For Queen Elizabeth ||, World leaders and renowned politicians across the globe have traveled to London to bid their final goodbyes to the monarch who sat on the British throne and ruled for 70 years.
The state funeral is taking place at noon in the 900-year-old Westminster Hall. The Queen died at the age of 96, surrounded by her loved ones at her beloved castle Balmoral in Scotland.
The Westminster Hall has opened to those in attendance of the Queen’s funeral service, expected to be about 2,000 people, including world leaders, current and former UK politicians, as well as healthcare workers and volunteers.
The US President Joe Biden and his wife, France’s Emmanuel Macron, and Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska would be at the funeral service at noon. European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen will represent the bloc in London.
UK’s new Prime Minister Liz Truss will be in attendance along with all living former PMs: John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May, and Boris Johnson.
An estimated 300,000 people have paid their respects at Westminster Hall over the past four days, with the wait time reaching up to 17 hours. Although the authorities control who and who they can allow there.
Dignitaries and other guests had arrived, with many heads of state gathering at the Royal Hospital Chelsea nearby to be driven by bus to the abbey. Westminster was where the Queen was crowned in 1953.
