Earl tells of an ‘unimaginable void in all our lives’ after Queen’s death
THE Earl of Wessex said the death of Queen Elizabeth II has left “an unimaginable void in all our lives”, adding: “We have been overwhelmed by the tide of emotion that has engulfed us.”
In a statement issued yesterday as the Queen’s lying in state at Westminster Hall continued, the Earl of Wessex said the Royal Family had been “overwhelmed by the tide of emotion” following her death and thanked the public for their support.
He said: “As a family, we have grown up learning to share our parents, especially our beloved mama, with the nation, her realms and the Commonwealth.
“While it has been lovely to have spent time saying our own farewell privately at Balmoral, it is now time to allow others to be able to say their farewell.
“We have been overwhelmed by the tide of emotion that has engulfed us and the sheer number of people who have gone out of their way to express their own love, admiration and respect to such a very special and unique person who was always there for us. And now, we are there for her, united in grief. Thank you for your support, you have no idea how much it means.
“The Queen’s passing has left an unimaginable void in all our lives.”
The Earl and Countess of Wessex spoke with stewards and Crown
Estate staff before laying flowers given to them by the crowd outside Windsor Castle.
Sophie, dressed in black, placed the bouquets while Edward smiled as he read some of the messages left for his mother.
The Prince and Princess of Wales spoke of how “strange” it has been going from the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee to her funeral in a matter of months.
William and Kate were speaking with troops from the Commonwealth, who are taking part in the late monarch’s funeral, at Army Training Centre Pirbright in Surrey, yesterday.
William, talking with troops from Australia, was heard saying the difference between the celebrations in June and the funeral preparations shows “the highs and lows of it all”.
Meanwhile, Kate, who was speaking with Canadian military personnel, said: “Going from that (the Jubilee) to this in a few months is very strange.”
Eight of the Queen’s grandchildren will stand vigil beside her coffin in Westminster Hall for 15 minutes tonight, royal sources have confirmed.
The Prince of Wales will stand at the head, the Duke of Sussex at the foot. At the King’s request, they will both be in uniform.
The other grandchildren will be in morning suits and dark formal dresses with decorations.
William will be flanked by his cousins Zara Tindall and Peter Philips, the children of the Princess Royal; while Harry will be with the Duke of York’s daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
Lady Louise and Viscount Severn will stand near the middle of their grandmother’s coffin.
The grandchildren, at the King’s invitation, are said to be very keen to pay their respects – just as their parents the King, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex did last night.
The queue to reach the Queen’s coffin has taken some mourners more than nine hours to complete but many said the long wait was worth it. At one point during the second night of the Queen’s lying in state, those lining up in the queue which hugged the south banks of the River Thames were told the wait time had swelled to 14 hours.
As of 11.30pm on Thursday, the queue was 4.9 miles long, drifting back as far as Southwark Park in Bermondsey, with an estimated wait time of nine hours.
A little over two hours later, the wait time had jumped to 14 hours, although the mileage of the queue remained the same.
By 5.30am yesterday, it was once again at nine hours with the actual length shrinking to 3.6 miles.
Nurse Melanie Pickman, 50, a mother-of-three from Swansea, said: “My sons think I’m mad because I have come to London to stand in a queue which some people say could be 30 hours long.
“Last night I thought about it and I made the decision to come first thing this morning. I just thought that I needed to come.
“We will never see this again. She served our country for such a long time. We owe it to her to show our
respect. Look at all these people who have shown up to queue – she has made them happy.
“She may be the Queen but she is also somebody’s mum, aunty and granny. I just think she is part of us as well. We have been lucky to have her.”
Mourners said there was “breathtaking” serenity awaiting them in Westminster Hall where “you could hear a pin drop” in the silence.
The queue started moving again yesterday after a pause when it reached full capacity. Officials stopped people joining the queue entirely at around 11.35am at the entrance to Southwark Park due to overwhelming demand.
Before noon, officials had placed a sign at the entrance to the park reading: “Entry to Her Majesty’s lying in state queue is temporarily paused.
“Lying in state queue wait time from this point minimum 14 hours.”
Downing Street said the queue system is going to plan.
A Number 10 spokeswoman directed questions to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), but it was “the case that what DCMS have done is they’ve temporarily paused the queue for at least six hours after it reached maximum capacity.
“That has always been part of our planning and that is to make sure as many people as possible in the queue can enter the Palace of Westminster.”
Mourners, however, were urged not to join the line until at least 4pm by the DCMS.
Helena Larsen, 76, only just missed out on instant entry, but said she was prepared to wait despite being in recovery from a back injury.
Former England football captain David Beckham joined the queue for the Queen’s lying in state at 2am yesterday, and said it was “special to be here”.
He said: “This day was always going to be difficult, and it’s difficult for the nation, it’s difficult for everyone around the world, because I think everyone is feeling it, and our thoughts are with the family and obviously with everybody here today.
“Because it’s special to be here, to celebrate, and to hear the different stories that people have to say.”
Speaking about joining the queue, he added: “I thought by coming at 2am it was going to be a little bit quieter – I was wrong.”
Also spotted in the queue were broadcasters Phillip Schofield, Holly Willoughby and Susanna Reid, and reality TV star Sharon Osbourne.
Firefighters were seen handing out bottles of water, volunteers from the Samaritans were available and there was a noticeable presence of stewards, police and portable toilets along the route.