LYING-IN-STATE
With much of central London closed to traffic, large crowds were building along the route to watch Wednesday's procession, which will be accompanied by guns firing every minute at Hyde Park, while parliament's Big Ben bell will toll.
When the cortege reaches Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster, the coffin will be carried inside by soldiers from the Grenadier Guards and placed on a catafalque. There will be a short service conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual head of the Anglican Church.
Four days of lying in state will then begin until the funeral on Sep 19.
A senior palace official described Wednesday's event as relatively small and personal. The full-scale ceremonial procession on Sep 19, the day of her funeral, is likely to be one of the biggest the country has ever witnessed.
With as many as 750,000 mourners expected to file past the coffin during its period of lying in state, people queued and slept on the streets in the rain to be able to pay their final respects.
Brenda, 79, who lives on the coast to the east of London, said she had travelled to London in 1953 after the queen's coronation to see the celebrations.
"She's been our constant ever since," she said, declining to give her full name. "Today is the day. Although it's very exciting to be here, it's to pay homage to her and respect for her, for all that she's done for us."
In Scotland around 33,000 people filed past the coffin during the 24 hours it was at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, but the memorial in London is a much larger occasion.
The government has warned the queue could stretch for up to about 8km along the southern bank of the River Thames, winding past landmarks like the giant London Eye ferris wheel and a reconstruction of Shakespeare's Globe theatre.
Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, speaking to people in the queue, said: "We are honouring two great British traditions, loving the queen and loving a queue."
Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan said some people may have to stand in line for as long as 30 hours in order to file past the coffin before the funeral on Monday.
Mourner Chris Imafidon said he was happy to endure a night of camping: "She's an icon of icons."
Glyn Norris, 63, said a bit of rain would not deter her from paying respects to a woman who had reigned for 70 years.
"We didn't even think about it," she said. "That was my queen."
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMieWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vd29ybGQva2luZy1jaGFybGVzLWlpaS1xdWVlbi1lbGl6YWJldGgtaWktcHJvY2Vzc2lvbi1idWNraW5naGFtLXBhbGFjZS1wYXJsaWFtZW50LTI5MzcwNTbSAQA?oc=5
2022-09-14 07:20:00Z
1563568580
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar