Tag: Queen’s funeral

Burial and lying-in-state of Queen Elizabeth cost £161.7m

The total price for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral and time spent lying in state has been made public.

According to the Treasury, it reportedly cost the government £161.7 million.

When Her Majesty was laid-in-state in Westminster Hall last year, more than 250,000 people stood in queue for five days to pay their respects.

When mourners lined up to meet the former king who passed away on September 8, “the queue” was at times longer than 24 hours.

The number was fewer than the total to see her father King George VI lie in state over five days, which is thought to have been 305,806.

The biggest costs were covered by the Home Office (£74m) and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (£57m).

John Glen, chief secretary to the Treasury, said the government’s priority at the time had been to make sure ‘these events ran smoothly and with the appropriate level of dignity, while at all times ensuring the safety and security of the public’.

In a written ministerial statement made to Parliament, Mr Glen said the Treasury had provided additional funding where necessary and the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland governments were ‘fully’ refunded for their respective costs.

Queen’s funeral – estimated costs

•            Department for Culture, Media & Sport – £57.42m

•            Department for Transport – £2.565m

•            Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office – £2.096m

•            Home Office – £73.68m

•            Ministry of Defence – £2.890m

•            Northern Ireland Office – £2.134m

•            Scottish Government – £18.756m

•            Welsh Government – £2.202m

•            Total – £161.743m

The procession from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey took 17 minutes (Picture: REUTERS)

A steady flow of people made their way through Westminster Hall to see the Queen lying in state (Picture: Getty)

People line up along the Thames for the Lying-in State of Queen Elizabeth II on September 18 (Picture: Rex)

However, it did not include the number to pay their respects in St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, where the Queen also lay in state after dying at Balmoral estate in Scotland.

The queue in London was constantly busy since the lying in state began, with the government repeatedly warning people to stay away to avoid disappointment towards the end.

After Queen Elizabeth II died on 8 September 2022 aged 96, the UK started 10 days of national mourning.

The late Queen’s coffin was laid to rest in St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh for 24 hours, before the monarch was transported to Westminster Abbey in London where thousands of mourners queued for hours to pay their respects.

This is a breaking news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.

May 19, 2023
First public engagement since Queen’s funeral: King Charles offered free haircut

People expressed their “thrill” and pride at seeing the King and his wife at Dunfermline, Fife, where they were attending one of the royal couple’s Monday engagements.

King Charles and the Queen Consort have carried out their first official engagement together since royal mourning ended.

Hundreds of people lined the streets in Dunfermline to greet the couple as they left the city chambers.

They were seen chatting, smiling and shaking hands with people who had waited patiently for their arrival – with the monarch even being offered a free haircut.

When asked if he would like to go into a local barber’s shop, King Charles smiled and said “next time”.

The crowds were “thrilled” with the royal visit. Teacher Carol Williams, 52, who was waiting to catch a glimpse of the couple, said “it’s such an honour for Dunfermline to be his first visit as the new King”.

It was the first time King Charles and the Queen Consort had carried out a public engagement since the Queen’s funeral on 19 September.

Before spending time with the crowds, the royals had attended an official council meeting where the King formally marked the conferral of city status on Dunfermline and signed a guest book.

During the ceremony, the King said he was “delighted” when it was announced the town would become a city.

He said he hoped people would feel a “real sense of pride in this new chapter”.

The Fife city was one of eight places to be awarded its new status as part of the late Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was also at the chambers for the royal engagement.

King Charles and the Queen Consort then visited Dunfermline Abbey to mark its 950th anniversary and to see the resting place of Robert the Bruce.

Image:The King and Queen Consort attend the council meeting in Dunfermline

Image:The royal couple wave to the crowd as they leave Dunfermline Abbey

They were again greeted by crowds of well-wishers and met officials from Historic Scotland to learn more about the conservation of the site.

The King and his wife will be hosting a reception at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh later on Monday to celebrate British South Asian communities.

They are expected to meet between 200 and 300 guests of British Indian, Pakistani, Bangladesh, Sri Lankan, Nepalese, Bhutanese and Maldivian heritage from across the UK.

The event will recognise the contribution many from these communities have made to the NHS, arts, media, education, business and the armed forces.

October 3, 2022
In pictures: Extraordinary photos from the Queen’s funeral

Large crowds gathered in central London on Monday to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II as she made her final journey from Westminster to Windsor.

The coffin, topped with the Royal Standard and Imperial State Crown, was carried to Westminster Abbey on the State Gun Carriage of the Royal Navy, drawn by 142 sailors. King Charles III and other senior members of the Royal Family followed behind on foot.

Some 2,000 guests were inside the Abbey for the funeral service, including wider members of the Royal Family and dozens of world leaders and politicians from across the globe.

While the streets of Westminster were packed, other parts of London were eerily quiet with many people using the Bank Holiday to gather round TV screens at home to watch the historic events.

Big Ben tolled at one-minute intervals as the procession made its way slowly through the streets of the capital. Gun salutes were also fired every minute from Hyde Park.

Among the personal touches was a handwritten message from the King, which was placed on top of the coffin in a wreath of flowers cut from the gardens of Buckingham Palace, Highgrove House and Clarence House at his request. It read: “In loving and devoted memory. Charles R.”

Source: BBC

September 20, 2022
Queen’s funeral: Flags back at full-mast as mourning period ends

Union jacks around the UK and the world had been flying at half-mast since the Queen’s death

Flags on British government buildings around the world are flying at full-mast once again, as the period of national mourning following the death of Queen Elizabeth II draws to a close.

