(London) Dignitaries and crowned heads who will attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, who died nine days ago, are beginning to flock to London, including US President Joe Biden, who landed near the capital placed under high surveillance.
Updated yesterday at 7:14 p.m.
The tenant of the White House and his wife must go to pray at 5 p.m. GMT on Sunday in front of the remains of the monarch, still on display 24 hours a day to the public in London.
It is not known whether Westminster Hall will be evacuated for the occasion to guarantee the safety of the American president. During wakes observed by members of the royal family or other heads of state, the flow of visitors had not been interrupted.
Joe Biden will attend a reception hosted by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace on Sunday evening for dignitaries in attendance.
PHOTO STEFAN ROOUSSEAU, ASSOCIATED PRESS
King Charles III met Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday.
While for the king, the diplomatic ball began on Saturday with a meeting with the representatives of 14 other kingdoms of the Commonwealth, including Canada, New Zealand or Australia, his wife, the queen consort Camilla, expressed publicly for the first time since the death of Elizabeth II.
“Lonely Woman”
PHOTO SUSAN WALSH, ASSOCIATED PRESS
US President Joe Biden on his arrival in London
“It must have been so difficult for her to be a lonely woman. There were no female prime ministers or presidents. She was the only one, so I think she carved out her own role,” the queen consort said in an interview that will be broadcast in full by the BBC on Sunday, before a minute’s silence observed by the whole Kingdom. UK at 8 p.m. local time (7 p.m. GMT).
Praising the late sovereign’s “unforgettable” smile, Camilla, long unloved by Britons who saw her as a homewrecker for having been Charles’ mistress when he was married to Princess Diana, had so far remained very discreet since the death on September 8 of Elizabeth II.
It was not until last February that Elizabeth II gave her consent for Camilla to become “queen consort” when the time came.
For nine days, the wife of Charles III has nimbly slipped into her new costume, alongside the new monarch and assists him in his task, in particular for the organization of the first state funeral since those of the former Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1965.
London is preparing feverishly for this event which attracts distinguished guests to the capital, including, in addition to the American president, his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the president of the European Council Charles Michel.
Also coming will be Turkish Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Japanese Emperor Naruhito for his first trip abroad since his accession to the throne in 2019, and even Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known as “MBS”.
Many crowned heads were invited, like Prince Albert of Monaco or the King of Spain Felipe VI, as well as his father Juan Carlos Ierwho abdicated in 2014 and now lives in exile in the United Arab Emirates.
Westminster Abbey, where the funeral will be held at 10 a.m. GMT on Monday, can accommodate 2,000 people.
For the police, the event promises to be even more imposing than the 2012 Olympics. But the protocol has been seen and reviewed for many years and the royal troops tirelessly repeat the course in the streets.
“Brother enemies” reunited
During this time, the relatives of the deceased continued to pay tribute to her, at the same time as the population waiting more than 5 p.m. to see the coffin for a few seconds.
Princes William and Harry, often described as enemy brothers, were reunited on Saturday evening on the occasion of a funeral wake for the eight grandchildren of Elizabeth II under the gaze of visitors around the remains of the sovereign, died on September 8 at the age of 96 after more than 70 years of reign.
The two brothers were in uniform – Harry no longer wore it since his resounding withdrawal from the monarchy – unlike their six cousins Peter, Zara, Beatrice, Eugenie, Louise, reputed to be the Queen’s favorite granddaughter, and James, rarely appeared in public.
Scrambled since 2020 since Harry announced in March 2020 to distance himself from the royal family, the two children of King Charles III and the late Princess Diana had already created a surprise by appearing together with their wives Kate and Meghan two days later. the death of the Queen, during a walkabout in front of Windsor Castle.
Last chance to see the queen
” I love you William! “: the eldest of the two brothers enjoys a strong popularity, as he was able to verify again on Saturday noon, when he went with his father to meet the British queuing to bow in front of the coffin.
The hours are now counted to meditate before the remains of the sovereign, placed in a closed coffin surmounted by the sumptuous imperial crown.
Rare incident in the continuous tributes: a man was indicted for disturbing the public order after leaving the queue and approaching the coffin on Friday, the Metropolitan police announced in a press release on Saturday evening.
PHOTO AARON CHOWN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Prince William came out to greet the crowd who had come to pay homage to his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
The public has until Monday morning 6:30 a.m. (5:30 a.m. GMT) to pay a last tribute to Elizabeth II, final farewell for a queen who became a symbol of stability during her reign, of a record length in the history of the UK.
Elizabeth II will be buried privately in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, west London, next to her father King George VI and her husband Prince Philip.