By MIKE CORDER, JILL LAWLESS and DANICA KIRKA
LONDON (AP) — U.S. President Joe Biden paid his respects at Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin on Sunday as hundreds of police, a whole lot of British troops and a military of officers made closing preparations for the queen’s state funeral — a spectacular show of nationwide mourning that can even be the largest gathering of world leaders for years.
Biden and first woman Jill Biden have been amongst hundreds of mourners — from locals and vacationers to royals and world leaders — to pay their respects at Westminster Hall, the place the queen is mendacity in state. The president made the signal of the cross and put his hand to his coronary heart as he stood quietly close to the casket within the ornate 900-year-old corridor along with his spouse and U.S. Ambassador Jane Hartley.
Biden then signed the official condolence e-book and attended a reception Sunday at Buckingham Palace hosted by King Charles III. He is one in all 500 world leaders and royals invited to the queen’s state funeral Monday at Westminster Abbey, together with a whole lot of British charity employees.
Biden known as Queen Elizabeth II “decent” and “honorable” and “all about service” as he signed the condolence e-book, saying his coronary heart went out to the royal household.
“Queen Elizabeth lived her life for the people,” Jill Biden wrote in a e-book for spouses and ambassadors. “She served with wisdom and grace. We will never forget her warmth, kindness and the conversations we shared.”
As the dignitaries poured in, the clock was ticking down for these in search of a spot within the longest queue many have ever seen to file previous the queen’s coffin. The miles-long queue is anticipated to be closed to new arrivals later Sunday so that everybody now within the line can view the coffin earlier than Monday morning, when will probably be taken to Westminster Abbey for the queen’s funeral.
Family by household, hundreds of individuals stored becoming a member of the road across the clock, braving chilly in a single day temperatures and waits of as much as 17 hours in a queue that stretched for over 5 miles (8 kilometers).
Lauren Wilson, a 36-year-old pupil, was within the a lot shorter queue for individuals with mobility points. She mentioned she wished to expertise in particular person the coffin mendacity in state.
“The world is in such a weird place and then this happened. It feels more momentous,” she mentioned.
She fearful that the pageantry surrounding Elizabeth’s loss of life deprives the queen’s family members of the power to return to phrases with their loss.
“The family are not allowed to grieve. I find it quite heartbreaking,” she mentioned.
The queen’s eight grandchildren, led by inheritor to the throne Prince William, circled the coffin and stood with their heads bowed throughout a silent vigil on Saturday night.
Among the international leaders in London was New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who instructed the BBC she was humbled to characterize her nation on the funeral and to witness the nationwide outpouring of grief and respect for the late queen.
“The thing that I will take away from this period is just the beauty of the public’s response, the kindness that you see from members of the public, the patience, the camaraderie. That has been, for me, the most moving tribute of all, has been the public response of the British people,” she mentioned.
People throughout the U.Ok. can even pause Sunday night for a nationwide minute of silence to recollect the queen, who died Sept. 8 at 96 after 70 years on the throne. Monday has been declared a public vacation, and the funeral will likely be broadcast to an enormous tv viewers worldwide and screened to crowds in parks and public areas throughout the nation.
Police officers from across the nation will likely be on responsibility as a part of the largest one-day policing operation in London’s historical past.
Crowds additionally gathered Sunday close to Windsor Castle, the place the queen will likely be laid to relaxation at a personal household ceremony on Monday night.
Steve Beeson got here along with his household of three and a bouquet of flowers he had bought for the queen.
“She has been a constant steadying of the reins for the country through all of these really rough times, the least we can do is come and say ‘Thank you,’” he mentioned.
Camilla, the queen consort, paid tribute to her mother-in-law in a video message, saying the monarch “carved her own role” as a “solitary woman” on a world stage dominated by males.
“I will always remember her smile. That smile is unforgettable,” mentioned Camilla, who’s married to Charles.
Ukraine’s first woman, Olena Zelenska, was additionally amongst mourners paying respects to the queen’s coffin. British royal officers mentioned Zelenska met with Catherine, the Princess of Wales, at Buckingham Palace on Sunday afternoon. They didn’t launch additional particulars. The British authorities has been among the many strongest supporters of Ukraine because it was invaded by Russia in February.
On Saturday night time, it was the grandchildren’s time to mourn. William and Prince Harry, Charles’ sons, have been joined by Princess Anne’s kids, Zara Tindall and Peter Philips; Prince Andrew’s daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie; and Prince Edward’s two kids — Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn.
William stood along with his head bowed on the head of the coffin and Harry on the foot. Both princes, who’re army veterans, have been in uniform. The crowd stored slowly, silently submitting previous.
“You could see that they were thinking hard about their grandmother, the queen,” mentioned Ian Mockett, a civil engineer from Oxford in southern England. “It was good to see them all together as a set of grandchildren, given the things that have happened over the last few years.”
The lying-in-state continues till early Monday morning, when the queen’s coffin will likely be moved on a gun carriage pulled by 142 Royal Navy sailors to close by Westminster Abbey for the funeral, the finale of 10 days of nationwide mourning for Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.
After the service Monday on the abbey, the late queen’s coffin will likely be transported by the historic coronary heart of London on the state gun carriage. It will then be taken in a hearse to Windsor, the place the queen will likely be interred alongside her late husband, Prince Philip, who died final 12 months at 99.
Sumita Tanda put down shiny crimson roses as an enormous floral tribute bloomed close to Windsor Castle.
“I feel so privileged to be a local resident of Windsor,” she mentioned. “I just wanted to pay my respects.”
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Follow AP protection of Queen Elizabeth II at https://apnews.com/hub/queen-elizabeth-ii
Source: www.bostonherald.com”