Solemn silence . . . and then we all applauded

I WAS one of the exuberant thousands who lined The Mall not long ago for the Platinum Jubilee. I was there again to honour our exemplary sovereign and witness the sombre procession of the Queen’s coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall.

It was the metronomic drumbeat we heard first and the crowd fell silent. The coffin looked so small surrounded by the soldiers in their bearskins.

It would have taken a hard heart not to be moved by the strained, serious faces of the King and his siblings as they walked behind the gun carriage. As the cortege passed, a ripple of applause started, turning into a prolonged ovation. It was heartfelt and an acknowledgement that was all we could do to honour our wonderful Queen.

BRENT WALSH, London SW16. WHAT dedication by the Armed Forces to produce such a fantastic parade to honour our Queen.

PAUL NEVILL, Worthing, W. Sussex. AS THE coffin of our beloved Queen was escorted to Westminster Hall, I was filled with pride for our Armed Forces, my fellow countrymen and the monarchy.

ALAN HEYWOOD, Guildford, Surrey.

HAVING watched with reverence the Queen’s coffin being accompanied to the lying in state, I marvel at our nation’s sense of history. No other country has our ability for ceremony and pageantry.

We revere our monarchs and pay them our respect in a way that reverberates through centuries of tradition.

GORDON MORRIS, Southwick, Wilts. WHY couldn’t the bystanders at the royal procession be in the moment and put away their mobile phones? If they wanted the best picture souvenirs, they should have bought the Mail.

TESSA BURGESS, Liverpool.