Death of Elizabeth II: Charles III thanks the public on the eve of the funeral



Lhe popular parade is nearing its end and official delegations are flocking to the United Kingdom before bidding farewell to Elizabeth II. The public has only a few hours left on Sunday September 18 to gather at the queen’s coffin, before the state funeral on Monday in the presence of leaders from around the world. In the evening, King Charles III thanked the “countless people” who have supported himself and his family since the death of his mother Elizabeth II on September 8. “As we all prepare to say our last goodbyes, I just wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of those countless people who have been such a support and comfort to me and my family during this time. period of mourning, ”wrote the sovereign in a press release published on the eve of the funeral of Elizabeth II.

The President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, arrived in London in the afternoon. He will join Joe Biden in the evening, who arrived in London on Saturday evening, as well as other foreign heads of state brought together by Charles III on Sunday at the end of the day, the first major diplomatic meeting of the new 73-year-old sovereign. The American president gathered in front of the coffin of Elizabeth II in London on Sunday, like many foreign leaders who came for the funeral of the sovereign on Monday. Joe Biden, accompanied by his wife Jill, made the sign of the cross from a gallery in Westminster Hall, where the public has been parading since Wednesday and where European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the king have already visited during the day. of Spain, Felipe VI. Joe Biden then took the floor, paying tribute to the “dignity” of Queen Elizabeth II.

The heads of state will meet Monday morning among the 2,000 guests of Westminster Abbey, where Elizabeth II was crowned in 1953, for the high point of the tributes paid in immense emotion since the death on September 8 of the monarch with planetary popularity. The public will still have until 6:30 a.m. (7:30 a.m. in Paris) that day to gather in Westminster Hall, the oldest room in the British Parliament, in front of the coffin of the one who has crossed the ages with the same meaning. of duty.

But given the considerable waiting time to parade in front of the coffin – 5 p.m. announced on Saturday evening – the queue should be closed by the end of the day to new arrivals. At 8 p.m. local time (9 p.m. in Paris), the United Kingdom will come to a standstill for a “moment of reflection” in memory of this sovereign with unprecedented longevity in her history.

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While hundreds of thousands of people followed one another in front of the remains of the sovereign, only one incident was noted: a man was charged with disturbing public order after leaving the queue and approaching the coffin on Friday , the Metropolitan Police said in a statement on Saturday evening.

The royal family multiplies the meetings with the public

On Saturday, King Charles and his son Prince William enjoyed a surprise walkabout near Lambeth Bridge. The new sovereign, far less popular than his mother was, exchanged a few words and shook hands, as he has done on several occasions during his tour this week through the four nations of the United Kingdom, from Belfast to Cardiff. “I saw the king! Our eyes met ! Jubilee Geraldine Potts-Ahmad, in tears. “He will become the best king,” predicted the fifty-year-old, still under the influence of emotion.

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Now Prince of Wales, William, 40, took part on Saturday with his brother Harry, with whom he has a notoriously difficult relationship, in a vigil around the coffin, with the Queen’s six other grandchildren. The two brothers were both in military uniform, an outfit that Harry had not worn since his resounding retirement from the monarchy, while the public continued to file on either side of the coffin. On Friday, the four children of the queen had led a similar vigil.

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As if to both gauge and maintain the bond between the British and the royal family, children and grandchildren of the queen so beloved by the British have multiplied meetings with the public in recent days, while the period of mourning crushes all other UK news. Early Saturday afternoon, Prince Edward and his wife Sophie greeted the crowd gathered near Buckingham Palace, the official residence of Elizabeth II during her more than 70 years of reign, until her death at the 96-year-old at Scottish Balmoral Castle.

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An unprecedented challenge for London police

In a recorded video message which will be broadcast on the BBC on Sunday, Queen Consort Camilla paid tribute to the sovereign, “who has always been a part of our lives”, and insisted on the difficulties that Elizabeth II, ” solitary woman”, encountered in a world of predominantly male heads of state and government.

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The organization of the state funeral, the first since that of Winston Churchill in 1965, represents an unprecedented challenge for the police in London. “The biggest operation” ever carried out by the London police, said the mayor of the capital Sadiq Khan, during the visit of Charles and William to a command center on Saturday. Backstage, rehearsals are in full swing, and around Westminster Hall, the most ardent are already camped out to ensure their place in the front row.

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Coming from the north of England, Magdalena Staples, who will have spent three nights under the tent with her family, explains to Agence France Presse that she wants her children to “live the same experience” as her, when she attended there. 25 years at Lady Di’s funeral. After a final procession, Elizabeth II will be buried privately on Monday in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, west London, next to her father King George VI and her husband Prince Philip.




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