The United Kingdom’s longest-reigning monarch departed Buckingham Palace for the final time Wednesday as the coffin that carried Queen Elizabeth II began its procession through London.
Royal family members followed the coffin as it journeyed to Westminster Hall, where it will reside until the queen’s funeral on Monday. The queen will then be transported to her final resting place at Windsor Castle.
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A toll from Big Ben and a gun salute accompanied the parade of royals, where thousands of spectators had gathered to witness the procession, according to the Associated Press. Hundreds of thousands are expected to pass through Westminster Hall over the next four days to say their goodbyes. While the queen lies in state, the closed coffin will rest on a catafalque and be draped in the Royal Standard.
“When you walk through those doors into Westminster Hall, that marvelous, historic building, there was a great sense of hush and one was told you take as much time as you like, and it’s just amazing,” Chris Turo, who was in the line to see the queen lying in state, told the outlet. “We know the queen was a good age, and she served the country a long time, but we hoped this day would never come.”
Wednesday’s procession was the culmination of a major week in the U.K. as the nation entered a period of national mourning that stemmed from the death of the queen on Thursday. King Charles III, the queen’s eldest son, became the next monarch immediately after and was formally proclaimed the king on Saturday. The queen’s coffin took a royal tour around the U.K. this week, beginning in Scotland, where the queen died at Balmoral Castle.
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World leaders and politicians will gather in London this weekend for Elizabeth’s funeral, which is expected to last one hour. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will be attending the funeral.
