Queen’s grandchildren keep watch over coffin in Westminster Hall. This blog is now closed
In an update at 8am, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said the end point of the queue for the Queen’s lying in state was once more accessible in Southwark Park.
The DCMS had earlier warned people not to travel to join the queue and to check back later on Saturday morning for updates on wait times.
Continue reading...Seventeen of those awarded the honours will be in attendance, including one from New Zealand and four from Australia
Recipients of the highest honours that can be awarded to military personnel and civilians for services to their country are to take part in the procession at the Queen’s funeral.
Seventeen of the 23 recipients of the Victoria Cross for military valour and the George Cross for civilian gallantry will be in attendance at the service on Monday, including one from New Zealand and four from Australia.
Continue reading...Jefferson Bosela, family spokesperson, says IOPC’s timeline for homicide investigation too long
“He was the life of the party, you know, everywhere he went, he didn’t shy away from showing the people he cared for that he cared for them,” says Jefferson Bosela, describing his cousin Chris Kaba. “He was a big brother, he was a fiance, he was a dad-to-be, so he had so much going for him, which makes this tragedy all the worse.”
On 5 September, Kaba was driving through Streatham, south London, when the vehicle was flagged by automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) before being pursued and intercepted by two Metropolitan police cars.
Continue reading...Many shops, cinemas, pubs and airports are choosing to limit their hours on Monday
Since it was confirmed last Saturday that Queen Elizabeth’s funeral would be held on Monday 19 September, a slew of businesses and services have said they will be reducing operations or closing for all or part of the day as a mark of respect.
With the day declared a bank holiday, many employers have given staff the entire day off and most shops will be closed. So what will be open on Monday and when?
Continue reading...Want to avoid Monday’s proceedings? Maybe go for a long walk, or consider leaving the country altogether
While millions in Britain and around the world will mark the Queen’s funeral on Monday with solemnity – whether it be by watching Huw Edwards for nine hours from the comfort of their living room or joining a mass gathering at an official big screen event – many others will want to take advantage of a rare bank holiday and swerve the historic event altogether.
But will that actually be possible? With most sports centres and public buildings, plus many high street shops, supermarkets and museums closing, Monday may feel much like the bank holidays of yore, with pretty much everything shut and not even a James Bond movie for entertainment.
Continue reading...Some parent bodies helping with core costs, raising fears of growing gap between rich and poor areas
Days into the new academic year, headteachers have raised the alarm about a looming funding crisis in schools, with some parents urged to make donations and parent-teacher associations on standby to plug funding gaps for classroom essentials.
As energy bills and wage costs rise, school leaders say money from PTA fundraising efforts will be needed to cover core costs rather than “nice to have” extras. In affluent areas where PTAs are able to raise huge sums, it could even be used to save jobs and help pay bills.
Continue reading...The King has now visited each of the UK’s four nations since his mother’s death; queue to see coffin is paused as wait reaches 14 hours
UK-based correspondents from European news outlets have written for the Guardian about how Britons will deal with political turmoil, Brexit, recession and the loss of the Queen.
Here’s an excerpt from Stefanie Bolzen, UK and Ireland correspondent for Die Welt, Germany:
The days we are living through mark a new beginning. Only time will tell what the post-Elizabethan era will bring. For the moment, what it does feel like is a juggernaut of one too many challenges coming at the same time, a surreal wave. The aftermath of the pandemic, which has left the UK with a lot of scars; Brexit finally being felt in real life, whether on the M2 towards Dover, in my local Sainsbury’s, or in the port of Larne; Russia’s war on Ukraine; a fourth prime minister in six years. And now the death of Elizabeth II, who seemed to many immortal.
Reporting on the UK as a foreigner often makes it easier to take a step back, to see “the big picture”. Since last Thursday, though, this has become a challenge. The 24/7 coverage of the Queen’s death is all-consuming with layers of events, history and traditions to process. It would not be fair to suggest that these layers are somehow serving to sugarcoat the crisis in this country. Elizabeth II was a historic figure, she symbolises a century that transcended Europe’s borders. What I do notice, however, is that the foreign media cover this long period of ceremonial mourning with less servility. Hardly any British media, for example, dared comment on King Charles III’s rude gesture of impatience during the acclamation.
The actress, known for her role in the BBC hit series Killing Eve, will participate in a procession of national honours as part of the service on Monday.
She joins the delegation as a member of the Order of Canada alongside musician Gregory Charles and Olympic gold medallist swimmer Mark Tewksbury.
Oh was granted the honour recently in June 2022.
