By Jack Mendel
Members of the Royal Family including Princes Harry and William marched behind the Queen’s coffin in a procession today, as it was delivered from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall in parliament.
Tens of thousands of mourners gathered outside the gates of the famous London residence of the Royal household, and lined the streets of the Mall, as Her Majesty made the final journey to where she’ll lay in state.
From 5pm, hundreds-of-thousands of Brits are expected to visit the Queen’s coffin as it sits in Westminster Abbey, with some reports the queue is up to 10 miles long.
Her coffin was placed on a gun carriage that borne the coffins of both her mother and father, driven through the heart of London.
In the bright sunshine, the slow-moving procession was accompanied by a military band playing solemn music, with some mourners seen weeping.
The procession was led by King Charles III, who walked behind the coffin, which was draped in a Royal Standard and adorned with the Imperial State Crown.
The King walked in a line with his siblings, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex, while the Queen’s grandson’s walked behind in a line.
Many became emotional in the crowd as the coffin went past and cheers of “God bless the Queen” and “long live the King” were heard across the Mall during the procession.
Karen Barr, who got her spot at the Mall at 7.30am today, shed tears as she told City A.M. that the Queen was “an inspiration to us all”.
“There will never be another like her in our lifetime,” she said.
“Integrity, duty and she did it so wonderfully. For me, she was always a constant, but in the background. Maybe we took her for granted at times, because she was always there in a life of change.
“And now she’s gone.”
Robert Beney had made the trip from Kent this morning to be at the procession and held flowers to lay at Buckingham Palace for the Queen.
He said he had been “quite emotional at home up to now”.
“I wasn’t really surprised at my reaction, because I get a bit emotional on various things,” he said.
“Like when the national anthem is played and some other things trigger me off. I’m not a softy, but I can get quite emotional.”
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