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Queen Elizabeth's coffin draped in the Royal Standard is now lying in state in London's Westminster Hall where it will remain for four days until her funeral on Monday, the Royal Family said.
The queen's coffin was taken to Westminster Hall in a solemn procession. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to pay their respects during the four days. Borne on a gun carriage and accompanied by the boom of artillery cannons and the tolling of Big Ben's bell, the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II was transported on Wednesday from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster, as per New York Post. King Charles III, in full dress uniform and carrying a field marshal's baton, walked behind the coffin, joined by his sister, Princess Anne, and their two brothers, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. His elder son and heir, Prince William, newly named as the Prince of Wales, walked behind him, next to his brother, Prince Harry. The cortege passed by the most familiar symbols of royal London, from Buckingham Palace to the wide, tree-lined vista of the Mall, then past government institutions on Whitehall and Downing Street, before arriving at Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the Parliamentary estate. Westminster Hall, which sits in the shadow of Big Ben, is one of the most hallowed places in British public life, as per the media portal. The British Queen breathed her last at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8. The death of the 96-year-old Queen ended a generation-spanning, seven-decade reign that made her a beacon of stability in a tumultuous world. The UK has entered a period of official mourning, with tributes pouring in worldwide. King Charles III was proclaimed as the new monarch of England on Saturday after his mother Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8. Moreover, the national anthem of Britain will now again shift back to "God Save the King" after the Queen's demise. UK authorities had devised Operation London Bridge to manage events during the first 10 days between the Queen's death and the funeral. They had thought of Operation Unicorn in case the queen died in Scotland. The funeral will be held at Westminster Abbey on September 19 and there will be a committal service in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. Thereafter, Queen Elizabeth II will be buried in the castle's King George VI Memorial Chapel. The Queen was born on April 21, 1926, at 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair, London. She was the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York - who later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. (ANI)
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