At Westminster Abbey, the building where English and British monarchs have been crowned, married and buried for thousands of years, world leaders, kings, queens, sultans and an emperor paid their respects to Queen Elizabeth yesterday.
It was one of the most grandiose state funerals and a masterpiece of diplomatic choreography, according to the "Politiko" portal.
Two hours before the funeral began, world leaders began to arrive. They arrived in waves - and the hierarchy was obvious. For most, arriving at the 750-year-old Westminster Abbey, across the street from the Palace of Westminster, meant carefully stepping off a shared VIP bus onto a London sidewalk.
US President Joe Biden is one of the few who did not use the shared transportation intended for foreign officials and arrived at Westminster Abbey with his wife Jill in his armored limousine known as "the beast". However, even because of the US president, the carefully planned protocol of the Queen's funeral was not to be disturbed.
According to the "Guardian", the Bidens arrived several minutes late, which is why the 79-year-old US president and the 71-year-old first lady had to wait for the procession of owners of the highest military decorations to pass. After an awkward stand at the main entrance, the Bidens were finally escorted to their seats.
The President of the USA and his wife are placed in the 14th row. Biden sat behind Andrzej Duda, the President of Poland, and in front of Petr Fijala, the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic. To his left, Jill Biden sat next to Ignatius Cassis, the president of Switzerland.
In front of them, the leaders of the Commonwealth territories - countries in which Queen Elizabeth remained the head of state - were given seats. Canadian President Justin Trudeau, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Australia's new leader Anthony Albanese were given more prominent seats.
As Politiko writes, they arrived at the funeral together, and Ardern confirmed during the weekend that she would be more than happy to accept shared bus transportation. Despite the displeasure of some foreign embassies regarding the organization of transport on the eve of yesterday's funeral, a large number of world leaders accepted joint transport. Kenyan media published a photo of President William Ruto posing inside a bus on his way to Buckingham Palace on Sunday evening.
French President Emmanuel Macron arrived by shared transport with other European leaders, including European Council President Charles Michel. Irish President Michael D. Higgins, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and South Korean President Jun Suk-jeol also arrived at the same time.
Among the last to arrive was Italian President Sergio Mattarella, who arrived in a "Maserati" with the registration number "ITA1", writes "Politiko".
In a country known for protocols and spectacular ceremonies, yesterday's funeral, which was undoubtedly prepared for decades, was, according to commentators, impeccably carried out despite enormous challenges primarily of a security nature.
British media point out that the special treatment sought by the White House in connection with the transportation of the US president is not the biggest difficulty faced by the Duke of Norfolk, who was in charge of planning the state funeral, the first since 1965 when that honor was held for Winston Churchill.
Although Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spared Britain and the royal family negative publicity by avoiding the funeral, the decision to invite Spain's disgraced King Juan Carlos and then place him next to his son King Felipe VI and his wife Queen Letizia could cause trouble for the Spanish royal family in houses.
Felipe, 54, came to power when his father abdicated in 2014 following a series of scandals over the old king's financial arrangements. The 89-year-old spends most of his time in self-imposed exile in Abu Dhabi.
Gerardo Pisarello, a representative of the Catalan branch of the leftist party Podemos, announced on Twitter: “Felipe claims he wants nothing to do with his father; that he renounced his inheritance and that he knows nothing about financial malfeasance. Then they go and sit together as if nothing happened, all while Juan Carlos is under investigation in England. Shameful”.
In Westminster Abbey yesterday, there were a lot of nobles and leaders who are not on good terms, and there were also those who have not appeared in public for decades. Among those present were Japan's Emperor Naruhito, who rarely travels abroad, and Empress Masako, who almost never makes an appearance after reportedly suffering from "adjustment disorder" following the birth of their only child, Princess Aiko.
Members of European royalty, who also arrived in VIP buses, were given the best seats in the abbey, with King William Alexander of the Netherlands and members of the Spanish royal family seated near the altar. Queen Margaret of Denmark is seated directly across from King Charles.
Former British Prime Ministers - John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson - arrived separately in a fleet of black BMWs. They sat together, close to the royal family.
As expected, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko were omitted from the list of guests. Invitations were also not delivered to the leaders of Venezuela and Syria because London does not have diplomatic relations with those countries.
However, Chinese Vice President Wang Qijan, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and the authoritarian leader of Egypt Abdel Fatah al-Sisi passed the selection.
