U.K. mourns Elizabeth II at funeral viewed across the world
BNN Bloomberg
Global leaders and dignitaries from US President Joe Biden to Emperor Naruhito of Japan came together in London on Monday for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, the UK’s longest-serving monarch.
The ceremony began at 11 a.m. in Westminster Abbey following a short procession to move her coffin from Parliament, where she had been lying in state for four days. Hundreds of thousands of people queued for miles to pay their respects, with the final few filing past at 6:30 a.m.
Her passing brought politics to an abrupt halt just hours after new Prime Minister Liz Truss had announced a sweeping package to help people facing a cost-of-living crisis that is likely to define her premiership.
More fundamentally, the end of a reign dating from 1952 -- before more than 85 per cent of the country was born -- was a major jolt in a period of great uncertainty. The UK is still struggling with the fallout of the pandemic and Brexit, which has bolstered calls for independence in Scotland.
