King Charles gives thanks for nation’s support and comfort on eve of funeral
THE King issued a message of thanks to the nation on the eve of the Queen’s funeral.
Charles said he wanted, “as we all prepare to say our last farewell”, to offer his gratitude to “all those countless people who have
been such a support and comfort to my family and myself in this time of grief”.
He said he and the Queen Consort were “deeply touched” by the many messages they had received from around the world, and “moved beyond measure” by those who turned out to pay their respects throughout the UK to “my dear mother”.
Charles will lead the nation in mourning for its longest reigning monarch today as Westminster Abbey stages a spectacular state funeral for Elizabeth II.
Two thousand people including foreign royals, world leaders, presidents and prime ministers will flock to the gothic church for a day of pageantry, military processions and solemnity in honour of the late Queen.
Charles said, in the written message issued by Buckingham Palace: “Over the last 10 days, my wife and
I have been so deeply touched by the many messages of condolence and support we have received from this country and across the world.
“In London, Edinburgh, Hillsborough and Cardiff we were moved beyond measure by everyone who took the trouble to come and pay their respects to the lifelong service of my dear mother, The late Queen.
“As we all prepare to say our last farewell, I wanted simply to take this opportunity to say thank you to all those countless people who have been such a support and comfort to my Family and myself in this time of grief.”
The Queen’s state funeral will be broadcast across Britain in several cinemas, cathedrals and parks, but there will be no mass gathering to watch the funeral in Wales, as things stand.
In England there will be a host of big screens showing the Queen’s funeral where huge crowds are expected, including in Leeds, Ipswich, Norwich, Nottingham,
Lincoln, Bedford, Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Durham and many more.
In Scotland, Edinburgh will screen the funeral at Holyrood Park, while in Northern Ireland people will gather to watch the service in Coleraine and Lisburn.
But no local authorities in Wales are planning any screenings, nor is there to be a service of commemoration.
The late Queen’s lying in state will continue until 6.30am today. The coffin will then be taken in a grand military procession from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey for the state funeral at 11am.
Senior members of the family are expected to follow behind, just as they did for the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh. The military will line the streets and also join the procession. Heads of state, prime ministers and presidents, members of European royal families and key figures from public life will be invited to gather in the abbey, which can hold a congregation of 2,000.
For those who would like to watch the service and pay their respects in Wales, the service will be televised and a national two minutes’ silence will follow the Last Post being sounded at 11.55am.
Reveille, the national anthem and a lament, played by the Queen’s Piper, will bring the state funeral service to an end at approximately noon.
After the service, the coffin will be taken in procession from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch and then travel to Windsor. The hearse will then travel in procession to St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle via the Long Walk, after which a televised committal service will take place in St George’s Chapel.
Later in the evening, there will be a private interment service with senior members of the royal family. The Queen’s final resting place will be the King George VI memorial chapel, an annex to the main chapel – where her mother and father were buried, along with the ashes of her sister, Princess Margaret. Philip’s coffin will move from the Royal Vault to the memorial chapel to join the Queen’s.