500 world leaders came to the United Kingdom for Queen Elizabeth II funerals

Great Britain, world leaders and members of royal houses around the world will say goodbye to Queen Elizabeth, the last towering figure of her era, on Monday in an impressive state funeral.

Overseas Heads of State are arriving at Westminster Abbey.

They arrived together by coach.

Foreign royalty will be amongst the last to arrive before the Processions. pic.twitter.com/g041i09uBe

— Royal Central (@RoyalCentral) September 19, 2022

US President Joe Biden and his wife Jill arrive at Westminster Abbey for Queen Elizabeth II's funeral https://t.co/vzkzceLCY6 pic.twitter.com/ei3gH9tW9p

— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) September 19, 2022

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain died on Thursday, September 8, 2022, at the age of 96. The newly proclaimed sovereign of the country is his eldest son, Charles III.

The United Kingdom was able to say goodbye to the one who had the longest reign in its history – 70 years – until Monday, September 19, when the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II takes place.

King Charles III hosted a dinner on Sunday evening for all the leaders and guests attending the funeral on Monday. Among them, the president Klaus Iohannis. Meanwhile, London’s police and authorities are preparing to face the biggest security challenge in their history.

The state funerals are to take place on Monday, at 12.00, at Westminster Abbey. The procession will accompany the coffin from Westminster Hall to the monastery. The route will last less than 10 minutes, and members of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines will be lined up along the route. Around 200 musicians will be in attendance, including bagpipers and drummers from the Scottish and Irish regiments.

Prime Minister Liz Truss and Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland will speak at the funeral service. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Most Reverend Justin Welby, will deliver the sermon. After the “Last Post” – the tribute to the soldiers who fell in battle in the British army” – there will be a moment of silence, around 1:55 p.m. After the funeral, the coffin will be mounted on a cannon and carried in a procession in the British capital, to Wellington Arch, located at Hyde Park Corner, where it will be transferred to a hearse. The casket will then be taken to Windsor at St Georges Chapel on the Long Walk, a pathway that runs through the grounds to the castle, and the ceremony afterwards will be broadcast live.

The religious service will take place at 5:00 p.m., in the Chapel, in the presence of over 800 people, before the funeral ceremony, which will be attended by close family members. Then, photographers and cameras will not have access. The crown jeweler will remove the Crown of Imperial State, orb and scepter, which rests above the casket, and place them on the altar. The Queen’s coffin will be placed in the King George VI Chapel, an annex of the main chapel, which houses the Queen’s father and mother, as well as the ashes of her sister, Princess Margaret. The Archbishop of Canterbury will give the benediction, which will be followed by the hymn “God Save The King”. Prince Philipp’s coffin, which is currently in the Royal Castle, is to be brought into the chapel, next to the Queen’s.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte will join more than 2,000 guests at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral at Westminster Abbey. George, nine, and his sister, seven, will join the Royal Family in the procession that will accompany the coffin into the church. The procession will be led by King Charles III and his wife, Camilla. The Prince and Princess of Wales will walk ahead of George and Charlotte. The little ones will be followed by their uncle and aunt, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and other members of the royal family. George and Charlotte’s younger brother Louis, four, will not attend the ceremonies.

King Charles III thanks people for support 

King Charles III on Sunday evening thanked everyone who has supported him and his family since the death on September 8 of of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, whose funeral on Monday is expected to be grandiose, with a huge crowd and dignitaries from all over the world, reports AFP.

While the national mourning that followed the sovereign’s death is coming to an end, the new king thanked in a statement “all these countless people” who showed their support. “In London, Edinburgh, Hillsborough and Cardiff, we (he and the queen consort, Camilla – n.r.) were moved beyond measure by all those who took the trouble to come and pay tribute to the service to which he gave his whole life life my beloved mother, the late Queen”, conveyed King Charles III.

The British Royal House has released a new photo of Queen Elizabeth II, taken this year to mark 70 years since she ascended the throne.

Ahead of Her Majesty The Queen’s State Funeral, a new photograph has been released.

The photo was taken to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee – the first British Monarch to reach this milestone.

Tomorrow, millions will come together to commemorate her remarkable life. pic.twitter.com/UyVfjVvJgw

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 18, 2022

The costs of the funerals

Queen Elizabeth II’s funerals will be some of the most expensive. It’s hard to say at this point how much they will cost, with no recent precedent.

Britain buried a sovereign 70 years ago, and a state funeral was held in 1965, when Winston Churchill died.

The Queen Mother’s ceremonial funeral in 2002 cost around £5.1m, including £4.3m for security, according to official figures. It is estimated that Princess Diana’s funeral cost between £3 million and £5 million. It is expected that at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II the amount will be higher. A former officer who handled royal security estimated that £7.5m would cost the protection services alone.

The funeral will be added to the annual costs for the royal family. £86.3 million was in 2020-21 for the taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant, £63.9 million for property maintenance and £4.5 million for official royal travel, among others.

There was also an incident reported by the British media regarding the costs of the funerals. King Charles III was heckled over the cost of living crisis as he greeted crowds on Friday (16 September).

The new monarch walked away as a man confronted him about taxpayers “paying for your parade” as he met the public outside Cardiff Castle in  Wales. “Charles, while we struggle to heat our homes, we have to pay for your parade,” the man could be heard shouting, as the King turned away. “The taxpayers pay £100 million for you, but what for?”

The London Stock Exchange closed for trading today to mark the Queen’s death.

A metro station in Paris will bear the name of Queen Elizabeth II today, for one day, when the British sovereign’s funeral takes place.

A bell in Westminster Abbey is rung 96 times, counting the years of the Queen’s life.

The bellringers at St Thomas Church in Mellor, Stockport say it's an honour to toll the bell ahead of The Queen's funeral today.. they got a letter from Her Majesty after tolling the bell for the Platinum Jubilee ???

More on @GranadaReports later.. pic.twitter.com/LgwCoyyDR0

— Claire Hannah (@Claire_journo) September 19, 2022