Skip to main content

Queen Elizabeth’s II Funeral - World Leaders And Royalty Attend


World leaders and royalty gather for Queen's funeral.

As reported by the BBC, World leaders have arrived at Westminster Abbey for the state funeral of Britain's longest-reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.

King Charles III will lead a sombre procession behind his mother's coffin on the short journey from Westminster Hall to the abbey shortly.

The abbey's bell has started to toll once a minute ahead of the service which will begin at 11:00 BST.

It marks the end of 10 days of events across the UK since the Queen's death.

US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister are among the world leaders who have arrived at the abbey, while six former British prime ministers are also present.

Before the service begins, the Queen's coffin will be conveyed - in the first of three processions throughout the day - through Parliament Square, a distance of about 820ft (250m).

The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex will once more walk side-by-side behind their father, the King, who will walk alongside his siblings, the Queen's four children.

Two of the Queen's great-grandchildren, Prince George, nine, and Princess Charlotte, seven, will also walk behind the Queen's coffin.

Members of the Royal Family are arriving at Westminster Hall as they prepare to make the sombre journey.

Some 2,000 mourners will bid farewell to the Queen at the state funeral, including 500 dignitaries - with presidents, prime ministers and foreign royalty among the guests.

There will also be members of many European royal families, including Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Denmark, as well as the Emperor and Empress of Japan.

Former prime ministers Theresa May, Tony Blair, David Cameron, Gordon Brown, John Major and Boris Johnson have all entered the historic abbey ahead of the ceremony.

Others who have arrived include Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and the UK's chief medical adviser Prof Chris Whitty.

About 200 people who were recognised in the Queen's birthday honours also received invitations.

As London prepares for as many as one million visitors for the historic occasion, roads and bridges are closed to traffic and an unprecedented security operation is under way.

All public viewing areas for the procession are already full, London's City Hall said.

Millions of people will be watching the funeral across the country and most workplaces are closed for a bank holiday.

The event is also expected to be watched by millions around the world, with the Queen the head of state for 14 realms throughout the Commonwealth.

For those not invited big screens have been put up in cities across the country, while some cinemas, pubs and other venues are also showing the once-in-a-generation event.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

London-PDP's Presidential Flag bearer, Atiku Abubakar In Talks With Nyesom Wike, Seeks Support. Former President Obasanjo Meets Peter Obi, Nyesom Wike, Samuel Ortom, Others...

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, on Thursday met with the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, in London as part of efforts to resolve the crisis with the governor. In respect to the the ongoing reconciliation, the PDP presidential candidate has called on his supporters and all stakeholders of the party to avoid making statements that were capable of compromising the process. According to him, such reconciliation would further strengthen the party and bring all its leaders together. The former Vice President said these in a statement signed by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, in Abuja, on Thursday. He said, “It has become imperative to appeal to all party members, leaders and everyone related to, connected with or associated with the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar,  to desist from making comments that potentially reduce the optics of PDP’s image as a united political party. "This appeal becomes necessary in ...

Ike Ekweremadu’s Daughter Sonia, Passionately Appeals For Kidney Donation

The Daughter Of The Former Deputy President Of The Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Appeals To Members Of The Public To Donate Kidney To Her. Her parents are currently facing charges of organ harvesting in the United Kingdom. She made the plea via her instagram handle. The statement read, “I, Sonia Ekweremadu, hereby appeal to the general public to come to my aid and save my life. “I am 25 years old and a graduate of Media and Communications, University of Coventry. I dropped out of my post graduate studies at the University of Newcastle in 2019 when I was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease, FSGS Nephrotic Syndrome. "My family has battled to save my life and has taken me to various hospitals, but the illness persisted and kept degenerating. I am alive today by the special grace of God. “I am presently in London, UK, receiving five hours of dialysis three to four times a week. This is at the expense of my family as I am not qualified for NHS due to my immigration status. “The last...

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Wins Big In Governor Nyesom Wike's Local Government Area

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, has won the Obio-Akpor, the Local Government Area of Governor Nyesom Wike in Rivers State by a landslide. Tinubu polled 80,239 votes to defeat the Candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, who came a distant second with 3,829 and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who got 368 votes.