The essential
- Some 2,000 guests, including heads of state and government from around the world, will gather at Westminster Abbey, where Elizabeth II was crowned in 1953, for the culmination of emotional tributes since the death of the monarch to planetary popularity. The funeral will begin around noon French time.
- Elizabeth II will then be buried privately on Monday September 19 in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, west London, with her father, King George VI, and her husband, Prince Philip. .
- French President Emmanuel Macron came on Sunday evening with his wife Brigitte. “We share the pain of the British,” he told reporters earlier.
- The sovereign, who died at 96, was extremely popular after seventy years of reign, an unprecedented longevity in British history. To the point that tens, even hundreds of thousands of people have lined up, up to more than 24 hours, night and day, since Wednesday to gather in front of his coffin, exposed in Westminster Hall, the oldest room of parliament British.
07:30 – Eight soldiers to carry the queen’s coffin
Eight soldiers from the 1st Battalion, Queen’s Company Grenadier Guards will have the daunting task of carrying the Queen’s coffin from Westminster Hall to the gun carriage and then carrying her inside Westminster Abbey a once the procession is over. This regiment is one of five Sovereign’s Household Guard infantry regiments and one of the oldest units in the British Army. The uniform of its members, recognizable by the high bear hair cap, was borrowed from the grenadiers of Napoleon’s Imperial Guard defeated at Waterloo. These soldiers will be accompanied by agents of the service of the queen’s squires.
07:10 – The popularity rating of the British monarchy on the rise
Since the seventieth anniversary celebrations of Elizabeth II’s reign in June, the proportion of Britons who want to keep the monarchy has risen by five points, to 67%, according to a YouGov poll published on Sunday. Charles, now Charles III, recorded a jump in popularity (70% favorable opinions), but remained behind his son William (84%) and his wife, Kate (80%).
06:55 – Who are the guests and notable absentees from the ceremony?
The funeral of the British sovereign takes place Monday in the presence of leaders from around the world, while others will be conspicuous by their absence. Among the expected leaders is Joe Biden, accompanied by his wife Jill, with whom he arrived in London on Saturday. Despite a busy diplomatic agenda, Emmanuel Macron is also present this Sunday evening at a reception organized by Charles III at Buckingham Palace, before going to the funeral on Monday. The French president wants to show by his presence the “unbreakable” link of his country with the United Kingdom and to pay tribute to an “eternal queen”.
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Despite the tensions that followed Brexit, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, will also make the trip. Among the other expected leaders, we should see in London on Monday the presidents Sergio Mattarella (Italy), Frank-Walter Steinmeier (Germany), Isaac Herzog (Israel) or even Yoon Suk-yeol (South Korea). The Queen’s funeral is also an opportunity for the 56 members of the Commonwealth, which mainly includes former British colonies and 14 kingdoms, to meet. China will be represented by its vice-president Wang Qishan, despite the tensions between the two countries. The invitation sent to Mohammed bin Salman, crown prince of Saudi Arabia, has also been controversial given the accusations against him relating to the execution of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
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Unsurprisingly, many crowned heads from Europe and elsewhere have confirmed their presence at the sovereign’s funeral. King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Queen Maxima and Princess Beatrix, King Philippe of the Belgians, King Harald V of Norway and Prince Albert II of Monaco will all be present. Queen Margrethe of Denmark, a distant cousin of Queen Elizabeth and now Europe’s only reigning queen, will be present. The King of Spain Felipe VI will be there, but also his father Juan Carlos I, who abdicated in 2014 and now lives in exile in the United Arab Emirates. Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will come on their first overseas trip since assuming the throne in 2019, a break from Japanese tradition that rarely sees the emperor attend a funeral. The Sultan of Oman, the Emir of Qatar or the President of the United Arab Emirates, whose countries have strong commercial relations with the United Kingdom, will also make the trip. The Pope will not be present, but will be represented by British Archbishop Paul Gallagher.
Read also Elizabeth II – Unprecedented concentration of crowned heads for the funeral
As for the absentees, Russia and Belarus are among a small group of nations that will be excluded from the Queen’s funeral after Moscow invades Ukraine. The British agency PA also indicates that Syria and Afghanistan, countries at war whose leaders have not been recognized by the international community, were not invited either. The same treatment for Venezuela, which has been in a political crisis for several years and whose diplomatic relations with London have been severed, and Myanmar, victim of a coup d’etat in 2021. PA specifies that there will nevertheless be representatives “at the level of the embassy” for North Korea, led by dictator Kim Jong-un, as well as for Nicaragua and Iran.
6:40 a.m. – How to watch the funeral?
This Monday, channels around the world will be turned to England for a final farewell to the Queen. In France, several channels are mobilizing for the event. TF1 and its LCI info channel, Canal 26, will be on the air for the Queen’s funeral. The special edition The farewell will offer live from London, journalists Stefan Etcheverry, Adrien Gindre and Margot Haddad will be seated on a set overlooking Westminster Hall, where speakers will join them throughout the day.
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For its part, France 2 is also setting up a special system. From 6 a.m., Samuel Étienne and Élodie Largenton will be at the helm of a dedicated “6 o’clock info” before they are relayed by Telematin with Thomas Sotto and Julia Vignali, who will offer a zoom of events until 9:40 a.m. Then, Julian Bugier will take control of a special edition alongside Stéphane Bern. The news channel of the France Télévisions group, France Info, will also devote its antenna to the funeral of the queen. The other news channels, such as BFMTV and CNews, on channels 15 and 16 will actively and continuously monitor all the procedures put in place for the funeral of Elizabeth II. Also note that the official Twitter account of the Royal Family of England and its YouTube channel will also broadcast information about the ceremony.
06:27 – The program of the day