Hundreds of thousands of people will shuffle past Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin in London
AVING BRIEFLY lain at rest at St Giles’s Cathedral in Edinburgh, the body of Queen Elizabeth II was moved to London on September 13th. The late monarch will now lie in state in Westminster Hall, adjacent to the Houses of Parliament, until the morning of her funeral on September 19th. The hall, which dates from the late 11th century and has hosted some of the most celebrated events in British history, including the trial of King Charles I, will be open around the clock.
The ritual is observed by many countries, allowing mourners to pay their respects to a departed head of state or revered public figure. To preserve the prestige of the occasion, such events are rare. The length of time for a lying in state can vary, as does the ceremony itself. Soviet Russia’s leaders would gaze back at their mourners from an open coffin; the queen’s casket in Edinburgh was draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland and adorned by the Crown of Scotland.
In Britain, lying in state has become the preserve of sovereigns , their consorts and, occasionally, prime ministers. Ironically, given that the ceremony has become so closely associated with royalty, it was a commoner, William Gladstone, who started the modern tradition; the four-times prime minister was the first to lie in state in Westminster Hall, in 1898.
Queen Victoria, who died in 1901, requested that she be spared the public ritual, so it was her son Edward VII who became the first monarch to lie in state at Westminster, in 1910. Since then all former monarchs have done so, as did Sir Winston Churchill. After he died in early 1965, 320,000 people paid their last respects to Britain’s wartime prime minister in the bitter cold.
The queen’s coffin in Westminster will be draped in the Royal Standard, with the orb and sceptre, symbols of monarchical rule, on top. It will be guarded by a vigil of soldiers from the Household Cavalry and the Sovereign’s Bodyguard. Her four children are also likely to stand vigil at some point, as they did in Scotland, in a ritual known as the “Vigil of the Princes”. But that name might have to change.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Queen Elizabeth II: Leeds Minster service to honour the QueenThe service commemorating the life of Her Majesty will include music, prayers and readings.
Read more »
Queen Elizabeth II: Royal Shakespeare Company to screen state funeralThe service for the Queen will be shown in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Read more »
BBC to stream Queen Elizabeth II lying in stateThe service will be offered globally for those who want to pay their respects but cannot travel to London or are physically unable to queue.
Read more »
Queen Elizabeth lying in state in Westminster Hall - BBC NewsThe Queen's coffin is now in Westminster Hall where a service is being held before she lies in state. Princes William and Harry, along with King Charles III, walked behind the coffin in a procession from Buckingham Palace. Read more:
Read more »
The Crown's Claire Foy pays tribute to ‘incredible' Queen Elizabeth IIClaire Foy who played the Queen in here the first two seasons of The Crown has paid a heartfelt tribute to Her Majesty.
Read more »