Huge crowds follow queen’s funeral in silence and awe

Members of the public, one of them holding a Paddington Bear toy, outside Buckingham Palace wait to watch Queen Elizabeth II funeral procession, in central London Monday, September 19, 2022. The Queen, who died aged 96 on September 8, will be buried at Windsor alongside her late husband, Prince Philip, who died last year. Christophe Ena/Pool via REUTERS

LONDON — The tens of thousands gathered in central London for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II fell silent and bowed their heads on Monday to follow her funeral service in Westminster Abbey and watch the procession of her coffin afterward through the city.

Some watching in Hyde Park dabbed their eyes and others sobbed during the service, while later, children were hoisted in the air or put on parents’ shoulders to see her coffin pass.

There was also applause among the crowd for a grand state funeral of pageantry and rousing music that captured how many felt for the queen, who died on September 8 aged 96. She had been on the throne for 70 years, meaning most Britons have known no other monarch.

“I find it hard to express in words what we just witnessed. This was really special and memorable,” said Camilla Moore, 53, from Nottingham. “It was terribly sad. So very, very sad. The end of an era.”

Crowds followed the funeral service on large television screens or from a radio broadcast on loudspeakers.

Colin Sanders, 61, a retired soldier who had come to London from North Yorkshire to bid farewell to the queen, struggled to hold back tears listening on the Mall to the ceremony.

“It felt like we were there and part of it… it was very moving,” he said.

“I knew I’d well up … She’s like your grandma, a loving and caring person. She said she’d serve the country and that’s what she did.”

After the service in Westminster Abbey, the queen’s coffin was borne on a gun carriage through central London, past her Buckingham Palace home to the Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner. From there, it was placed on a hearse to be driven to Windsor Castle, west of London, for a service at St. George’s Chapel.

People react as they watch the funeral of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth on a large screen in Holyrood Park Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain, September 19, 2022. REUTERS/Russell Cheyne

The crowds of young and old had come from around Britain and beyond, many camping out overnight to secure a good spot for watching the country’s first state funeral since 1965, when World War Two leader Winston Churchill was afforded the honor.

READ: Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin starts journey to final resting place

People climbed lampposts and stood on barriers and ladders to catch a glimpse of the royal procession.

Chloe Jesson, 59, had traveled south from Manchester and said she found the ceremony emotional, moving, and dramatic.

“You felt the sadness for the country and her family. At the same time it was a celebration of her life… I occasionally cried, but I was never sad, if that makes any sense,” she said.

“The best thing was there were people from all walks of life, each race and religion and everyone came here to celebrate.”

Filling London

More than an hour before the funeral service began all viewing areas in central London were declared full. Authorities said they expected up to a million people to travel to the capital to follow the funeral.

Melanie Odey, 60, a teacher, had camped out in a tent with her two daughters and grandchildren after arriving on Sunday afternoon.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of history, to pay your respects,” she said. The queen “cared so much about this country.”

Crowds take photographs on the Horse Guards Avenue ahead of Queen Elizabeth II State Funeral. Picture date: Monday, September 19, 2022. David Davies/Pool via REUTERS

Some in the crowds were silent and somber, dressed in black. Others wore bright colors and said they wanted to celebrate the queen’s life.

READ: Queen Elizabeth II: State Funeral | Live Updates

Shelly Chugg and Anita Evans, colleagues at Cardiff Council, left Wales at 1:00 a.m. to travel to London.

“I wouldn’t have missed this,” said Chugg, 51, who recalled seeing the queen as a child in 1977 during the silver jubilee celebrations of Elizabeth’s 25 years on the throne.

“I was going to wear black, but it’s a celebration of the queen’s life too, isn’t it? She liked to stand out in the crowd,” added Evans, 50, clad in white and green.

Anna Kathryn from Richmond, in southwest London, had never met or seen the queen. Yet she said her family felt they had a personal tie with her.

“It is like we have had a death in the family, we couldn’t miss this,” she said. “She was such a bright spot in everyone’s lives and now it feels like that light has gone out.”

Towns and cities all over Britain were broadcasting the state funeral.