King Charles III and his brothers held a vigil at Westminster Hall

Patience in Westminster Hall. As many anonymous people braved a lengthy wait to greet beloved Elizabeth II before her funeral, the sovereign’s four children, including King Charles III, stood by her coffin in London on Friday, September 16.

Carlos, Ana, Andrés and Eduardo remained with their backs to the coffin, wrapped in the royal standard and adorned with the imperial crown, on an imposing catafalque in the oldest room of the British Parliament, Westminster Hall, for fifteen minutes.

They had already done the same on Monday in Edinburgh, where the remains of the sovereign arrived after her death at her estate in Balmoral (Scotland) on September 8.

For the occasion, Andrés, stripped of his military titles after a sexual scandal, was able to wear the uniform, like his brothers.

During this solemn “vigil of the princes”, a tradition that dates back to the death of King George V in 1936, the crowd was able to continue to file past the casket, as it has done in a continuous stream since Wednesday afternoon.

As proof of the immense emotion caused by the death of Queen Elizabeth, who was unanimously praised for her devotion to the Crown, the endless queue to pay their respects continued to grow on Friday, at one point exceeding the 24-hour wait.

“My ankles hurt a lot, but it’s a small sacrifice to make,” Peter Stratford, 70, told the AFP news agency, resting briefly after waiting eight hours.

“I would not have wanted to miss this,” added the former firefighter, who acted against the great fire at Windsor Castle in 1992, where Elizabeth II will be buried on Monday.

As the day before, authorities again temporarily suspended access to the long queue that winds for miles around the capital on Friday night. It will reopen on Saturday at noon.

David Beckham Tribute

Like thousands of others, former soccer star David Beckham waited patiently for more than 12 hours, starting at 2 a.m., dressed in dark clothing. Before his corpse, he bowed his head soberly and wiped away a tear.

“It is very emotional, and the silence and atmosphere in the room is very difficult to explain, but we are all here to thank Her Majesty for being so kind, loving and comforting over the years,” he said on leaving. surrounded by journalists. “She was our queen and the legacy she leaves behind is incredible,” she added.

The “princes’ vigil” completed an emotional day for the monarch, during which he was applauded in Cardiff, Wales, on the last leg of his tour of the four constituent nations of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales ).

“Long live the King”: For about 20 minutes, the former Prince of Wales, 73, washed over the crowd, shaking many hands.

He left with Queen Consort Camilla to the sound of the anthem “God save the King” sung by the public, after attending a church service and renewing his promise, in a speech delivered partly in Welsh before Parliament, to follow the “example “from his mother.

“It was very exciting to see someone so special to the country,” 14-year-old Ffion Driscoll told AFP, crying loudly with her mother.

But while the king was cheered by a conquered Welsh public, a handful of anti-monarchists carrying “abolish the monarchy” or “democracy now” signs gathered outside the castle.

A petition to protest against the transfer of the title of Prince of Wales – for some a symbol of English oppression – to the new heir to the throne William instead of a Welshman gathered almost 30,000 signatures.

Back in London, Charles III, head of the Anglican Church, received the country’s religious leaders at Buckingham Palace, pledging to uphold all faiths.

About 2,000 guests are expected

The public will be able to parade before the coffin of Elizabeth II until early Monday morning, before the state funeral at 10:00 local time, the first of its kind since Winston Churchill’s in 1965.

A procession will then accompany the coffin to Westminster Abbey, where the funeral will be held.

Millions of people are expected to watch the event on television on this UK public holiday.

The ceremony will be attended by some 2,000 guests, including hundreds of decorated world leaders, royals and charity workers.

Joe Biden, Ursula von der Leyen, the Emperor of Japan and Emmanuel Macron are expected to attend, among others, while the Pope will be represented. The leaders of Russia, Afghanistan, Burma, Syria and North Korea have not been invited.

The event represents an unprecedented security challenge for the UK, which has deployed an impressive security presence in the capital, with numerous reinforcements coming from across the country.

It will be the biggest event London police have ever had to deal with,” Deputy Commissioner Stuart Cundy said, “even bigger than the 2012 Olympics.”

Hours earlier, this Friday the stabbing of two policemen in central London, which the authorities do not consider a terrorist act, raised the tension a little more.

“(The king) is just a person, (he is) not really important to me”

Many challenges await Charles III, often portrayed as a transitional king preceding his son, the popular William, but also as a modernizer eager to shrink the monarchy.

Between Scotland’s desire for independence, the tensions in Northern Ireland, the country’s economic and social crisis, but also the republican temptations that arise in some of its other 14 kingdoms, it will have a lot to do to embody the unity of the nation.

Thus, a few meters from the entrance to Cardiff Castle, Zahra Ameri, 22, who works in a tea shop, says she is already tired of all the fuss surrounding the sovereign.

“I hope Wales is independent,” he told AFP. “(The king) is just a person, (he’s) not really important to me.”

Carlos III’s first steps have been deemed quite dignified, apart from some much-talked-about public annoyances on the internet, with many waiting to see how he will assume the mantle of his immensely respected mother and how he will handle family crises.

*With AFP; adapted from its French version