Hundreds of thousands of mourners have been heading into London to pay their final respects to Queen Elizabeth II.
The line passes landmarks right across central London On top of her coffin in Westminster Hall was her coronation crown, set with the Koh-i-Noor diamond, and a hand-written message from her daughter, the Queen, reading: ‘In loving memory, Lilibet.’It was the first lying in state where members of the public were subjected to a security check, which slowed the movement of the mourners.
The tradition of lying in state stretches back to the 17th century when Stuart sovereigns lay in state for a number of days.He lay in state in 1910, as did King George V in 1936 and King George VI in 1952.On top of his coffin, from the Crown Jewels, lay the Imperial State Crown, the Orb, and Sceptre.
Two prime ministers – William Gladstone in 1898 and Sir Winston Churchill in 1965 – also lay in state at Westminster Hall, attracting hundreds of thousands of people. The widow of Edward VII, Queen Alexandra, lay in state in 1925, but in Westminster Abbey, not Westminster Hall. In 1930, there was an unusual lying in state in Westminster Hall for the victims of the R101 Airship disaster.
King Charles III, Prince Edward, Duke of Wessex, Princess Anne, Princes Royal and Prince Andrew, Duke of York hold a vigil at St Giles’ Cathedral
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