Charles, Siblings solemn vigil at Queen’s Coffin

Charles, Siblings solemn vigil at Queen’s Coffin

Newslooks- LONDON- (AP)

King Charles III and his three siblings have stood vigil around their mother’s coffin as it lies in state at Westminster Hall in London.

Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward stood with their backs to the flag-draped coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, their heads bowed.

Members of the public who had lined up for hours to pay their last respects continued to file past as the royals stood vigil in the historic event.

On Saturday, the queen’s eight grandchildren will hold a similar vigil.

The line organized by British authorities for people to view Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin as she lies in state has reopened after being closed for more than seven hours due to a surge in numbers.

But officials said Friday afternoon that people may have to stand in line for more than 24 hours before reaching Westminster Hall.

And they say that it will be cold during the night.

The line was about 5 miles (8 kilometers) long, snaking along the banks of the River Thames.

Authorities laid on more than 500 portable toilets, while around 1,000 stewards and marshals were on duty at any given time.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to pay their respects before Monday’s state funeral.

King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, have encountered the Royal Welsh goat.

As they left Cardiff Castle on a visit to Wales on Friday, the royal couple passed by the official mascot of the Third Battalion of The Royal Welsh.

The goat is known as Lance Corporal Shenkin IV. The furry white goat, which has metal tips on its horns, has its own Twitter account and Facebook page.

King Charles appeared to share a joke about the military mascot with his wife.

A surging tide of people — ranging from London retirees to former England soccer captain David Beckham — have lined up to file past Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin as it lies in state at Parliament, so many that authorities had to call a temporary halt Friday to more people joining the miles-long queue.

By late afternoon, a live tracker said the line to get into historic Westminster Hall had reopened, but the British government warned that it would take more than 24 hours of waiting to cover the 5 miles (8 kilometers) from the start of the line in Southwark Park to the coffin at Parliament. The government also warned that “overnight temperatures will be cold.”

The mourners kept silently streaming into Westminster Hall even as King Charles III and his three siblings stood vigil around the flag-draped coffin for 15 minutes on Friday evening. A baby’s cry was the only sound.

Those who came often bowed before the coffin or made a sign of the cross. Several veterans, their medals shining in the spotlights, offered sharp salutes. Some people wept. Many hugged one another as they stepped away, proud to have spent hours in line to offer a tribute, even if it lasted only a few moments.

Beckham was spotted in the line of mourners near Britain’s Houses of Parliament at lunchtime Friday. He’s believed to have joined the queue at 2 a.m. and to have lined up for more than 10 hours. Wearing a white shirt and black tie, he bowed briefly to the coffin before moving out of Westminster Hall.

“We have been lucky as a nation to have had someone who has led us the way her majesty has led us, for the amount of time, with kindness, with caring and always reassurance,” Beckham said. “I think that’s the one thing that we all felt safe and we will continue that with the royal family. But I think her majesty was someone special and will be missed, not just by everyone in our country but everyone around the world.”

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