Late British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II’s lying-in-state will take place before her funeral at Westminster Hall. Buckingham Palace in a statement said, “During the lying-in-state, members of the public will have the opportunity to visit Westminster Hall to pay their respects to the Queen”.
How people can attend the lying-in-state at the Palace of Westminster has been defined in details. At this occasion, a large crowd is expected. To handle the situation warnings have been issued for those who would attend it for they have to wait for hours and maybe as long as a full night. Accordingly, people have been asked to being eatables and drinks along with appropriate clothing. People will be allowed to attend the lying-in-state for 24 hours during the said period.
The lying-in-state will start at 17:00 BST on Wednesday, that is 14th September and will continue until 18:30 on Monday morning, that is 19th September. On the same day, late Queen’s coffin will be taken for the funeral procession from the Palace of Westminster to the Westminster Abbey, the venue for the state funeral service.
Before Queen Elizabeth II, her mother Queen Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the last member of the Royal Family to have lied-in-state. Over 200,000 people lined-up to pay her their last respects. Talking about the Queen’s funeral, the Dean of Westminster dubbed the occasion as the “living tradition in action”. The 39th Dean of Westminster, Very Reverend David Hoyle said, “it would be an opportunity for us to give thanks for an extraordinary life… and an opportunity, if you like, for us to give the grief somewhere to go.”
Soon after the Queen died peacefully at her Balmoral Estate home in Scotland on Thursday many mourners are giving floral tributes at various places she was close to like, Buckingham Palace, Sandringham House and even Windsor Castle. People are following her last journey from her funeral cortege from Balmoral to Edinburgh on Sunday and will continue till her funeral in London.
Prince Andrew, Ex-Wife to take care of Queen’s Corgis
Queen Elizabeth II’s third child and second son, Prince Andrew and his former wife Sarah Ferguson will now take care of the Queen’s corgi dogs post her death. They will take the responsibility of Muick and Sandy, Andrew’s spokesman informed. Both the Queen’s son and his ex-wife had given the dogs to her as a gift. The Queen’s dresser said that the dogs were her best company and biggest comfort during the Covid-19 pandemic. Muick entered the royal family in early 2021 and a ‘dorgi’ which is a cross breed of a corgi and a dachshund, named Fergus. After Fergus died, being only for five months, Andrew and his daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, gave the Queen Sandy for her 95th birthday. This was also the year when the Prince left his public duties following a scandal over his relationship with convicted US paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Antigua and Barbuda might vote to become a republic
The two Caribbean countries might vote on becoming a republic after the Queen’s death, said the country’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne. Rejecting the move as ‘being an act of hostility, Browne said that a referendum for the same could come in within three years. The comments came in after Charles III was confirmed as King and head of state of the country. Browne expressed his intention to bring in the referendum after getting re-elected next year. Australia had earlier disqualified a comparable vote during the following four years.
