London, England —(Map)
Since Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8, people around the world have been saying goodbye to her in many ways. On Monday, the queen’s funeral will be held while people in the United Kingdom and leaders from around the world look on.
Honors Around the World
In the UK, the US, and many other places, flags at government buildings have been flying halfway down the flag pole to honor the queen. In France, the lights on the Eiffel tower turned off at midnight to show respect. In Brazil, the famous “Christ the Redeemer” statue near Rio de Janeiro was lit up with the colors of the UK flag.
In Australia, Parliament has been suspended for two weeks, and the “sails” of the Sydney Opera House have been lit up with the queen’s picture. In Canada, the day of the queen’s funeral is a holiday for the national government.
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Since Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8, people around the world have been saying goodbye to her in many ways. Above, the “sails” of the Sydney Opera House in Australia have been lit up with the queen’s picture.
The effect the queen’s death has had around the globe reflects her special position in the world. Queen Elizabeth II wasn’t just the queen of the UK for 70 years, she was also an important figure on the world stage. No other person has played such a large part over such a long time.
French President Emanuel Macron, in a message to the UK’s people, said what many people seem to be thinking, “To you, she was your Queen. To us, she was THE Queen.”
The queen represented the UK, but she was also the symbol of 56 countries around the world. These countries, known as Commonwealth countries, are home to 2.4 billion people. Examples include Australia, Canada, and India.
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The effect the queen’s death has had around the globe reflects her special position in the world. No other person has played such a large part on the world stage over such a long time. Above, a sand artist in Durban, South Africa creates an art work to remember the queen.
For many people, the queen represented a constant, stable, and caring person in a changing and often worrying world.
People have been planning what would happen when the queen died for years. The queen herself took part in the planning. The complicated events are designed to keep up the traditions of the British monarchy, and to give people a chance to say goodbye.
After the queen died in Balmoral Castle in Scotland, her coffin was taken on a long and winding path so that people could pay their respects as the coffin passed. Once it reached London, the queen’s coffin was taken through several more ceremonies.
(Source: Katie Chan [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons.)
Since last Wednesday, the queen has been lying in state at Westminster Hall, where the “Imperial State Crown” sits on top of her flag-covered coffin. Hundreds of thousands of people have gathered, spending hours in a massive line known as “The Queue” to visit the queen’s coffin briefly to say goodbye.
The British government says that about 250,000 people joined the Queue. At one point, the Queue was nearly 10 miles (16 kilometers) long, and the expected wait time to reach the queen was over 24 hours. The lines have continued around the clock, despite rain and cold weather.
(Source: Andrew Davidson [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons.)
People have been writing notes, and bringing flowers and other gifts to show how much they loved the queen.
Presidents, prime ministers, kings, queens, and other leaders from around the world are now in London for the queen’s funeral. The public funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey. It will be shown live on TV and on large screens in public places. After that, there will be a national two-minute period of silence.
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Presidents, prime ministers, kings, queens, and other leaders from around the world are now in London for the queen’s funeral, which will be shown live on TV. Above, US President Joe Biden signs a book in memory of the queen while his wife, Jill, looks on.
The loss of the queen is a very personal one for her family. Her oldest son is now King Charles III. His wife, Camilla, has become the “Queen Consort”. After the public ceremonies, the queen’s coffin will be taken to Windsor Castle, where there will be a private funeral service for the family.
The queen will be buried in St George’s Chapel next to her husband, who died last year.
This article has been updated with more recent numbers about the Queue.
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