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LONDON — Thousands of mourners lined up through the night to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II in Edinburgh, Scotland, as the United Kingdom continued a week of pageantry to mark the death of its longest-serving monarch.
The queen's coffin arrived at London's Buckingham Palace on Tuesday night. More than a day before, a line began forming there of those who want a chance to bid farewell to the queen when she lies in state at Parliament later this week.
Meanwhile, her eldest son, King Charles III, is already undertaking the task of shoring up the monarchy throughout the U.K. He traveled to Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Tuesday to meet political leaders, receive condolences and attend a prayer service.
In a sign of how far the territory has come since the height of the "troubles," representatives of Sinn Fein — the Irish nationalist party with historical links to the Irish Republican Army — met the king and attended the memorial events for a queen whose rule they sought to cast off.
Here’s what to know for Tuesday:
- Members of the public viewed the queen's coffin as she lay at rest in Edinburgh's St. Giles' Cathedral.
- The coffin was taken by car to Edinburgh Airport before it was flown to RAF Northolt near London.
- A state hearse took the queen's coffin to Buckingham Palace, where mourners have continued to gather to pay their respects.
- The king met dignitaries in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he was due to attend a prayer service at St. Anne's Cathedral before he returns to London.
- A 4-mile queue route was announced for mourners to line up to pay their respects to the queen at the Palace of Westminster from Wednesday evening to Monday morning.
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London expecting more than 500 foreign dignitaries for funeral
LONDON — British officials say some 500 foreign dignitaries will attend Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral, but invitations have not been sent to the leaders of Russia, Belarus or Myanmar.
Officials said the funeral next Monday, to be held at London’s Westminster Abbey, will be the biggest international event Britain has hosted in decades.
U.S. President Joe Biden was among the first to announce that he would be flying in with his wife, Jill Biden. The leaders of most Commonwealth countries, including Australia, New Zealand and Canada, are also expected to attend.
France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Italy’s Sergio Mattarella, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro are among the presidents attending.
Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, as well as former Spanish monarch Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia, are also due to travel to London for the occasion.
Canada makes queen's funeral day a holiday for federal employees
TORONTO — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday that Sept. 19 will be a holiday so federal employees can mourn Queen Elizabeth II on the day of her state funeral.
Trudeau also said he’s working with the provinces on a possible public holiday for other workers, but Ontario and Quebec, Canada’s two most populous provinces, declined to make it a holiday.
“Ontario will mark September 19, 2022 as a provincial Day of Mourning in lieu of a provincial holiday. The people of Ontario may observe a moment of silence at 1:00 p.m. on that day,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said in a statement.
Quebec Premier François Legault said Monday also would be a day of commemoration but not a public holiday in the French-speaking province.
However, the province of Prince Edward Island said that it will treat Monday like other statutory holidays for all provincially regulated employees and that provincial government offices and public schools will be closed. New Brunswick also said that it will observe the national day of mourning by closing schools and government offices but that the holiday will be optional for private-sector businesses and employers.
The late queen was the head of state for 45% of Canada’s existence, and she visited the country 22 times as monarch.
King Charles III was officially proclaimed Canada’s monarch Saturday in a ceremony in Ottawa attended by Trudeau and Governor General Mary Simon, who is the representative of the British monarch as head of state, a mostly ceremonial and symbolic position.
London flight and hotel fares surge ahead of funeral
Hotel prices in London and airfares to the British capital are soaring as hundreds of thousands of people flock there ahead of Queen Elizabeth’s funeral Monday, potentially providing some respite to the city’s tourism business amid economic woes.
Since the announcement of her death, the average rate for a hotel in London increased to $384 per night from $244 per night, according to Hayley Berg, lead economist at travel startup Hopper.
The rush for accommodation comes as members of the public visit the capital to pay their respects and foreign delegations arrive for the funeral Monday, with authorities preparing for a huge turnout.
High-end hotels — Claridge’s, the Connaught, The Dorchester and the Berkeley in the upmarket Mayfair district — were sold out for Sunday night, their websites showed.
