Flags back at full mast as UK’s state mourning for Queen Elizabeth concludes
India Today
The UK’s 10-day state mourning came to an end with national flags back at full mast across government buildings on Tuesday.
The UK’s 10-day state mourning came to an end with national flags back at full mast across government buildings on Tuesday, a day after Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral in London and a private burial ceremony in Windsor.
The royal family will continue to observe another week of mourning announced by King Charles III, who flew to Scotland with Queen Consort Camilla for a period of private mourning. Senior royals are not expected to carry out any public duties during the extended mourning period and the flags at royal residences will remain at half-mast till next Tuesday.
The Queen, Britain’s longest-serving monarch, died peacefully at her Balmoral Castle residence in Scotland on September 8. She was laid to rest beside her late husband, Prince Philip, in a private burial service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.
The government said over 250,000 people had turned out to queue for many hours over the past week to file past the Queen Lying-in-State at Westminster Hall ahead of her state funeral at Westminster Abbey in London on Monday.
"The queue was phenomenal. It was a real team effort to enable people to have that moment to say goodbye. I want to thank everyone involved,” UK Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan told the BBC.
The Mayor of London's office said an estimated 80,000 people were in Hyde Park to watch the funeral events on Monday, with several thousand gathered around large screens in all parts of the UK. The route from London to Windsor was lined with an estimated 100,000 people, according to Thames Valley Police.
President Droupadi Murmu represented the Indian government at the state funeral, which was attended by over 500 world leaders dubbed the largest gathering of global heads of state and government in history.
