A few hours left for Queen Elizabeth's funeral. On the eve of the long-awaited ceremony that gathers the eyes of the whole planet in London, crowds of people were still waiting patiently in queues of kilometers, to pay their respects to the dying monarch.
Politicians and dignitaries from around the world arrive in the British capital for the funeral. A procession is to take the Queen's body from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch and then to Windsor, her final home.
Several of the citizens who participated in the popular pilgrimage came fully equipped for the long wait, which exceeded 24 hours.
“When Queen Elizabeth's coffin rolls through the streets of London on Monday, there will be around two thousand guests, 500 foreign dignitaries, 4.000 service staff and potentially billions of people watching around the world. A ceremony like no other – say people here – but befitting a queen who was also like no other,” reports euronews correspondent in London Annelise Borges.
The schedule of Queen Elizabeth's funeral (in Cyprus time):
08:30 – The popular pilgrimage that started on Wednesday night is completed
10:00 – The doors of Westminster Abbey open for heads of state and other guests
12:35 – The coffin will be taken to the exit of the British Parliament to be placed on the kiliband. According to the protocol it will be accompanied by 142 members of the Royal Navy
12:44 – The procession from the British Parliament to Westminster Abbey will begin
12:52 – The procession will arrive at Westminster Abbey
13:00 – The so-called political function begins in the presence of 2.000 guests. Among them heads of state and kings from all over the world
14:00 – The ceremony is completed in Westminster Abbey and the coffin is placed back on the killivan. Two minutes silence will be observed across the UK
14:15 – A new procession to the Wellington Arch begins. (Located next to Hyde Park and behind Buckingham Palace). The procession will pass in front of the palace and make a stop
15:00 – The procession arrives at the arch. The casket is loaded into the hearse bound for Windsor, a 2-hour road trip. Crowds of people are expected to be on the right and left of the road
17:06 – The hearse arrives at the designated point. A procession forms again
17:10 – The procession to Windsor Castle begins
17:40 – King Charles and other members of the royal family enter the procession
17:53 – The procession arrives at St George's Chapel inside Windsor Castle and the coffin is placed on a plinth
16:00 – The funeral procession begins. Its duration has not been specified. Once completed, the plinth will retreat to the royal crypt. The royals will leave and so will the cameras
21:30 – Burial without cameras. Strictly private (along with Philip's coffin waiting in the Crypt)
Source: euronews.gr