elizabeth II at https://apnews.com/hub/queen-elizabeth-ii