Queen Mum: Thousands still queue

2002-04-08 13:25

London - Mourners in their thousands continue to queue to pay their final respects to the Queen Mother, while a few devoted fans are camping on the streets to get the best spots for the funeral.

The line of mourners waiting to file into parliament's Westminster Hall snaked through the city and along the River Thames, even though about 200 000 people had filed past the coffin at the weekend.

Queen Elizabeth was expected to pay tribute on Monday to her mother in a televised address from Windsor Castle and thank all those who had waited for up to 12 hours to pay their respects.

The Queen Mother died on March 30, aged 101.

Her three grandsons, princes Charles, Andrew and Edward, and the late Princess Margaret's son, Viscount Linley, were to mount a royal vigil at the coffin on Monday.

"Something like this just proves that the royals keep this country together," said World War II veteran William Anderson (83), who waited in line.

"It means everything to me. She was the greatest woman on earth," he added.

Some mourners began camping on London's sidewalks on Sunday night to claim the best vantage points to watch Tuesday's funeral procession.

Canadian Margaret Kittle (67), said she had flown from her home in Winona near Niagara Falls for the spectacle.

"I try to come over for all the royal events," she said. "I stayed out two nights before Princess Diana's funeral. I want the queen to know Canadians support the royal family and the Commonwealth and she needs our support," she added.

The huge, and unexpected, demand from the public to say farewell to the Queen Mother prompted officials to extend the opening hours of Westminster Hall until dawn on Tuesday - just hours before the coffin is to be carried in procession to nearby Westminster Abbey for the funeral service.

At Westminster Abbey, florists were creating displays with more than 2 000 individual blooms chosen from the Queen Mother's favorite English flowers.

Scores of lights have been installed in the 13th century building to enable a television broadcast of the funeral and security was being checked for the biggest official ceremony in Britain in several years.

In addition to Laura Bush, wife of United States President George W Bush, and the leaders of Australia, New Zealand and Canada, kings and queens, princes and dukes from other royal families around the world will travel to London for the service.

The Queen Mother's coffin will be carried to the abbey to the sound of bagpipers and drummers.

The procession will include nine senior royal family members, led by the Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth II's husband, who will walk behind the coffin as it is borne by a gun carriage from Westminster Hall.

Before the service, the Abbey's tenor bell will be tolled once a minute, 101 times in honour of each year of the Queen Mother's life. - Sapa-AP

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- SAPA