It didn’t go as well as planned. The assumption would be that the day before, on September 18, there would be 96 chimes from the Great Bell, Big Ben, from the northwest tower of the Palace of Westminster, seat of the British Parliament. The number symbolized the 96th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II and the action was intended to mark the national moment of reflection at the end of the monarch’s vigil. But the bell did not ring that day. This Monday 19 was held the last day of the funeral acts of the Head of State with the longest reign in the United Kingdom, 70 years. And Big Ben did not fail: at 9 am it did its job, it continued throughout the morning, playing in minute intervals. Elizabeth II died 11 days earlier, on September 8.
The funeral of the Head of State of the United Kingdom was the largest operation in history, larger than the Olympics or the Jubilee: Heathrow airport canceled 100 flights so that no moment was not interrupted by aircraft noise. and even Westminster street signs were removed to prepare the streets for processions. After five days of official funeral of the Queen (which meant that around 750,000 visitors had to wait 35 hours in line to say goodbye to the monarch), the last day of farewell arrived: from the Palace of Westminster, the urn that was carrying The remains of the queen left the burning chamber and continued in procession to Westminster Abbey: the doors open from 8 am to receive the approximately two thousand guests. Two more processions followed from there, one to Windsor and another to Capela de São Jorge. Although more intimate, it was here that the last public religious service took place – the next one, which ends with the burial of Elizabeth II in the tomb of the royal family, together with the mortal remains of her parents and her sister – took place far from the screens. .
From the guests to the jewelry to the speeches, here’s everything that happened in the last six hours.
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Source: Observadora
