Queen Elizabeth’s funeral: Majestic meld of pageantry and history to mark the end of an era

The world is poised to farewell the second Elizabethan age in a majestic state funeral.

King Charles III, left, with Anthony Albanese in the 1844 Room at Buckingham Palace in London. Picture: AFP

The world is poised to farewell the second Elizabethan age in a majestic state funeral brimming with pageantry and history to give thanks to Britain’s longest-serving monarch and mark the passing of an era.

The greatest assembly of world leaders in decades – surpassing the memorials of Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela and Pope John Paul II – will attend Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral at Westminster Abbey, with millions of people ­lining the roads outside and a worldwide television audience of billions.

The event will bring Britain to a standstill, with the service being played on large screens in town squares across the nation as well as in churches, pubs, cinemas and on almost every television channel.

Anthony Albanese, who will ­attend the funeral, said it was a “great honour” to officially relay his and Australia’s condolences for the death of the Queen at a meeting with King Charles at Buckingham Palace on Saturday.

Jodie Hayton, left, Anthony Albanese and Dylan Alcott have lunch at the Australian High Commission in London on Sunday. Picture: Ella Pellegrini

The Prime Minister also paid his respects to the Queen as she lay in state at Westminster Hall, ­describing the experience as ­“momentous” and “emotional”.

“It was a very emotional experience … you could feel the raw emotion in Westminster Hall,” he said.

Mr Albanese said he had “a considerable engagement and discussion’’ with King Charles, but the extraordinary outpouring of feeling for the Queen and the monarchy had not changed his ­republican views.

“No, it’s about respect to Queen Elizabeth and her extraordinary service over 70 years – the fact she continued to serve with extraordinary diligence and commitment and sense of duty is reflective of her generation as well, they gave so much in the post-war period,” he said.

US President Joe Biden and wife Jill arrived in London as more than 500 world leaders, royals and ambassadors gathered at Buckingham Palace for a historic reception ahead of Monday’s funeral at 8pm (AEST).

Joe Biden and wife Jill arrive at London Stansted Airport. Picture: AFP

Nine-year-old Prince George may also attend the funeral to shore up the line of succession to the throne, although no final decision has been taken.

George is the second in line behind his father, Prince William, 40.

Courtiers want George to be seen at such a globally televised event because he is the future of the monarchy and being seen alongside King Charles and William helps bed down the nation’s acceptance of him as a future king.

It would mean historic pictures from the occasion would show the current and future kings.

The funeral comes amid ongoing tension between the King’s two sons, William and Prince Harry, who have barely exchanged glances with each other during the mourning period.

The brothers, dressed in full military uniform, led a vigil of the Queen’s eight grandchildren in Westminster Hall, the first such ceremony by the grandchildren of a monarch.

Prince Harry, left, and Prince William arrive to mount a vigil around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall in London on Sunday. Picture: AFP

Harry, 37, and his wife, Meg­han, 41, were mistakenly invited to the state reception for world leaders and dignitaries at Buckingham Palace on Sunday night, but were then told the event was for working royals only. Courtiers sent the invitation in error, working off a royal guest list that had been drawn up before the couple left the royal family to move to California.

The Sussexes are fuming that their children – three-year-old ­Archie and Lilibet, 1 – won’t be styled his and her royal highnesses when they are given the titles prince and princess, but King Charles has been firm in the HRH row because he wants to slim down the monarchy.

The funeral has also ignited diplomatic tensions, with some Conservative MPs angered that Chinese Vice-President Wang Qishan will attend the funeral. At the weekend, a delegation of Chinese officials was given permission to view the Queen’s coffin, entering via a VIP side entrance.

China’s relationship with Britain is strained, with Beijing having imposed travel bans on some British MPs who have been critical of China.

Britain has invited representatives to the funeral from almost every country it has diplomatic relations with, although representatives from Russia, Syria, Venez­uela, Afghanistan, Myanmar and Belarus were not invited.

Members of the public walk in line along The Queens Walk near Tower Bridge waiting to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II in London. Picture: Getty Images

The funeral will be one of the most elaborate and majestic events held in Britain, replete with pomp and pageantry and involving three separate processions. It will begin with the Queen’s coffin being escorted from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey on a state gun carriage with the royal family marching behind.

A one-hour service at the Abbey, with 2000 dignitaries inside, will celebrate the life and 70-year reign of the Queen, who died on September 8 aged 96.

The service to be conducted by the Dean of Westminster will include a sermon by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

At the end of the service, the Last Post will sound followed by a two-minute silence.

The Queen’s coffin will then be escorted on foot past Buckingham Palace for one last time to Wellington Arch. From there, the state hearse will drive to Windsor for a final procession down the Long Walk to Windsor Castle where the Queen will be laid to rest in St ­George’s Chapel.

More than two million people from across the UK are expected to make a pilgrimage to London for the funeral. The streets near Buckingham Palace and Westminster are already seething with people, with hotels booked out ­despite having sharply jacked up their prices. A 3km queue formed just for people to lay flowers in Green Park at the weekend and police were preparing to close off nearly all of central London to traffic on Sunday to accommodate the influx.

More than 20,000 police have been mobilised, with thousands brought into London from around the country in what will be the largest security operation conducted in London.

“This will be … the biggest single deployment of police officers in an operation that the Met police has ever undertaken,” Met police deputy assistant commissioner Stuart Cundy said. “As a single event, this is larger than the 2012 Olympics, larger than the platinum jubilee weekend.”

Mr Albanese said he would not divulge what was discussed with the King during a private audience on Saturday “because of protocol” but he intended to have further discussions with King Charles.

He described seeing the Queen’s coffin lying in state as “an extraordinary moment in history but also a very personal one. The Queen touched so many Australians for generations,” he said, ­citing her opening of the Opera House in Sydney, the new parliament in Canberra and her support during natural disasters.

Mr Albanese said an earlier meeting with British Prime Minister Liz Truss at Chevening House in Kent touched on economic issues and the AUKUS partnership.

Ahead of the funeral, royals mingled with the crowds to thank them for their support during the mourning period. King Charles and William made a surprise ­appearance to talk with people in the 14-hour queue that had formed along the Thames to pay their respects to the Queen. Westminster Hall will be closed to the public at 3.30pm Monday (AEST) ahead of the funeral procession.

Outside Buckingham Palace, Prince Edward and wife Sophie mingled with mourners, thanking them for their well wishes.

The Queen Consort, Camilla, has paid tribute to her mother-in-law in a carefully choreographed step to help reinforce her new status. “She has been part of our lives forever. I’m 75 now and I can’t ­remember anyone except the Queen being there,” Camilla said.

“It must have been so difficult for her being a solitary woman. There weren’t women prime ministers or presidents. She was the only one, so I think she carved her own role.

“She’s got those wonderful blue eyes … when she smiles, they light up her whole face. I will ­always remember her smile. (It) is unforgettable.”