At the Queen’s burial ceremony today in Westminster Abbey, all six of the previous prime ministers who are still alive paid their respects.
Those in attendance at the official occasion were Boris Johnson, Theresa May, David Cameron, Gordon Brown, Tony Blair, and John Major.
They came in a group and exchanged pleasantries near the entrance before occupying prime seating, which they did in an embarrassing manner.
Including Mr Johnson with Carrie, Mrs May with Philip, Mr Cameron with Samantha, Mr Brown with Sarah, Sir Tony with Cherie, and Sir John with Norma, all of the former premiers were joined by their wives.
As the second lesson was given to mourners, they saw current PM Liz Truss. It suggested the promise of everlasting life in Heaven for the devout, taken from John 14.
All of the MPs and peers have taken their seats in the assembly.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, the business minister, Keir Starmer, and Nicola Sturgeon, the head of the SNP, were among them.
Among the several high officials present were Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Nadhim Zahawi, and former Tory leader Lord Hague.
The procession path has been overrun by tens of thousands of people since it was deemed full shortly before 8:30 am.
Three hours before the commencement of the ceremony, at 8 am, the magnificent oak doors of the Abbey, where Her Majesty wed Prince Philip and received her coronation, were opened.
As billions witnessed, Her Majesty’s state burial, 2,000 royals, prominent figures from across the globe, and hundreds of members of the general public started coming into Westminster Abbey.
The majority of the VIPs travelled by coach, gathering at the Royal Hospital Chelsea before boarding a bus to Central London.
Sir Keir had already predicted that the day of the Queen’s burial would be one of meditation and reverence.
He said, “I believe today will be about introspection and heartfelt reverence,” to ITV’s Good Morning Britain. I believe that everyone in the globe will want to pay their respects.
The previous ten days’ activities, according to Sir Keir, will help people come together.
The public, he remarked, “has been wonderful. Look at those lines, look at people all around London.”
It revealed the UK for what it really is—a wonderful nation that can meet and bring people together.
“In politics lately, we have spent so much time on the divisive, the differences, but really, you know what, when the countries have the opportunity, they come together,” he said. The last ten days have been fantastic in that regard.
The state funeral for Her Majesty will be one of the most significant events in recent memory, according to Ms Sturgeon. People from all around the globe will attend to show their respect.
“It is an honour to represent Scotland at the funeral. She was the great constant.”
As the Queen is put to rest, it provides us with an opportunity to take stock of the preceding ten days, which have served as a genuine, sombre, and appropriate memorial to our longest-reigning monarch.
We already knew how important Scotland was to the Queen, but recent days have served as a reminder of exactly how much Her Majesty means to the Scots.
We shall all say a last, heartfelt farewell to a greatly admired and beloved queen today, and I am certain that the ceremonial events in Edinburgh will live long in our national memory.
Tom Parker Bowles, the son of the Queen Consort, Camilla, came for the ceremony two hours after his mother and father, Michael and Carole Middleton, who are the parents of Kate, the Princess of Wales. Despite their tight ties to the Royal Family, they were on a bus together as well.
Myrtle, a traditional element of royal bouquets, was utilized in the funeral flowers at the abbey. Asiatic lilies, gladioli, alstroemeria, eustoma, and the leaves of English oak, weeping birch, and myrtle sprigs were among the enormous white and green displays of blossoms.
The four towering yellow candles that typically surround the burial of the unidentified warrior at the medieval church’s entryway will be placed around the coffin.
Hardy royal supporters even disregarded the city’s ban on sleeping outdoors, setting up tents, deck chairs, and even a makeshift minibar to get prime seats for the event that will draw 2 million people to the capital. By 8.30 am, the public was informed that the procession route was occupied and that people were being diverted to Hyde Park to see on the large screens.