Finance
More than 2,000 people are expected to attend Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral at Westminster Abbey in London on Monday. She died on September 8 at the age of 96.
Before the service begins at 11 a.m. (about 4 p.m. IST), a bell will ring for 96 minutes, representing the length of the Queen’s reign, according to the BBC.
The Last Post will be played near the end of the service, followed by a two-minute silence and a lament from the Queen’s piper.
King Charles III and the Queen Consort will lead the procession behind the Queen’s coffin as world leaders and dignitaries gather in the 13th Century church for the service.
The Prince and Princess of Wales will lead their nine-year-old son George and seven-year-old daughter Charlotte, who will be followed by their uncle and aunt, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and other Royal Family members.
Louis, George and Charlotte’s four-year-old brother, is not expected to attend.
Following the funeral, a committal service will be held in the evening at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, according to the BBC.
The bells of Westminster Abbey will later be rung, but muffled, as is customary following a sovereign’s funeral.
Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde will attend the funeral, as will King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and his wife, Queen Maxima, as well as his mother, former Dutch queen Princess Beatrix; and King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain.
Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will attend the service, as will Bhutan’s King, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk.
Other expected guests include Brunei’s Sultan, Hassanal Bolkiah; Jordan’s King Abdullah; Kuwait’s Crown Prince, Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah; Lesotho’s King, Letsie III; and Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein.
There will be royal leaders from Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, and Tonga.
Leaders from the Commonwealth, of which the Queen was the head for the duration of her reign, will also be present.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, as well as New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, have arrived in the United Kingdom.
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Indian President Droupadi Murmu have also reached London and will attend the funeral.
US President and First Lady Joe and Jill Biden will also be present, as will Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin and President Michael Higgins, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Italian President Sergio Mattarella, and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Source:TT
