Tomorrow will be the culmination of the long farewell to Queen Elizabeth , with a protocol of events and ceremonies that lasted almost two weeks since the death of the sovereign on 8 September .
About 500 dignitaries from all latitudes - among them the President of the United States Joe Biden and the Italian Head of State Sergio Mattarella - will honor a woman who in 1952 wore the crown at the age of 26 on a planet where the leaders of the States were still all occupied as men, as the new queen consort Camilla recalled .
The state funeral arrangements in Westminster Abbey will be grandiose, the first since those granted to Winston Churchill in 1965 and the most impressive in the contemporary history of the globe. Tonight the traditional welcome reception at Buckingham Palace, hosted by Charles III, the new monarch and eldest son of Elizabeth, with Camilla at his side.
At 8pm the UK plunged into a minute of national silence , heralded by the tolling of Big Ben and observed in public and private places, on the street and in homes. The same chime of the clock will mark the times of the state funeral at regular intervals tomorrow, then it will mark another 2 minutes of silence on the sidelines of the burial.
THE NUMBERS - Tomorrow's greeting will see London as the protagonist of one of the most impressive police operations , larger than that for the Olympics and the Jubilee, with over 1,600 soldiers engaged in the procession that will accompany the coffin after the funeral and the pickets of ' honor , while the London police will field more than 10 thousand officers for the security of the city .
The agents will check compliance with the almost 36 kilometers of barriers placed to contain the crowd that will attend the ceremony. Many, the first estimates assume a million people , have already paid homage to Elizabeth in the four days in which the coffin was exhibited in Westminster Hall, making a line that reached 8 kilometers. Those who will not be in the streets of London tomorrow to follow the day will be able to do so from 9 with live TV or following the images (also broadcast by over 120 cinemas) from the big screens in Hyde Park. But also in parks and squares all over the country.
THE PROGRAM - Here are the main stages of the day.
At 6.30am : the doors of Westminster Hall close to the public.
At 10.35 am: the coffin is placed on the carriage for transfer to Westminster Abbey. The procession starts at 10.44. Behind the coffin, King Charles III, members of the royal family and the palace.
At 10.52 : arrival of the coffin at the Abbey and the function begins at 11 (12 in Italy), where people admitted inside will be able to take their seats from 8. Up to 2,000 guests from all over the world are expected. The function ends with two minutes of silence.
After 12 : the sovereign begins her last journey through London, punctuated by the toll of Big Ben, from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch (Hyde Park Corner), through the Mall, skirting the royal parks (Green Park and St James Park), saluting Buckingham Palace. Behind the coffin, on foot, King Charles III and members of the royal family. Then, by car, the coffin leaves for Windsor.
At 3pm : Arrive in Windsor where an hour later another ceremony is scheduled in St George's Chapel before the coffin is lowered into the Royal Crypt at around 4.45pm, where the Queen will rest next to Prince Philip.
(Unioneonline / D)