The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II was carried on a horse-drawn carriage through the streets of London, past Big Ben and into parliament. There was a steady stream of mourners paying their respects to Britain’s longest reigning monarch.
As the cortege left the palace, her son, King Charles III, and his siblings and sons marched behind the coffin, which was adorned with a wreath of white roses and her crown resting on a purple velvet pillow
The military procession underscored Elizabeth’s seven decades as head of state as the national mourning process shifted to the grand boulevards and historic landmarks of the U.K.
Crowds moved past the queen’s coffin well into the night at the 900-year-old Westminster Hall, where she will lie in state until her funeral on Monday. They moved silently down the steps of the hall under the stained glass window, past the coffin that was covered with the Royal Standard, and onto a raised platform.
There were couples and parents with children, veterans with medals, lawmakers, and members of the House of lords. Some wore suits and ties, others wore jeans and sneakers, and all waited in front of the coffin for a few moments.
Many bowed or curtseyed while others were in tears.
Thousands who had waited for hours along The Mall outside the palace and other locations along the route held up phones and cameras while some wiped away tears as the casket rolled by. Applause broke out as it passed through a parade. There were many people watching on large screens in Hyde Park.
The Imperial State Crown, encrusted with almost 3,000 diamonds, was topped with a bouquet of flowers and plants from the Balmoral Estate where Elizabeth died.
Two officers and 32 troops from the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards in red uniforms and bearskin hats were walking on either side of the gun carriage. The archbishop led a service attended by Charles and other royals at the end of the parade.
Let your heart not be troubled because you believe in God and me. If it weren’t for the mansions in my Father’s house, I would have told you, said Welby.
The captain of The Queen’s Company 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, assisted by a senior sergeant, laid the royal standard on the steps of the catafalque after a short service.
Four officers from the Household Cavalry, two from the Life Guards, and two from the Blues Royals bowed their heads and took their places at each corner.
Thousands of people had lined up along the banks of the river to pay their respects to the only monarch most Britons have ever known.
Esther Ravenor, who lives in the U.K., was moved to tears as she watched the procession.
She said she loved the royal family and had to be here. She’s a true role model. All of us, she loved us. I honor the migrant woman who came to the U.K. 30 years ago because I was allowed to be free and safe. She was part of my life.
It was the last chance to do our duty for the queen and the first chance to do it for the king, according to Maj. Gen. Christopher Ghika of the Household division.
Since the queen died, troops have been preparing for the procession. The horses of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery had been.
The horses were specially trained to handle weeping mourners, as well as flowers and flags being thrown in front of the procession, according to Sergeant Tom Jenks.
The airport said it would “ensure silence over central London as the ceremonial procession moves from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall.”
The White House said that President Joe Biden spoke with Charles to offer his sympathies.
The Queen hosted them and the first lady at Windsor Castle in June and Biden recalled her kindness. The friendship and special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom was deepened by his admiration for the Queen.
Crowds lined the route of the queen’s coffin when it was moved to London.
The hearse with interior lights illuminating the casket drove slowly from an air base to Buckingham Palace on Tuesday night.
More than 30,000 people silently passed her coffin at St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh.
According to a government tracker, the line to enter the oldest building in Parliament was nearly three miles long in the afternoon.
The hall is where kings and queens hosted banquets and where ceremonial addresses were presented to Queen Elizabeth II during her silver, golden and diamond jubilees.
There were people waiting to see the queen’s coffin. He was at the lying in state of the queen’s mother in 2002.
“Obviously, it’s quite difficult to queue all day long, but when you walk through those doors, that marvelous, historic building, there was a great sense of calm and one was told you take as much time as you like, and it’s just amazing,” he said.
“We knew the queen was a good age and she served the country a long time, but we hoped this day wouldn’t come,” he said.
Chris Imafidon was the sixth person in the line.
When I see her, I have over a thousand feelings. She was an angel because she did so many good things.
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The Associated Press writer contributed.
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