"Guardian" columnist Marina Hyde wrote yesterday that a large number of aspiring world leaders faced with the grandiosity of yesterday's event probably thought that their send-off would be modest in comparison. "But they still paid their respects, and even the Japanese emperor complied with the request to come to Opatija by common bus". On the other hand, despite being known for not being vain, shared transportation would have been unthinkable for the Queen herself, Hyde noted, and pointed out that there remains something undeniably unique about the British Queen's last send-off.
"All flags on public buildings in the United States are flown at half-staff for 10 days. Landmarks around the world glowed red, white and blue, or went dark. It is difficult to imagine another person for whom all these things would have been done", writes the "Guardian" columnist and asks if Queen Elizabeth was bigger than the monarchy.
"There is something in the very longevity of the reign and the breadth of historical upheavals in which it has nevertheless remained an icon and a constant that seems simply unrepeatable... To many today it seemed not only that they were watching a moment in history, but that they were watching the embodiment of a now-vanished past finally pass into history. From David Beckham, through unknown mourners to foreign politicians and local mayors, it is impressive that so many different people have appeared in front of the cameras in the last 10 days and repeated the sentence: "No one will be like her again," concludes the columnist.
Citizens said goodbye to "an era"
A large number of citizens who gathered in London yesterday on the occasion of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth said that the spectacular state funeral was a fitting farewell to the queen who died on September 8 at the age of 97.
"It is difficult for me to express in words what we have just witnessed. This is really special and memorable," 53-year-old Camilla Moore from Nottingham told Reuters after attending the funeral service in London. “This is terribly sad. So sad. The end of an era”.
Chloe Jason, 59, who arrived in London from Manchester, said that the funeral ceremony was very emotional for her. “You feel sadness for the country and its family. At the same time, it was a celebration of her life... I cried sometimes, but I wasn't sad," she said. "The best thing is that there were people from all walks of life, all races and religions and they all came here to pay their respects."
More than an hour before the start of the funeral service, it was announced that all viewing areas were full. Authorities said they expect a million people to arrive in the capital.
Melanie Oddi, 60, a teacher, was camping in a tent with her daughters and grandchildren after arriving on Sunday afternoon. "This is a unique opportunity in life to be a part of history, to pay our respects," she said.
Some attendees were quiet and serious, dressed in black. Others wore bright colors and said they wanted to celebrate the Queen's life.
Anne Catherine of Richmond never met or saw the Queen. Still, she says her family feels a personal connection to her.
"It's as if someone in our family passed away, we couldn't miss this," she said. "It was a bright spot in everyone's life and now it seems like the light has gone out."
"The backbone of the monarchy and the stability factor of the Commonwealth"
In Hong Kong, hundreds of people watched Queen Elizabeth's funeral on their phones as they queued for hours to pay their respects.
In Sydney, citizens gathered in pubs to celebrate the ceremony.
In Paris, cafe owner Thibaut Dupon showed off a new tattoo of the queen on his arm.
"She was not our queen, but she ruled Britain for over 70 years. Only Louis XIV reigned so long. So it's a shared history," he told Reuters.
Around the world, citizens gathered outside British embassies and consulates, cafes and bars and other public places to watch the spectacle unfold thousands of miles away from their homes. "Her presence is literally everywhere," said information technology professor Victor Lai outside the British consulate in Hong Kong, where people have been queuing for the past ten days to sign the book of mourning.
"We have hospitals, schools and even roads that bear her name," added this 30-year-old.
Near the consulate, visitors leave flowers, handwritten messages, photographs, candles and other items in the center of the city, which still bears the hallmarks of 156 years of British colonial rule. The Queen's funeral in Hong Kong is more than an event with historical resonance. The Queen was head of state in Hong Kong for 45 years during a period of rapid development that some consider a golden age.
In the United States, the funeral was broadcast on cable channels and made headline news.
Across the border in Ottawa, Canadians - most in raincoats with umbrellas - watched a military parade in honor of the queen who was also their head of state.
"She was a factor of stability in the Commonwealth, and she did it with legendary grace," said Erik Sladik, a 53-year-old engineer from Ottawa.
At the Lord Dudley Hotel in Sydney, Nina Whitfeld attended the funeral with other guests. "This is a historic moment. She was the backbone of the monarchy and the glue that held everything together. He will be missed," Watfield told Reuters.
"Most of all, we are losing our heritage," said Christopher Wilken, who attended the funeral in a pub in Oakland, New Zealand.
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