LONDON — King Charles III makes an unannounced visit to greet those waiting in line past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II.
Prince Charles and his son, Prince William, lined the miles-long line near Lambeth Bridge on Saturday to shake hands with mourners and thank them.
Since Prince Charles took the throne on September 8, he has taken several impromptu walks to meet as many of his subjects as possible.
Thousands of people line up at Westminster Hall to see the Queen’s coffin, despite waiting times of over 16 hours.
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Other developments:
LONDON — King Charles III has spent much of his day meeting with dignitaries who arrived in London for his mother’s funeral on Monday.
On Saturday morning, he held an audience with the country’s military chiefs at Buckingham Palace. They provided thousands of military personnel to participate in the lavish ceremonies surrounding Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, helping clear busy roads and performing other ceremonial duties. .
In the early afternoon, the King was hosting a reception for the Kingdom’s Governor-General – the monarch’s representatives in former British colonies ranging from Antigua and Barbuda to Tuvalu.
And later in the day Charles was meeting with prime ministers including Justin Trudeau of Canada, Anthony Albanese of Australia, Philip Davis of the Bahamas, Andrew Holness of Jamaica and Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand.
WINDSOR, UK — Hundreds of troops from the British Army, Air Force and Navy took part in the first full rehearsal of the march to carry Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin to its final resting place.
Troops lined The Long Walk, a picturesque pathway leading to Windsor Castle, and early Saturday morning drums rang out as marching bands walked in front of hearses.
On Monday, they will do the same, surrounded by thousands of people who plan to travel to Windsor to say a final farewell to the Queen, who died last week at the age of 96.
Her funeral will be held at Westminster Abbey on Monday in front of about 2,000 guests, including the visiting head of state. After the church service, the late Queen’s coffin is taken by horse-drawn carriage to the historic center of London.
She will then be taken by hearse to Windsor where she will be buried with her late husband, Prince Philip, who died last year.
Some people who couldn’t be in Windsor on Monday decided to get up early to watch Saturday’s rehearsal.
Local resident Catherine Horsfall said she set an alarm for 3:15 am.
BEIJING — China announced Saturday that Vice President Wang Qishan will attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II as special representative of President Xi Jinping.
A group of British parliamentarians subject to Chinese sanctions expressed concern that the Chinese government had been invited to the funeral. One person told the BBC that the invitation should be revoked because of human rights violations in the treatment of Uyghurs in far-western China’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.
A close ally of Xi Jinping, Wang was a member of the all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee of the ruling Communist Party from 2012 to 2017. Chinese leader.
Wang was named vice president in 2018, mostly for ceremonial purposes, and often attends events on behalf of Xi.
TOKYO — Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako left for Britain on Saturday to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, paying tribute to her and the British royal family, considered a model for Japan’s monarchy in modern history. represented.
The decision to have Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress attend the Queen’s funeral underscores the importance and deep ties between royal families. Traditionally, Japanese emperors avoid funerals, except those of their own parents, due to cultural beliefs based on the Shinto religion that view death as impure.
Former Emperor Akihito attended the Queen’s 1953 coronation and 2012 Diamond Jubilee as Crown Prince. Queen Elizabeth She visited Japan in 1975.
Naruhito and Masako’s visit to the UK will be their first as Emperor and Empress. After Emperor Naruhito was elevated to the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019, the Queen’s invitation to visit had to be postponed due to the pandemic.
LONDON — King Charles III and his three brothers stand guard around his mother’s coffin in Westminster Hall, London.
Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward stood with their backs to Queen Elizabeth II’s flag-decorated coffin and bowed.
Members of the public who had lined up for hours to pay their last respects kept passing by as the royal family stayed up all night at the historic event.
On Saturday, the Queen’s eight grandchildren will hold a similar memorial service.