The Queen was buried in a private ceremony in Windsor on Monday evening, following a state funeral in London and military procession to Windsor Castle.

But the Royal Family will continue to observe another week of mourning.

Senior royals are not expected to carry out any public duties during this time.

Flags at royal residences will remain at half-mast until 08:00 BST on 27 September – the day after their mourning period ends.

Buckingham Palace has said royal household staff, representatives of the household on official duties and troops committed to ceremonial duties will also observe the extended mourning period.

An intensive clean-up operation is under way after hundreds of thousands of people across the UK flocked to London to watch the Queen’s funeral.

Council workers wearing black ribbons and bows were deployed on Monday evening to pick up litter and remove sand on roads around Westminster.

Cleaners at Southwark Council in south London worked an extra 24 hours over the time mourners queued to visit the Queen lying-in-state – removing seven tonnes of rubbish in the process.

Media caption, Watch moments from the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II

On Monday, world leaders and foreign royalty joined a 2,000-strong congregation at Westminster Abbey for the funeral, where the Dean of Westminster paid tribute to her “lifelong sense of duty”.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby spoke of the affection so many people felt for the late monarch. “Few leaders receive the outpouring of love we have seen,” he added.

About 100 presidents and heads of government were in the abbey – including US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau.

Royal families from around the globe also attended – with kings, queens and emperors from Denmark, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Japan, Malaysia and Jordan present.

Image source, Reuters
Image caption, Thousands of people flocked to Windsor to catch a glimpse of the State Hearse driving to St George’s Chapel

After the funeral, the Queen’s coffin was taken by gun carriage to Wellington Arch in London and then on to its final journey via funeral cortege, along a route that avoided motorways to allow as many as possible to pay their final respects.

Many thousands of people lined the streets to see the procession taking her coffin to to Windsor Castle and a committal service.

As a day of spectacle and mourning drew to a close, the UK’s longest-reigning monarch was laid to rest alongside her late husband the Duke of Edinburgh and in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, found inside St George’s Chapel in Windsor.

The scale of the funeral and mourning arrangements over the 10-day period, which included a miles-long queue snaking along the south bank of the River Thames to see the Queen’s lying-in-state, led to what police described as “probably the biggest operation we’re likely to launch in the UK”.

With thousands flocking into central London and dignitaries from around the world gathering to pay their respects, the funeral represented the “final and most complex phase” of the operation, the Metropolitan Police has said.

Hundreds of thousands of people queued to visit the Queen lying-in-state in Westminster Hall, with some mourners waiting all night to pay tribute.

Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan said the government was crunching the final figures, but at least 250,000 people are estimated to have stood in line to pay their respects.

She told BBC Breakfast: “The queue was phenomenal. It was a real team effort to enable people to have that moment to say goodbye. I want to thank everyone involved.”

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
Image caption, Police officers from around the country were deployed to London to help keep the capital safe

More than 3,000 officers from almost every force in the country were in London to help with the security for the funeral, including snipers stationed on rooftops and armed police, horseback teams and other specialist units patrolling the streets.

As of 17:00 BST on Monday, 67 arrests had been made as part of the operation for a range of offences.

The royal galleries will reopen later this week while the Royal Family continues mourning.

The Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace in central London, the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Queen’s Gallery in Edinburgh will all reopen to visitors on Thursday.

Source: BBC

September 20, 2022
Police diverted from Queen’s funeral to tackle violence in Leicester after India v Pakistan cricket match

A large-scale disturbance in Leicester followed an international cricket match between India and Pakistan which diverted the police from the Queen’s funeral.

According to Leicestershire Police, they received a number of resources, including the deployment of additional officers from the West Midlands, Derbyshire, and Nottinghamshire.

They said Thames Valley Police horses were also stationed in the city.

Extra assistance was provided through the normal mutual aid process and some officers were diverted from going to London to help.

The disorder has led to 47 arrests, with a faith leader saying it was sparked by a “country-based dispute” after the cricket.

Amos Noronha, 20, was sentenced to 10 months in prison after pleading guilty to possession of an offensive weapon in connection with the violence.

Suleman Nagdi, from the city’s Federation of Muslim Organisations, said it was the first time he could remember the communities becoming violent.

The violence is believed to have been between Muslim and Hindu communities, with Mr Nagdi saying “loyalties kicked in” after the cricket.

September 19, 2022
See how African leaders are being treated at the Queen’s funeral

As the remains of Queen Elizabeth II will be laid to rest today, some of African leaders are in the United Kingdom to bid farewell to the fallen leader.

It is not wrong for African leaders to attend the ceremony, however something caught the attention of people which got them talking.

As it is well known that African leaders are praised and seen as gods in their respective countries, it is not the case with how they are being treated at Queen’s funeral.

In a picture making rounds on social media, the African leaders are seen packed in one bus though it seems to be of a good standard but they look like university students.

From the look of their faces, one can see the embarrassment the leaders are carrying some might even regretting coming to London.

Source: faceofmalawi

September 19, 2022
There are numerous people at Windsor’s Long Walk

As far as the eye can see, there are people on Windsor’s The Long Walk, says journalist Becky Cotterill.

Screens have also been established so mourners can watch the state funeral take place.

Just after 3 pm this afternoon, The State Hearse will travel up The Long Walk to St George’s Chapel for the committal service.

There will be a procession led by a dismounted attachment of the Household Cavalry, with pipers and drums and a band from the Coldstream Guards. Members of the Queen’s personal staff will follow.

The route will be lined by members of the Armed Forces.

September 19, 2022