The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II is on its way to London.
BELFAST, Northern Ireland — A crowd cheered King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, as they arrived at St. Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast as part of the new monarch’s first visit to Northern Ireland.
Clergy praised the queen’s role in helping bring peace to Northern Ireland. Archbishop of Armagh John McDowell said the queen “walked the hard road of reconciliation.”Services are being held in the capitals of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales ahead of the queen’s funeral at Westminster Abbey in London on Monday.
Speaking Tuesday to Northern Ireland’s political leaders, including those from nationalist parties who want Northern Ireland to leave the United Kingdom and become part of the Republic of Ireland, the new monarch said he would draw on his mother’s “shining example” and seek the welfare of everyone in Northern Ireland.
The visit came shortly after the queen’s husband, Prince Philip, had died after 73 years of marriage. Even though the Bidens had been instructed not to raise the subject of family, the queen began talking about just that. The sovereign and Camilla, the Queen Consort, flew to Belfast from Edinburgh on Tuesday, the same day the queen’s coffin will be flown to London from Scotland.
He is also due to meet political leaders from Northern Ireland and hold a meeting with the British government’s secretary of state for Northern Ireland.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.
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.EDINBURGH, Scotland — King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, have left Edinburgh on their way to Belfast. Armitage told the BBC Tuesday that he featured the queen’s first name because he wanted to take a personal approach.
St. Giles’s Cathedral in Edinburgh, where members of the public are paying their respects as the coffin lies at rest, is to close at 3 p.m. .