World leaders gather to give late Queen Elizabeth final respect

In what has been called the largest gathering of international leaders in years, thousands of police, hundreds of soldiers, and an army of bureaucrats made final preparations for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday.

Around 500 royals, presidents of state, and leaders of government from around the world have been invited to the funeral, according to CBS News, and the president of the United States, Joe Biden, has arrived in London with other dignitaries.

Eight of the late Queen's grandchildren gathered around her coffin on Saturday night for a solemn vigil, led by the heir to the throne, Prince William.

For everyone in line to go past the coffin before it is carried on a gun carriage to Westminster Abbey for the queen's funeral on Monday morning, the mile-long line at Westminster Hall closed to new arrivals on Sunday

People in the United Kingdom paused on Sunday night for a minute of silence to honor the memory of the queen, who passed away on September 8 at the age of 96 and ruled as monarch for 70 years.

The funeral will be televised to a massive television audience and shown to crowds in parks and public areas around the nation on Monday (today), which has been proclaimed a holiday.

People kept pouring into Westminster Hall, where the queen's coffin is being displayed in a stately manner, draped in the Royal Standard and topped with a crown studded with diamonds.

References

Punch.ng, 'World leaders gather for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral' (online, 2022)  https://punchng.com/world-leaders-gather-for-queen-elizabeths-funeral/