Silence has fallen over the
city of London, save for the mournful sound of bagpipes. For the first time
since 1965, the capital is playing host to a State funeral procession, as the
nation farewells Queen Elizabeth II.
The new King Charles III led
the procession walking behind his late mother’s coffin this morning, as it was
brought from Westminster Hall to the nearby Abbey for her funeral service.
Prince William – now the
Prince of Wales – walked alongside the Duke of Sussex and other members of the
royal family, as the Queen’s coffin was conveyed on the State Gun Carriage,
pulled by 142 sailors. The carriage was used for the Queen’s father George VI
in 1952 and was last seen in public in 1979 for the funeral of Prince Philip’s
uncle, Lord Mountbatten.
Thousands of military
personnel also took part in the procession which lasted a precise 16 minutes
between the Hall and Westminster Abbey, where the Queen’s funeral service began
at 11am.
For the last five days, the Queen
has been lying in state, where thousands of mourners have queued to pay their
respects. The last mourner walked past the Queen’s catafalque at 6.30am this
morning.
