LONDON –
Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin will leave Buckingham Palace for the last time on Wednesday when it is carried amid a somber spectacle by horse-drawn carriage past throngs of mourners to the Houses of Parliament, where the late monarch will lie in state for four days.
Crowds began to gather early along the flag-lined path outside the palace for the procession from the monarch’s official London residence to Parliament’s historic Westminster Hall. King Carlos III and other members of the Royal Family will walk behind the coffin.
Thousands of people gather on The Mall outside Buckingham Palace and along the banks of the River Thames hours before the coffin procession begins. People in the crowd cheered as Charles waved to them as he drove from his residence, Clarence House, to the palace.
Joan Bucklehurst, a 50-year-old retail worker from Cheshire in northwest England, said the queen “meant a lot to everyone”.
“It was amazing, yes,” he added, choking on emotion. “So, we had to be here. We’ve been here several times on special occasions, but on this one, I couldn’t miss this.”
The crowds are the latest manifestation of a national outpouring of grief and respect for the only monarch most Britons have ever known, who died at her beloved Balmoral summer retreat on Thursday aged 96, ending a reign 70 years old.
“It’s a very sad day, but it’s our last chance to do our duty for the queen and it’s our first chance to do it for the king, and that makes us all proud,” said Maj. Gen. Christopher Ghika, of the Division of the household, responsible for organizing the ceremonial aspects of the queen’s funeral.
London’s Heathrow Airport said it was adjusting schedules to prevent planes from disrupting the procession. British Airways canceled 16 flights as a result of the changes.
The airport said in a statement that the changes would “ensure silence in central London as the ceremonial procession moves from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall.”
The troops taking part in the procession have been preparing since the Queen died. So have the horses of the King’s Royal Horse Artillery Troop.
Sergeant Tom Jenks of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery said the horses have undergone special training, including how to handle crying mourners, as well as flowers and flags being thrown into the streets as the procession passes.
People stood behind metal barriers or sat on folding chairs, umbrellas at the ready, takeaway coffees in hand under gray skies hours before the coffin left the iconic palace at 2:22 p.m. GMT).
Crowds lined the route of the Queen’s coffin every time she moved on her long journey from Scotland back to London.
On Tuesday night, thousands braved a typical London drizzle as the state hearse, with interior lights illuminating the sovereign’s flag-draped coffin, drove slowly from a military airbase into the heart of London.
Geoff Colgan, a taxi driver who took the day off to witness the moment, was stunned in the moments after the Queen’s coffin passed.
“It’s one of those things where you know it’s going to happen, but when it happens you can’t believe it,” she said, holding her young son.
Earlier, in Edinburgh, some 33,000 people paraded in silent respect in front of his coffin, which remained for 24 hours in St. Giles’ Cathedral.
Hundreds of thousands are expected to do the same in London, as the queen lies in 900-year-old Westminster Hall, Parliament’s oldest building, for four days before her state funeral on Monday.
The hall is where Guy Fawkes and Charles I were tried, where kings and queens hosted magnificent medieval banquets, and where ceremonial speeches were made to Queen Elizabeth II during her silver, gold, and diamond jubilees.
Chris Bond, from Truro, in south-west England, was among those lining up along the banks of the River Thames. He also attended the queen mother memorial site in 2002.
“Obviously it’s quite difficult to queue all day, but when you walk through those doors into Westminster Hall, that wonderful historic building, there was this great sense of silence and they told you to take as long as you wanted, and it’s just amazing.” said.
“We know that the Queen was of a good age and served the country for a long time, but we hoped that this day would never come,” he added.
Chris Imafidon secured sixth place in the queue.
“I have 1,001 emotions when I see it,” he said. “I mean, God, she was an angel, because she touched so many good people and did so many good things.”