Queen Elizabeth II’s lying-in-state will be an occasion of regal symbolism, strong emotion — and an extremely long line. Thousands gathered on The Mall outside Buckingham Palace and along the banks of the River Thames hours before the coffin procession begins as the Late Monarch leaves the Palace for the one last time. The coffin will lie in state for four days until the late monarch’s funeral on Monday
The late monarch’s coffin left Buckingham Palace for the final time on Wednesday
The masses are the most recent example of a widespread outpouring of grief and reverence for the only monarch the majority of Britons have ever known. The Queen passed away last Thursday at her cherished Balmoral vacation residence at age 96, ending a 70-year reign.
The coffin was draped in the Royal Standard and topped with the Imperial State Crown. It was adorned with almost 3,000 diamonds and a bouquet of flowers and plants including pine from the Balmoral Estate, where Elizabeth died last week. An escort of two officers and 32 troops from the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards in red uniforms and bearskin hats walked on either side of the gun carriage.
On Wednesday at 2 p.m., the late monarch’s coffin left Buckingham Palace for the final time. as it is moved on a horse-drawn gun carriage to the Houses of Parliament, where she will lie in state for four days. About a half-hour before the procession was due to start, the gun carriage passed through the palace’s wrought iron gates.
What do people think about the Queen?
Joan Bucklehurst, a 50-year-old retail worker from Cheshire in northwestern England, said the queen “meant so much for everybody.” “She was amazing, yeah,” she added, choking up with emotion. “So, we had to be here. We’ve been here a few times when there have been special occasions, but this one, I couldn’t miss this.”
