Lines to view late monarch’s coffin stretches five miles across London with warning of cold night ahead
Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile
Queue to pay respect to Queen’s coffin paused for six hours after reaching capacity
A man has been arrested after a disturbance in Westminster Hall as mourners lined up to see the Queen.
Police detained the man after he reportedly left the queue at around 10pm on Friday evening.
The incident occurred just a few hours after King Charles III and his three siblings held a15-minute vigil beside their mother Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin.
The Vigil of the Princes came as the waiting time to see the late monarch lying in state in London’s Westminster Hall hit at least 22 hours, with warnings of cold temperatures for those queuing overnight.
Ambulance teams have treated 435 mourners since the queue opened two days ago and 42 have been hospitalised, with head injuries sustained after fainting accounting for the majority of incidents.
Earlier during a visit to the Senedd, King Charles recalled his late mother’s love for Wales as he spoke in both English and Welsh, saying: “Through all the years of her reign, the land of Wales could not be closer to my mother’s heart.”
Accompanied by Camilla, the Queen Consort, the new monarch was met by a small number of anti-monarchist protesters holding placards and booing as they arrived at Cardiff Castle.
Cancer surgery and cardiology appointments due on Monday have been cancelled after the Queen’s funeral day was declared a bank holiday, leaving patients distressed and bewildered.
But public services that are being cancelled go beyond the NHS.
My colleague Jane Dalton takes a look at the extent of the disruption here:
Grieving families forced or asking to postpone loved ones’ farewells
Victims of paedophile Jeffrey Epstein are said to be angry and upset by the return to public life of Prince Andrew – Epstein’s longterm friend and someone who settled a sexual assault claim.
“For the victims that are involved, seeing him in these types of public appearances and being praised by the public, it’s frustrating to them,” Spencer Kevin, a Florida-based lawyer who represented nine of Epstein’s victims, told The Independent.
Our chief US correspondent Andrew Buncombe has the report:
‘It’s so harmful for any survivor of trauma to see abuser or their enablers continue to reap benefits of privilege, status and power’
The Queen Consort has been praised for her carrying out her royal duties despite reportedly suffering a broken toe, after she was seen stumbling slightly while visiting Wales.
Following a memorial service at Llandaff Cathedral today, Camilla was seen slipping slightly as she exited the place of worship, prompting a concerned response her husband King Charles, who stopped walking to check in on his wife.
Our US lifestyle editor Chelsea Ritschel has the full story here:
Queen Consort reportedly sustained foot injury before Queen Elizabeth II’s death last week
Queen Elizabeth II’s great-grandchildren have made their first appearance at Westminster Hall as members of her family held what is known as the Vigil of the Princes on Friday evening.
My colleague Meredith Clark has more details on all of the royal family members who were in attendance at the solemn ritual:
It’s unclear whether the Queen’s 12 great-grandchildren will attend state funeral on Monday
As he visited Wales earlier today, the new King faced the first notable dissent from anti-monarchy protesters during his tour of the devolved nations.
As he met with well-wishers on Friday, one present could be heard saying: “Charles. While we struggle to heat our homes, we have to pay for your parade. The taxpayer pays £100m for you – what for?”
A man has been arrested following a ‘disturbance’ at Westminster Hall, where the Queen is lying in state.
Met Police officers detained the man at around 10pm on Friday after an incident that took place as mourners filed into the hall to pay their respects to the Queen.
A Met police spokesperson said: “Around 22:00hrs on Friday 16 September officers from the Met’s Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command detained a man in Westminster Hall following a disturbance.
“He was arrested for an offence under the Public Order Act and is currently in custody.”
Click here for the full story.
The Queen’s funeral will be a sad, spectacular event, then, but also one with some political meaning and consequence, writes our associate editor Sean O’Grady.
The seating arrangements in the church, will present special challenges. The easiest way to smooth diplomatic feathers would be to seat the delegations in alphabetical order, but shoving the Israelis next to the Iranians or placing the Azeris in close proximity to the Armenians would be surely asking for trouble.
You can read his analysis of the delicate diplomatic challenges facing the government here:
Transport and seating at Westminster Abbey presents special challenges, writes Sean O’Grady
Liz Truss is to meet a number of world leaders including US president Joe Biden, Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Canadian premier Justin Trudeau when they visit for the Queen’s funeral.
Downing Street detailed the head-to-heads confirmed so far for the prime minister this weekend, ahead of the state funeral.
She will meet privately with her counterparts from Australia and New Zealand, Anthony Albanese and Jacinda Ardern, at the government’s Chevening country residence on Saturday, a No 10 spokesperson said.
On Sunday, she will meet Mr Martin, Mr Trudeau, Polish President Andrzej Duda and Mr Biden at Downing Street.
“Planning has been going on for years for this,” sources have said. “There are people that otherwise might have moved on in their roles that have stayed in their roles because of the privilege that it is to support the planning for this.
“There were quite a lot of people who worked on this in previous roles, who the moment that we heard the news immediately volunteered to come back.”
The state funeral is likely to attract one of the largest UK television audiences of recent decades.
World leaders will join members of the royal family, UK prime ministers past and present and key figures from public life for the occasion at Westminster Abbey – which can hold about 2,000 people – at 11am on Monday.
King Charles III arrives to stand vigil beside the coffin of his mother (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
Officials believe the Queen’s funeral will be the “largest international event” the UK has held in decades, possibly ever.
Around 500 dignitaries from around the world are expected to attend – with US president Joe Biden, French leader Emmanuel Macron and New Zealand’s premier Jacinda Ardern among those making the trip to Britain for the occasion.
Government sources said all those involved in the Civil Service view their part in the proceedings as an “absolute privilege” and a “genuine honour”.
Some staff immediately volunteered to return to their old posts to help out in the wake of the monarch’s death.
The sources described the Queen’s funeral as “the largest international event that the UK has hosted in decades, possibly ever”.
There are more than 100 civil servants working shifts on the central operational team handling events related to the Queen’s death, with the efforts headed up by the permanent secretary at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism
By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists
{{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}
By clicking ‘Create my account’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply.
Already have an account? sign in
By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply.
Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism
By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists
{{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}
By clicking ‘Create my account’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply.
Already have an account? sign in
By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply.
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
PA
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
Log in
New to The Independent?
Or if you would prefer:
Want an ad-free experience?
Hi {{indy.fullName}}