World leaders descend on the capital to bid Queen farewell
FROM near and far they came – emperors, royals, presidents and prime ministers.
They were united by the single purpose of paying their respects to the greatest monarch the modern world has seen.
More than 500 heads of state will attend tomorrow’s funeral for Queen Elizabeth.
But those expecting to witness presidential motorcades battle it out for space will largely be disappointed. Most will be ferried to Westminster Abbey in a convoy of coaches with blacked-out windows and flanked by a fleet of black vans, containing officers from the Met Police Counter Terrorism Command unit and bodyguards.
Each security team will this weekend pass their government identification to the police.they will also be monitored by the security services at MI5.
Even with individual vehicles limited, the event will still bring challenges for the Met Police elite Special Escort Group of armed motorcyclists, who are trained to keep convoys moving with minimal disruption.
The SEG has had to boost its ranks of riders to 200, using traffic police riders from neighbouring forces.
Police helicopters equipped with cameras will scan the route looking for anything out of the ordinary.their images are monitored by specialist surveillance staff who can pinpoint faces and number plates from the footage and, in the event of an incident, direct ground forces to the area.
While some guests, such as US President Joe Biden, have been granted exemptions on security grounds, we should expect no large motorcades.
Mr Biden, who will be staying at the US Embassy, will be allowed to make his own way in his armoured Cadillac, which weighs 20,000lbs and is known as the Beast.
His army of more than 150 secret service agents and armoured vehicles has already arrived at RAF Fairford.
The President’s security force also includes a small field hospital and a US special forces unit from a counter-terrorist force.
US Air Force Osprey V-22 and Black Hawk helicopters from the US Marine Corps will be on standby at a nearby RAF airfield to airlift the President to safety in the event of an attack.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron, Spain’s King Felipe VI, President Isaac Herzog of Israel and Emperor Naruhito of Japan are likely to be allowed to use their own transport. But with no motorcades permitted, their private escorts will be “limited”.
President Macron’s motorcade usually consists of three cars, three vans and six outrider motorcycles.
He could travel in his DS 7 Crossback – the luxury SUV made by French manufacturer DS Automobiles especially for his investiture. But he is more likely to use an armoured black Peugeot 5008.
Though the Spanish royal family owns three Rolls-royce Phantoms, one of which is armoured, King Felipe is likely to favour an armoured Mercedes-benz S-class.
Normally this would be accompanied by a 15-vehicle motorcade including BMW S-series escort vehicles.
President Herzog often travels in an armoured Volvo stretch limousine but is expected to favour an Audi A8 tomorrow.
Emperor Naruhito’s attendance is seen as a sign of respect and highlights the bonds formed between the two royal families during Her Majesty’s reign. The
‘It’s honouring Her Majesty’ ‘It’s not about grandstanding’
emperor usually travels in a 20ft bulletproof G51 Toyota Century Royal limousine but may opt for a G60 Toyota Century.
“There is no space in London tomorrow for motorcades,” said a source closely connected with the event.
“And, ultimately, this is about honouring Her Majesty the Queen. It’s not about grandstanding.”
The funeral will be one of the rare occasions where the Irish President and Taoiseach are out of the country at the same time.
President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina, along with Taoiseach Micheal Martin and his wife Mary, are among those attending the funeral.