LONDON — Hundreds of world leaders and the last members of the epically long line of mourners have paid their final respects. Britain is now ready to lay to rest its longest-serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, with billions thought to be watching around the globe to mark the end of a reign that defined an era.
After escorting the queen’s coffin to Westminster Abbey, the royal family joined 2,000 dignitaries at the state funeral for an hourlong service of tributes and prayer that culminated in a two-minute silence and the singing of the national anthem.
King Charles III and his siblings, as well as the queen’s grandsons, Princes William and Harry, joined the solemn procession behind her casket and through the heart of the British capital, with huge crowds lining the streets.
Elizabeth is now making her final journey to Windsor, where she will be buried alongside her late husband, Prince Philip, just over a year after his death.
Here’s what to know today:
- A line that stretched for miles along London’s River Thames has ended after the final public mourners paid their last respects to the queen early Monday.
- A gun carriage carried the queen’s coffin from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey, with King Charles III and other members of the royal family following behind.
- The grand state funeral featured tributes, prayers, and songs, with hundreds of world leaders and other dignitaries in attendance.
- A royal procession escorted the casket through a central London route lined by crowds in a country that has come to a near-standstill for the event.
- The queen’s coffin is now being taken to Windsor, where it is expected to arrive just after 3 p.m. local time (10 a.m. ET). She will there be laid to rest alongside her husband, Prince Philip.
REST IN HEAVEN, OUR QUEEN ELIZABETH…..