London September 19
Britain, world leaders and royalty from across the globe will on Monday bid a final farewell to Queen Elizabeth, the last towering figure of her era, at a state funeral of inimitable pageantry.
At 6.30 am (0530 GMT), an official lying-in-state period ends after four days in which hundreds of thousands have queued to file past the casket of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch at London’s historic Westminster Hall.
They, like many across the globe including US President Joe Biden, had wanted to pay tribute to the 96-year-old who had spent seven decades on the British throne.
“You were fortunate to have had her for 70 years,” Biden said. “We all were.”
