Huge crowds gather as Queen lies in state
King Charles, his sons Princes William and Harry, and other senior royals joined a solemn procession accompanying Queen Elizabeth's coffin as the late monarch made her final journey from Buckingham Palace on Wednesday. Huge crowds gathered in central London to witness the queen being taken from the palace to parliament as artillery guns fired salutes and Big Ben tolled, the latest in a series of poignant ceremonies as Britain mourns the queen who died last week aged 96 after seven decades on the throne. Lying on a gun carriage, covered by the Royal Standard flag and with the Imperial State Crown placed on a cushion on top alongside a wreath of flowers, the coffin bearing Elizabeth's body was taken from her London home to Westminster Hall. There it will lie in state for four days. Walking directly behind were Charles and his siblings, Anne, Andrew and Edward. In a group that followed were Charles's sons Princes William and Harry, a doleful scene reminiscent of when, as boys 25 years ago, they followed the casket of their mother Princess Diana when it was taken on a similar procession through central London. It was also a symbolic show of unity as William, 40, now the Prince of Wales, and Harry, 37, the Duke of Sussex, are said to be barely be on speaking terms after a bitter falling out in the last couple of years. "It was very moving, seeing the family. It was a powerful show of unity," said Jenny Frame, 54, who waited for more than four hours to see the procession. Paul Wiltshire, 65, commented: "I don't think we'll see anything like that again ever, or a queen like that again. An end of an era." A military band playing funeral marches and soldiers in ceremonial scarlet uniforms accompanied the gun carriage pulled by the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, as it moved slowly through central London, where many roads were closed to traffic. Guns fired every minute at Hyde Park, while parliament's famous Big Ben bell also rang at 60-second intervals. The crowds stood in a hushed silence as they watched the procession but then broke into spontaneous applause when it passed. Some threw flowers. Other senior royals including Charles' wife Camilla, now the Queen Consort, Kate, William's wife and now Princess of Wales, and Harry's wife, Meghan, travelled by car. When the procession reached Westminster Hall, a medieval building with origins dating back to 1097 and the oldest part of the Palace of Westminster that houses the British parliament, the coffin was carried inside by soldiers from the Grenadier Guards and placed on a catafalque surrounded by candles. A short service followed, conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual head of the Anglican Church, as senior politicians watched on. The royals quietly departed, with Harry and Meghan holding hands. (Reuters)