France Press agency
NOS . News•
More than three kilometers. That’s the length of the line tonight with folks who want to finally say goodbye to Queen Elizabeth. She has been lying in Westminster Hall in London since this afternoon. This is where the crowds begin, continuing over Lambeth Bridge and along the banks of the Thames.
After the procession from Buckingham Palace came Coffin with Queen Elizabeth in Westminster Hall this afternoon. Everyone is welcome here, until the state funeral next Monday, to bid farewell to the Queen. Right after five o’clock this afternoon, this is called “Lying in the stateThe first visitors bypassed the oak and lead sarcophagus. Hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to do so in the coming days.
These Brits tell us why they want to queue for hours for the Queen:
“In a certain and beautiful way, Queen Elizabeth has been the backdrop in our lives”
People of all ages and backgrounds came to Westminster Hall tonight. There are fathers with children, and veterans in uniform, but there are also members of the British House of Lords. Some visitors wore black mourning clothes and others wore jeans and sneakers. A visitor bows as he passes the coffin, and another sends a final kiss.
As much time as you want
One of those present at the Old Parliament House is Chris Bond. He’s from Truro in southwest England, and he waited for hours to see the Queen’s coffin. “Of course it’s very hard to stand in line all day, but when you walk through those doors into Westminster Hall – that beautiful historic building – there is a great sense of silence,” he said. “You can take as much time as you want, which is great.”
Several visitors gathered in London on Tuesday evening to look at the coffin with the Queen today. They spent the night in the street in raincoats and tents. “We’ll do it again in a heartbeat,” said a woman in the see-through poncho early in the morning. “The Queen has sat on the throne for 70 years and we only gave up for one day. We are very happy to do so.”
Esther Ravinor, a Kenyan living in the UK, also watched the rally in London this afternoon. “I love the Queen, I love the royal family, I had to be here,” she said. According to Ravenor, Elizabeth was a “role model” who loved everyone. The latter was particularly important to Kenyans, who immigrated to the United Kingdom thirty years earlier. “I’m allowed to come here, and I’m free and safe here, so I really honor her. She’s been such a big part of my life.”
