Funeral begins for Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II

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By Yomna Yasser
Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II on her coronation day in 1953 (Photo Credit: Cecil Beaton/Getty Images)

King Charles and other senior British royals on Monday followed Queen Elizabeth II‘s coffin into Westminster Abbey, joining world leaders and monarchs to bid farewell to a beloved figure who rule the nation for 70 years.

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II “died peacefully” on Thursday, September 8, at Balmoral Castle, the British royal family’s estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. She was 96. Her health had been in decline, and for months the queen who had carried out hundreds of official engagements well into her 90s had withdrawn from public life.

Elizabeth was Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, as she ascended to the throne in 1952 and, in June, celebrated her Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years as queen.

In scenes of unique pageantry, pall bearers carried her flag-draped casket along the aisle in the country’s first state funeral since 1965, when former Prime Minister Winston Churchill was afforded the honour.

The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in a Royal Standard and adorned with the Imperial State Crown and the Sovereign’s orb and sceptre arrives during the State Funeral Service for Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, at Westminster Abbey in London, Sept. 19, 2022. (Photo Credit: Ben Stansall/ Pool via AFP/ Getty Images)

 

The coffin is moved to Westminster Abbey on the day of the state funeral and burial of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, in London, Sept. 19, 2022. (Photo Credit: Rupert Frere/Pool via Reuters)

 

Britain’s King Charles III, Britain’s Princess Anne, Princess Royal, Britain’s Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Britain’s Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex arrive at Westminster Abbey in London, Sept. 19, 2022, for the State Funeral Service for Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II. (Photo Credit: Marco Bertorello/ AFP via Getty Images)

 

Tens of thousands of people, who for hours had picnicked and chatted, have lined the streets as the queen’s casket made the short journey from Westminster Hall where she had been lying-in-state, pulled along on a gun carriage by 142 sailors with arms linked.

The 2,000-strong congregation includes some 500 world leaders and foreign royal families. Among them was U.S. President Joe Biden, who paid tribute to the late queen.

“You were fortunate to have had her for 70 years,” Biden stated. “We all were.”

At The King’s request, the wreath contains foliage of Rosemary, English Oak and Myrtle (cut from a plant grown from Myrtle in The Queen’s wedding bouquet) and flowers, in shades of gold, pink and deep burgundy, with touches of white, cut from the gardens of Royal Residences.

At The King’s request, the wreath contains foliage of Rosemary, English Oak and Myrtle (cut from a plant grown from Myrtle in The Queen’s wedding bouquet) and flowers, in shades of gold, pink and deep burgundy, with touches of white, cut from the gardens of Royal Residences. (Credit: The Royal Family via Twitter)

 

Millions more are due to watch on television at home on a public holiday declared for the occasion. The funeral of a British monarch has never been televised ever before.

Earlier, the royal family has released a new photo of Queen Elizabeth II ahead of her funeral.
“The photo was taken to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee — the first British Monarch to reach this milestone,” the royal family tweeted. “Tomorrow, millions will come together to commemorate her remarkable life.”

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