LONDON – The funeral service to remember Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has begun at Westminster Abbey on Monday, the BBC reported.
Among the guests are world leaders, including US President Biden and hundreds of other foreign dignitaries.
The service is being led by the Dean of Westminster with a sermon by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
King Charles III led a sombre procession behind his mother’s coffin from Westminster Hall to the abbey.
The Queen’s coffin was conveyed – in the first of three processions throughout the day – through Parliament Square, a distance of about 820ft (250m).
The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex walked side-by-side behind their father, the King. The King walked alongside his siblings, the Queen’s four children.
The procession from the abbey saw the State Gun Carriage carry the coffin, drawn by 142 sailors. A guard of honour stood in the square made up of all three military services.
As they walked to the abbey the royals were accompanied by the Massed Pipes and Drums of Scottish and Irish Regiments, the Brigade of Gurkhas, and the Royal Air Force and the tolling of the abbey bell.
US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister are among the world leaders who have arrived at the abbey, while six former British prime ministers are also present.
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