Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin will be transported during a silent procession today to Westminster Hall from Buckingham Palace.
There, Her Majesty will lie in state until her funeral on Monday at Westminster Abbey. Afterward, she will be laid to rest at St. George’s Chapel, next to her husband, Prince Philip, who died last year.
On Tuesday, the mood was somber as a C-17 airplane landed with Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin at Royal Air Force Northolt base in London. The base was quiet as pallbearers from the Queen’s Colour Squadron of the air force carried the colorfully draped coffin off the aircraft.
Princess Anne, the queen’s only daughter, accompanied the coffin on its flight from Edinburgh, Scotland. In a statement, Princess Anne said it had been “an honor and a privilege” to be on flight with her mother.
From the airport, the coffin was taken to Buckingham Palace, where it was met by applause and cheers by a large crowd who watched the arrival of the hearse carrying the queen’s coffin.
Also on Tuesday, King Charles III paid his first visit as the United Kingdom’s monarch to Northern Ireland. Accompanied by Queen Camilla, King Charles looked at floral tributes to the queen at the royal residence, Hillsborough Castle. Afterward, the king and the queen consort attended a prayer service at St. Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast.
— Dave Mason
