LONDON, Sept 18 (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden is predicted to pay tribute on the coffin of Queen Elizabeth in London on Sunday, becoming a member of lots of of hundreds of people that have filed previous the late British monarch as she lies in state.
Biden will later be part of King Charles and scores of different world leaders and royals from across the globe for a reception forward of the grand state funeral for Elizabeth on Monday. learn extra
Elizabeth’s physique has been lying in state on the historic Westminster Hall since Wednesday, and folks from all walks of life and from around the world have been submitting previous in a continuing, emotional stream, many queuing in a single day.
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“Her legacy will loom large in the pages of British history, and in the story of our world,” Biden stated in a message following information of the queen’s demise on Sept. 8 on the age of 96.
He was one of many 14 U.S. presidents of her reign, of which Elizabeth met all besides Lyndon Johnson, beginning with Harry Truman in 1951 when she was nonetheless a princess. learn extra
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who was seen curtsying to the coffin, are amongst dignitaries who’ve already paid their respects.
“The sheer silence of that space is one of the things that makes it so moving,” Arden stated, including that she had shared the second with individuals who had queued for 20 hours or longer.
“The queen was here for her people and now her people are there for her,” she informed the BBC on Sunday.
Britain has hosted a collection of poignant, fastidiously choreographed ceremonies in the ten days which have adopted Elizabeth’s demise, reflecting the traditions and pageantry of the British royal household whose lineage stretches again virtually 1,000 years.
‘OUR MATRIARCH’
On Saturday night, the queen’s eight grandchildren, together with Charles’s sons Princes William and Harry, held a solemn vigil at her coffin’s facet, following the same observance by her youngsters yesterday. learn extra
Camilla, spouse of the brand new King Charles and now Queen Consort, stated the smile of the late queen was “unforgettable”, in a message of tribute to the late monarch launched on Sunday.
“She’s been part of our lives for ever. I’m 75 now and I can’t remember anyone except the queen being there,” Camilla stated. “She’s got those wonderful blue eyes, that when she smiles they light up her whole face. I will always remember her smile. That smile is unforgettable.” learn extra
People pay respects to Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, following her demise, as she lies in state, in London, Britain September 17, 2022. UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/Handout through REUTERS
A minute of nationwide silence can be held at 8 p.m. (1900 GMT) on Sunday.
The royals and the British authorities are actually wanting forward to Monday’s funeral at Westminster Abbey, the location of coronations, weddings and burials of English after which British kings and queens since William I in 1066.
London’s police pressure has described the ceremony as the largest safety operation it has ever undertaken. Members of the general public have been tenting out to safe positions on the procession route.
QUEUE DECISION
Some 500 visitors representing almost 200 nations and territories will amongst these be attending – together with presidents, prime ministers, kings, queens and sultans – and big crowds are anticipated to throng the streets. learn extra
Britain has not held a state funeral on the dimensions deliberate for the queen since that for World War Two chief Winston Churchill in 1965.
The authorities stated huge screens to watch the ceremony could be arrange in Hyde Park in London and in cities throughout the nation. The funeral may also be aired reside by broadcasters.
Television rankings service Overnights.TV estimated that throughout the BBC and different channels carrying information, some 33 million individuals in Britain had tuned in on the day of her demise.
Such has been the will to pay tribute to the favored monarch, the one one most Britons have identified since her accession in 1952, that tens of hundreds have waited patiently in the road stretching alongside the River Thames to spend just a few transient seconds along with her coffin.
“To think that everybody’s there for one person, to mark what she’s done for people and whatever way they felt she touched them or their country,” stated Darren Luckhurst, a 49-year-old headteacher.
“Hats, gloves and I suppose camaraderie” had helped him by the chilly evening, he stated.
A choice on closing entry to the road could be taken on Sunday, the federal government stated. By the time her lying-in-state ends on Monday, as many as 750,000 might have filed previous.
“She wouldn’t believe all this, she really wouldn’t,” Prince William stated as he joined his father Charles, the brand new king, to communicate to mourners ready in line on Saturday. “It’s amazing.”
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Additional reporting by Jeff Mason, Kate Holton and Paul Sandle; Editing by Christina Fincher and Alison Williams
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
