A page of history is turned with this religious funeral of the monarch who crossed her 70 years, seven months and two days of reign with a constant sense of duty, without ever letting an opinion pierce but fulfilling her functions as Head of State. with seriousness, benevolence for his subjects and a tongue-in-cheek humor that is sometimes irresistible.

Like a national mourning regulated to the millimeter and marked by the pomp and solemnity of which the British monarchy has the secret, the remains left at 09:42 GMT Westminster Hall where hundreds of thousands of Britons had gathered day and night since Wednesday, after hours of waiting.

To the sound of bagpipes and drum rolls, the coffin, draped in the Royal Standard and surmounted by the glittering Imperial Crown, was accompanied in procession to Westminster Abbey fired from a cannon carriage by sailors from the Royal Navy, forming an army of kepis.

The royal family followed, marching in step, their eyes fixed: Charles III, who became king at 73 after a life to wait, his brothers and sister Anna, Andrew and Edward, the heir to the throne Willam, new Prince of Wales and the prince Harry, in civilian clothes, consequence of his withdrawal from the monarchy in 2020.

#photo2

In the nave of the Abbey, they were joined by Queen Consort Camilla, the wives of William, Kate, and Harry, Meghan.

William and Kate's two eldest children, George, 9, Charlotte, 7, walked behind their great-grandmother's coffin as she arrived at the Abbey.

#photo3

"I was there!"

Among the 2,000 guests dressed in black, the gratin of world leaders had moved, from American President Joe Biden and French Emmanuel Macron to the Emperor of Japan Naruhito, for this first state funeral since that of Winston Churchill in 1965.

Never in years has London seen such an influx of dignitaries, and the capital's police have never experienced such a security challenge.

The day is a public holiday and hundreds of thousands do not want to lose a crumb of this historic event.

#photo5

For millions of Britons, Elizabeth II was the one, only, reassuring anchor of stability in the convulsions of a changing world.

"It's history, never in my life will there be another queen," Bethany Beardmore, 26, told AFP after a sleepless night.

"I will tell my children about this moment: I will say: I was there!" Says Jack, 14, who came in the early morning with his parents to Hyde Park Corner, not far from Buckingham Palace.

For Thay, 59, the Queen brought "stability" to a "chaotic" life.

He hopes Charles will do the same "because we need something to hold on to".

#photo6

historical procession

After an hour of ceremony and two minutes of silence, the remains of the monarch will leave for a final journey.

The coffin will once again be placed on a Royal Navy gun carriage before a historic procession through the streets of central London to Wellington's Arch, from where it will depart by hearse to Windsor Castle in 35 kilometers west of the capital

More than 6,000 soldiers will participate.

More and more frail in recent months, suffering from mobility problems, Elizabeth II still received, smiling, two days before her death, the brand new Prime Minister Liz Truss, her last public photo.

She was the oldest serving leader in the world.

During her life, she went through the Second World War, saw the dissolution of the British Empire, the entry and then the exit of the European Union.

She was at the time of her death, in addition to the United Kingdom, queen of 14 kingdoms, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

Some of these countries have made no secret of their wish to see their link with the monarchy evolve.

She will be buried Monday evening in privacy, in the George VI Memorial in the chapel of the castle where she had lived her last years.

She will rest close to her parents and Prince Philip who died in April 2021. They had been married for 73 years.

#photo7

After 12 exhausting days of travels in the four constituent nations of the United Kingdom, walkabouts combined with the mourning of a mother, Charles III, 73, will have to write his own story.

Some dreamed of a quick transition with the new Prince of Wales, his son William, 40.

But Charles III promised, like his mother, to serve all his life.

Solemn, unifying, accessible and inclusive, his first steps reassured, with the soothing presence of Camilla by his side.

His approval rating has skyrocketed, now at 70% according to a new YouGov poll that puts William at 80%.

But the many challenges are just beginning.

As of Tuesday, the United Kingdom resumes the thread of its life suspended since September 8.

The cost-of-living crisis and social movements should soon be back in the headlines.

© 2022 AFP