Queen Elizabeth’s coffin arrives at Westminster Palace to lie in state
The choir of Westminster Abbey and the choir of St James’s Palace sang as Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin arrived at Westminster Hall on Wednesday to lie in state before her funeral next week.
The service began with a prayer from Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and included a reading from the Book of John, as well as the Lord’s Prayer.
The late monarch, who died last week after 70 years on the throne, was also the head of the Church of England.
The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister, Liz Truss, Labour Party leader,
Keir Starmer, and the leaders of other political parties and high commissioners from realms for whom the Queen was head of state.
Members of the public will be able to file past the coffin and pay their respects to the queen from Wednesday afternoon through early Monday morning.
The coffin will then be moved to Westminster Abbey for a state funeral.
Earlier, Big Ben tolled every minute as King Charles III led a procession behind the Queen’s coffin as it began its journey from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall.
He was accompanied by Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward and other members of the royal family, including Prince William and Prince Harry.
Crowds lined the route along the Mall, adorned with dozens of union flags, past Horse Guards and along Whitehall to Parliament Square in a 38-minute procession from the palace that
King Charles III led a procession behind the Queen’s coffin as it began its journey from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall
was the Queen’s London residence after 1953.
The casket was draped with the royal standard. On it was placed a velvet cushion bearing the imperial state crown, made for the coronation of King George VI in 1937. It has 2,868 diamonds
and a sapphire, set in the centre of the topmost cross.
Alongside it was laid a wreath of white roses and dahlias studded with pine from the gardens at the royal estate in Balmoral, where the Queen died. From the
gardens at Windsor, the Queen’s main home in later years, were taken lavender, rosemary and pittosporum.
The bands of the Scots and Grenadier Guards played funeral marches by Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Chopin and Panne.