Royal pallbearers took small, precise steps in unison Wednesday as they lifted Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin down the length of Westminster Hall before a large crowd, two choirs and clergy.
Her Majesty will lie in state here until her funeral Monday at Westminster Abbey.
Dressed in a military uniform, King Charles III stood quietly during Wednesday’s short service honoring his mother, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. Speakers were Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, and David Hoyle, the dean of Westminster.
During the queen’s final journey from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, the king walked behind the horse-drawn hearse carrying his mother’s coffin. The king was joined by his siblings, and Prince William, the heir to the throne and now the Prince of Wales, and his brother Prince Harry, who lives in Montecito, walked next to each other.
Draped over the coffin was the bright, red and yellow royal standard, and the coffin was adorned by Queen Elizabeth II’s crown. Soldiers marched next to her.
— Dave Mason
