CNN
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King Charles III and his siblings Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward held a short vigil beside Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin in Westminster Hall on Friday, joining members of the military who have constantly monitored her remains over the past two days.
The king stood quietly, bowed his head, and was on top of the Queen’s coffin, while his sister Anne, the Princess Royal, and his brother Edward, Earl of Wessex, were on either side. Andrew, Duke of York, was at the foot of the coffin.
Prince Andrew – the Queen’s second son – dressed in contravention of royal tradition military uniform for the vigil. While the custom requires that only members of the royal family wear the military uniform during ceremonial occasions, Andrew was allowed to wear his uniform as a sign of special respect for the Queen. The King, Anne, and Edward were also in uniform.
Andrew gave up his royal duties in 2019 due to his ties to disgraced financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Several members of the royal family came to observe the vigil. Camilla, the Queen consort, accompanied the King, standing next to Princess Anne’s husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Lawrence.
Sophie, wife of Prince Edward, Countess of Wessex, was there with her two children Lady Louise Windsor and James Viscount Severn.
There were Queen’s granddaughters Zara Tindall and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, as well as the Queen’s cousin Prince Michael of Kent.
Seen for the first time since the Queen’s death last Thursday, the Queen’s youngest grandchildren including Mia and Lena Tindall were also in attendance.
The Queen has been lying in Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the Palace of Westminster, since Wednesday. The Medieval Hall is where the Queen’s ancestors were also placed. Her father, King George VI in 1952, her mother, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother in 2002, her grandfather George V in 1936, and her great-grandfather Edward VII in 1910 – the first member of the royal family in the state.
The Queen’s coffin is covered with a royal standard and has the Imperial State Crown and the Germanic ball and sceptre lying on top of it.
The public has the opportunity to view the enclosed sarcophagus in person until 6:30 a.m. on Monday, when the auditorium will be closed in preparation for the reception of the sarcophagus. state funeral later that morning.
The Queue to pay respect It got up to 10 miles on Friday and had to be shut down over and over again after reaching its maximum capacity. At one point, the wait was at least 14 hours, according to the official tracker provided by the government.
The Continuous Clock is kept within Westminster Hall by the King’s Body Guards of the Legion of Gentlemen in Arms, the Royal Company of Archers, and the Yeomen of the Guard aided by the Yeomen’s Guards in the Tower of London and by the officers of the family division while lying in state and lying at rest.
Each hour lasts for six hours, with individuals within those hours remaining vigil for 20 minutes at a time.
The royal vigil took place on Friday evening, along with the military escort It was similar to the one hosted by the Queen’s children at St Giles’ Cathedral in Scotland earlier this week.
The Queen’s eight grandchildren are expected to do so Take the same place on Saturday It will be their time to stand by their grandmother’s coffin, a royal source told CNN Friday.
Prince William, Prince of Wales, will stand at the head of the coffin, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, will stand at its foot. The source added that the Prince of Wales will be surrounded by Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, who are the children of Princess Anne. The Duke of Sussex will be surrounded by Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Prince Andrew’s daughters, along with Prince Edward’s children, Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn.
King Charles III and Camilla visited the Queen of Wales earlier on Friday and met members of the public and received a request for condolences.
The King said he is taking on his new duties as King “with great gratitude for the privilege of being able to serve as Prince of Wales”.
“It must certainly be reckoned as the greatest privilege of belonging to a land which can inspire such devotion,” he said. Speaking Welsh, the king said his son, Prince William, who took on the title Prince of Wales from his father, had a “profound love for Wales”.
But the new king also faced some signs of disapproval on Friday. When he arrived at Cardiff Castle in the afternoon, he was greeted by both cheers and boos.
While many protesters were chanting and waving flags, some protesters booed loudly. King Charles seemed to shake his head slightly as his car drove past and into the castle.
The palace said in a statement that after returning to London and before joining the vigil at Westminster Hall, Charles held a reception for religious leaders in the Bow Hall at Buckingham Palace.
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