Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Livemint
Livemint
National
Livemint

President Murmu to attend Queen Elizabeth's funeral in London

President Droupadi Murmu. (PTI)

The Queen took her last breath at the age of 96 in Balmoral Castle on the Scottish highlands on 8 September.

The Queen's funeral will be held at Westminster Abbey with around 2,000 guests from all across the world, including nearly 500 dignitaries. The funeral will start on 19 September at 3:30 PM (India time).

MEA said in its statement that in the 70-years reign of Queen Elizabeth II, India-UK ties have "evolved, flourished and strengthened immensely". She played an important role in the welfare of millions of people around the world as the Head of the Commonwealth.

President Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed condolences at her demise.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited the British High Commission on 12 September to convey India's condolences. A day of national mourning was also observed on Sunday.

People expected to flock at Westminster Hall to view queen's coffin

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to flock to London's medieval Westminster Hall from Wednesday to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II, whose coffin will lie in state for four days until her funeral on Monday.

The closed coffin will be placed on a catafalque, or a raised platform, in the center of Westminster Hall with royal gaurds on standing 24 ours a day at each corner of the platform. The coffin will be draped with a royal flag and adorned with royal regalia including the Imperial State Crown the queen wore for her 1953 coronation.

In the U.K., lying in state is reserved for the sovereign, queen consorts, and sometimes prime ministers. Queen Mary, King George VI and King George V were among royals who lay in state at Westminster Hall. Winston Churchill was the only British prime minister to have a lying-in-state ceremony in the 20th century.

The last person to lie in state in Britain was Elizabeth's mother, known as the Queen Mother. Some 200,000 people paid their respects to her over three days when she died in 2002.

(With inputs from wire agencies)

Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
More Less
Post your comment
Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.