Live updates: Mourners defy advice, still join huge line to see the queen
The Bidens arrived at Buckingham Palace to welcome King Charles
The President and First Lady arrive at Buckingham Palace for a reception by King Charles III ahead of the Queen’s state funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday.
The President and First Lady paid their respects to Queen Elizabeth II in London.
Biden signed a book of condolence for the Queen.
Biden signed a book of condolence for the Queen, with the First Lady standing behind him, at Lancaster House.
In brief remarks after the signing, the president praised the Queen for her “honorable” service and recalled the times she would take him to tea, saying he “kept eating everything she made.” was placed in front of me.”
“It’s a loss that leaves a huge hole that sometimes you think you’ll never get over,” Biden said. “But as I have told the king, she will be with him every step of the way.”
Jill later signed a separate book of condolence under the stairs at the mansion in London’s West End.
A veteran of the British Army joined the line to see the Queen.
A British army veteran has traveled more than 160 miles to join a long queue of people in London to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II.
Sporting a chest full of medals from his years of military service, Bob Thompson, 61, said he and his wife had come from Somerset, southwest England, for the funeral.
“We made a last-minute decision to join the queue,” Thompson said. The military veteran added that he did not mind waiting in line for an estimated 14 hours to get to Westminster Hall in central London, where the Queen lies in state.
“I’m turning 62 tomorrow,” he said. “I’ll spend it with the Queen.”
The Bidens pay their respects to the Queen at Westminster Hall.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visited Westminster Hall on Sunday to pay their respects to the Queen as she lay in state.
After they arrived, the Bidens were seen watching mourners on a balcony with US Ambassador to the UK Jane Hartley. The president, who is Catholic, made the sign of the cross to the crowd.
Imperial traditions embedded in the state endure a century of change.
when Queen Elizabeth IIHis grandfather, King George V, died 86 years ago, many homes in Britain had little or no electricity and a large proportion of the population still lived in slums.
Life in 1936 is unrecognizable to Britons today. But despite nearly a century of change, images from The queen is lying in state. This week there are almost exact copies of them as George V lay in state.
Both used the same vast, medieval Westminster Hall with a casket on a royal purple platform in the middle. At one end of the casket is a brass cross, over which the royal standard is draped, and tall candles and ceremonial guards in red and gold are carefully placed around it.
Historians say that maintaining such Traditions A constant passage of time is essential to maintain the reverence of the monarchy.
The Chinese authorities prevented the queen from leaving.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, told the BBC on Sunday that Chinese officials had been barred from entering Westminster Hall, where the Queen is lying.
The decision to bar Chinese ambassadors and accredited officials from visiting Westminster Hall in Parliament followed Beijing’s approval last year of seven members of the British Parliament and one peer.
“It is not acceptable to hold receptions in the House of Commons when MPs and peers have been approved,” he said.
‘You’re doing great!’ The steward is happy as thousands of people queue up.
As the public marched through tables in Southwark Park to raise their wrists in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster, steward Rabia Sheikh cheered them on.
“Good evening, beautiful people,” Sheikh, 33, said with a smile, and with an increasingly hoarse voice, “You’re doing great! Great.”
A muffled big bean to punctuate the final days of mourning
Parliament’s famous clock chime, known as Big Ben, will chime at 8 p.m. (3 p.m. ET) on Sunday in what the government has called a national moment of reflection.
The bell will then be rung again after a minute of silence, with a muffler used to create a hushed tone, according to a statement from Parliament. Big Ben will toll again at one-minute intervals on Monday as a huge procession leaves after the state funeral service.
‘Dear Mum’: Prince Andrew’s personal tribute to Queen
Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth II’s third child and second son, paid personal tribute to the late monarch on Sunday.
“Mother, I will always remember your love for your son, your kindness, your care, your trust,” the Duke of York said in a statement.
In recent years, Andrew has defended himself against allegations of sexual abuse of underage women through his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, who was convicted of fathering a child for prostitution.
In January, Buckingham Palace announced that Andrew was returning his military affiliation and royal patronage to his mother, the Queen. In February, he settled a lawsuit with Virginia Gaffry, who alleged that she was 17 when she was trafficked by Epstein and raped by Andrew.
‘Worth it’: Mourners who joined the line at 2:30 a.m. have no regrets.
Dave Wheeler, from Birmingham, said he picked up a wristband that would allow him to see the Queen lying down in Southwark Park, south London, at around 2.30am on Sunday.
By 10 a.m. he was near the London Eye, a short walk from Westminster Hall where Elizabeth’s coffin is kept. He figured he had another dozen hours of slow walking before he reached the queen.
“It’s worth it,” Wheeler, 71, said. “The biggest challenge facing King Charles is keeping the Commonwealth together. The Queen was the glue.”
More than 1,000 mourners in the line have received medical attention.
London’s Ambulance Service said on Sunday that more than 1,000 people had been receiving medical attention in and around the Queen’s coffin since Wednesday.
Of the nearly 300 patients, 17 were taken to hospital on Wednesday, it said. On Saturday, the number had gone up to 55 out of 400. Mourners stood in long queues for hours braving the cold weather.
The Queen’s love of animals extended beyond corgis.
They are notorious in the United States as winged rats. But in Great Britain, pigeons hold a more revered position as accomplished racers and the lesser-known favorites of Queen Elizabeth II.
Long before the Queen became Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, the young princess took a keen interest in animals of all shapes and sizes, including pigeons, horses and, of course, corgis.
She was also a keen sportswoman, often seen lounging with Prince Philip in Scotland or driving herself around the stables at Sandringham Estate. His trademark printed headscarves, tweeds and galoshes used on hunting, shooting and fishing expeditions were as recognizable as his handbags.
King Charles III will host the new British Prime Minister, foreign leaders.
Britain’s new King Charles III, Camilla, the Queen Consort and other royals will host a reception for foreign guests and heads of state at Buckingham Palace on Sunday evening.
Before the reception, the King will meet with the Prime Ministers of Tuvalu, Antigua and Barbuda and Papua New Guinea.
And at lunchtime, the monarch will also host UK Prime Minister-elect Liz Truss at Buckingham Palace.
They stand in queues overnight to pay their respects.
Queen Elizabeth’s Complicated LGBTQ Legacy
In 1952, when Queen Elizabeth II took over the throne after her father’s death, homosexuality was criminalized in Britain. The same laws were brought to the Commonwealth countries that it colonized.
By the time of his death, the landscape of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer rights looked dramatically different – at least in the UK – due to the fact that he supported many LGBTQ rights such as same-sex marriage. Proactive measures were approved.
This support led some to argue that she was a “silent” supporter of LGBTQ rights, but to others she was just doing her job.
People respect him
A man has been charged in the incident near the Queen’s coffin.
London police said on Saturday that a man has been charged in connection with an incident at Westminster Hall on Friday, where the Queen was lying in state.
A 28-year-old man was arrested and charged with causing alarm, harassment or nuisance, according to a statement from London’s Metropolitan Police. He was due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
A parliamentary spokesman said a man “walked out of the queue and towards the Catafalque”, or platform.
The spokesman said the man was removed from the hall and the queue resumed with “minimal disruption”.
The platform on which the Queen’s coffin is placed was guarded at all times by the Sovereign’s Bodyguard, Foot Guards or the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment.