by Kate Holton and Michael Holden
LONDON (Reuters) – The British government asked people on Saturday not to travel to join the queue in front of Queen Elizabeth’s coffin, as the time needed to access it reached at least 24 hours.
Tens of thousands of people have already filed past the coffin, queuing for hours in the cold to pay their respects to the late Queen.
The Ministry of Culture said it would suspend access to the queue if demand becomes too great. “Please do not move,” he added at 00:00 GMT.
The funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, who died aged 96 on September 8 in Balmoral, Scotland, will take place in London on Monday.
After resting for 24 hours in Edinburgh, the Queen’s remains were airlifted to London on Tuesday evening, where tens of thousands of people thronged a usually busy road in the pouring rain to attend transportation of the flag-draped coffin to Buckingham Palace
On Friday evening, King Charles joined his three siblings – Princess Anne and Princes Andrew and Edward – for a silent vigil in front of the coffin, while their eight children, including William and Harry, will take part in another vigil later. on Saturday
Monday’s state funeral, attended by nearly 100 presidents and heads of government, including those of the United States, France, Australia, Japan, Jamaica and Canada, is likely to be one of the most great ceremonies ever held in Britain.
(French version Benjamin Mallet)
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