Rates had topped 1,200 pounds ($1,388) for a five-star hotel Monday and were expected to double in the next five days as the city’s hotel system reaches 95% occupancy levels, HotelPlanner said.
More than 60% of travelers were foreign visitors, it added.
Standard hotel chains have also been inundated. More than a dozen hotels operated by Premier Inn owner Whitbread in the city center were booked, a Reuters search showed.
Average prices for a return flight from the U.S. to London leaving Thursday, Friday and Saturday were $1,120, $1,054 and $967, respectively, Hopper’s data showed. That compares with an average price for a trans-Atlantic round trip of $710.
Prince Harry and Prince William will walk in procession to Westminster Hall
Prince Harry and Prince William will walk together Wednesday in a procession carrying Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin to Westminster Hall, where she will lie in state.
The procession will leave Buckingham Palace at 2:22 p.m. and arrive at Westminster at 3 p.m.
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex; Camila, the queen consort; and Catherine, the Princess of Wales, will travel by car.
The Archbishop of Canterbury will lead a 20-minute service at Westminster before the queen is left to lie in state for four days.
Queue route announced for mourners paying their respects at the Palace of Westminster
Thousands of mourners are expected to line up Wednesday to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II, who will lie in state at Westminster Hall in the Palace of Westminster until Monday.
A queue route was announced for the approximately 4-mile line, which will start at the Albert Embankment on the south side of the River Thames and continue all the way to Southwark Park, according to the U.K.'s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, or DCMS.
Once mourners have passed through the start of the line, they'll be led across Lambeth Bridge into Victoria Tower Gardens, where they'll be put through airport-style security before they enter the palace. There will also be a separate accessible route for those who need it.
"Once inside the Palace of Westminster, people will be able to walk past the Coffin which will be raised on a catafalque and draped in the Royal Standard, with the Orb and Sceptre placed on top," DCMS said in a news release. "It will be guarded around the clock by a vigil of units from the Sovereign’s Bodyguard, the Household Division or Yeoman Warders of the Tower of London."
The state viewing will open to the public Wednesday at 5 p.m. (12 p.m. ET), and it will be open 24 hours a day until 6:30 a.m. Monday, when her funeral is expected to take place in Westminster Abbey.
Those planning to attend the viewing, especially those with medical conditions, "are encouraged to check the guidance, plan accordingly and be prepared for significant wait times, including possibly overnight." Over 1,000 volunteers and Metropolitan Police officers will be on the ground to assist mourners and keep them safe, DCMS said.
London's Metropolitan Police welcome hundreds of officers to assist with large crowds
"Hundreds of police officers" from other forces have joined London's Metropolitan Police to assist in the policing operation after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the department said in a statement.
"This is welcomed as it enables us to continue a highly visibly policing presence in central London as well as maintaining neighbourhood policing and response in other London boroughs," Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said.
The Metropolitan Police have been implementing "a well-planned policing operation" since the queen's death "to keep all those who are visiting London and attending events safe."
The department expects large crowds of people to come to pay their respects, and it will have officers in areas where people are lining up to ensure their safety.
Speaking of potential protesters, Cundy said, "People have a right to freedom of expression and we must balance the rights of protesters with those of others who wish to grieve and reflect."
London's Heathrow Airport announces flight disruptions for Wednesday
London's Heathrow Airport tweeted that some flights Wednesday will be disrupted to ensure silence during Queen Elizabeth II's ceremonial procession.
On Wednesday, a ceremonial procession will take place to transport the queen’s coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, where Elizabeth will lie in state.
Flights from 1:50 p.m. to 3:40 p.m. local time Wednesday are expected to be disrupted, and airlines will notify passengers of flight changes, the statement said.
"We anticipate further changes to the Heathrow operation on Mon 19 Sept, when Her Majesty’s funeral is due to take place," the airport said, apologizing for the disruption. "We will communicate more details over the coming days."