They came from around the world and waited patiently for hours to pay their respects to an adored monarch and be part of an unforgettable moment in history.
In extraordinary scenes in London last week, hundreds of thousands of mourners queued to see the Queen lying in state after her family handed her back to the nation last Wednesday afternoon, ahead of her funeral on Monday.
Against the majestic backdrop of 1,000-year-old Westminster Hall, with its medieval timber roof and stained-glass windows, Her Majesty’s coffin sat on a catafalque draped with a royal standard and with the Imperial State Crown on top with the orb and sceptre, watched over around the clock by Yeoman Warders from the Tower of London and Welsh Guards.
Some bowed or curtsied, others wiped their eyes or stood in silent reflection as they took in the solemnity and magnitude of the occasion
Meanwhile, mourners of all ages, nationalities and faiths silently filed past Her Majesty’s coffin. Some gave a bow or curtsy, others wiped their eyes or stood in silent reflection as they took in the solemnity and magnitude of the occasion.
For five days and nights, a growing line of people snaked slowly along the River Thames, stretching for around
