London begins to welcome guests to the funeral of Elizabeth II, Joe Biden in the lead

AFP, published on Sunday September 18, 2022 at 01:05 am 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, and in particular US President Joe Biden who landed on Saturday evening near the capital, which is under close surveillance. if the room of Westminster Hall will be evacuated for the occasion in order to guarantee the safety of the American president. During the 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 the dignitaries present. 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’ -“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. United at 8:00 p.m. local time (7:00 p.m. GMT). Princess Diana, was so far rest ed very discreet since the death on September 8 of Elizabeth. 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 that of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1965. London is preparing feverishly for this event which attracts distinguished guests among which, 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. for his first trip abroad since his accession to the throne in 2019, or the Saudi prince Mohammed bin Salman, known as “MBS”. Many crowned heads o nt been invited, like Prince Albert of Monaco or the King of Spain Felipe VI, as well as his father Juan Carlos I, who abdicated in 2014 and now lives in exile in the United Arab Emirates. Westminster, where the funeral will be held Monday at 10:00 GMT, can accommodate 2,000 people. For the police, the event promises to be even larger than the 2012 Olympic Games. But the protocol has been seen and reviewed for many years and the royal troops tirelessly repeat the route in the streets.- “Enemies Brothers” reunited -Meanwhile, the relatives of the deceased continued to pay homage to her, at the same time as the population waiting more than 17 hours to see a few seconds the coffin. Princes William and Harry, often described as enemy brothers, were reunited again 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 very popular sovereign, who died on September 8 at the age of 96 after more than 70 years of reign. The two brothers were in uniform – Harry had not worn 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, who has rarely appeared in public. Charles III and the late Princess Diana had already created a surprise by appearing together with their wives Kate and Meghan two days after the Queen’s death, 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 strong popularity, as he was able to verify again on Saturday noon, when he went with his father to meet the British queuing for his bow before 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 disorder at public order after leaving the line and approaching the coffin on Friday, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement on Saturday evening. The public has until Monday morning 06:30 (05:30 GMT) to pay their last respects to Elizabeth II , final farewells in meditation, sometimes tears, for a queen who became a symbol of unity and stability during her reign, of a record length in the history of the United Kingdom. Elizabeth II will be buried privately in the chapel of Saint-Georges at Windsor Castle, west of London, with her father King George VI and her husband Prince Philip.