Canada’s delegation to the funeral will be led by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau and also include governor general Mary Simon as well as former prime ministers and governor-generals.
The group is due to depart for the UK on Friday, ahead of the service next week.
Details of the delegation were made public on Thursday during a special address given by Trudeau during a special session of Canada’s House of Commons.
It was previously announced the day of the Queen’s funeral will be marked in Canada with a national day of mourning.
Ex-England captain recalls receiving his OBE as he waits with thousands of mourners in central London
The former England football captain David Beckham joined the queue for the Queen’s lying-in-state on Friday, saying it was “special to be here”.
He joined other high-profile figures to have been seen waiting to pay tribute this week, including the former prime minister Theresa May, This Morning presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield and the Good Morning Britain host Susanna Reid.
Continue reading...The monarchies are hopeful of stronger UK ties under King Charles, but plans for the ceremony have not gone down well
From Oman in the east to Morocco in the west, Middle East and north African royalty have been closely monitoring plans for the Queen’s funeral, but with days to go until the biggest event in modern royal history, they are unlikely to travel to London in numbers.
Monarchies have sought to divine meaning from protocol arrangements, and are largely underwhelmed by what they have seen.
Continue reading...Officers drafted in from across country as hundreds of thousands of people expected in London and Windsor
Police chiefs say their operation for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral will be the biggest ever, with more than 10,000 officers on duty determined to thwart any attempt to disrupt or exploit the event.
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to line the funeral route through central London, and then in Windsor, Berkshire, where the late Queen will be buried, and the route in between.
Continue reading...On Black Wednesday anniversary, sterling hits 37-year low against dollar and 17-month low against euro
Fears that the British economy is already in recession after a slump in retail sales last month triggered heavy selling of the pound on international money markets taking it to a 37-year low against the dollar.
With average UK wages continuing to fall behind rising prices and the Bank of England expected to push up interest rates next week, sterling fell by more than 1% against the US currency to $1.135, its lowest since 1985.
Continue reading...Staff at Future Academies claim they are being overworked and children have been left demoralised
Teachers at an academy chain founded by the former Conservative schools minister John Nash and his wife are preparing to go on strike, claiming the trust is “blighting the life chances of the children”.
The curriculum used by Future Academies, developed by Caroline Nash, a stockbroker, is said in a letter to governors of one the chain’s schools to be among the most narrow in the country.
Continue reading...Businesses may struggle as consumers cut back spending amid high inflation and rising fuel costs, economists warn
The number of companies in England and Wales declared insolvent jumped by 43% in August, according to government data, which adds to concerns for the health of the UK economy.
There were 1,933 insolvencies in August, compared with 1,348 in the same month last year, the Insolvency Service said. It was 42% above the level in August 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
Continue reading...Hatice Cengiz, fiancee of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and other campaigners condemn plan
Mohammed bin Salman’s plan to touch down in London on Sunday to pay his respects to the Queen has been condemned by Hatice Cengiz and other human rights defenders as a “stain” on the monarch’s memory and an attempt by the Saudi crown prince to use mourning to “seek legitimacy and normalisation”.
Cengiz, who was engaged to Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi journalist who was killed and dismembered by Saudi agents in the Istanbul consulate in 2018, said she wished that Prince Mohammed would be arrested for murder when he lands in London, but said she feared that UK authorities would turn a blind eye to serious and credible allegations against the future king.
Continue reading...Ascension of King Charles III has prompted renewed questioning of a British monarch as head of state
In a crisp black suit, white shirt and black tie, Daniel Pryce reached the end of a mile-long driveway flanked by palm trees and clipped lawns. He had come to King’s House to perform his duty, as he put it, by signing a book of condolence for the Queen, whom he served as equerry on her final visit to Jamaica in 2002.
“The very last moment of that visit, as she was about to alight the aircraft, she turned around and she shook my hand and she said ‘Thank you, Daniel’,” the 58-year-old recalled on Tuesday as flags flew at half mast in serene sunshine. “It was the first time she referred to me by my first name and that was special for me.”
Continue reading...Crown prince will reportedly head Saudi delegation but attendance at Queen’s funeral unconfirmed
Mohammed bin Salman will deliver his country’s condolences to the royal family after the death of the Queen, a source has told the Guardian, but there has been no confirmation about whether he will attend the funeral service at Westminster Abbey.
It will be the Saudi crown prince’s first visit to the UK since the murder of the Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018 and the subsequent British imposition of sanctions. These included travel bans on a group of courtiers close to the crown prince due to their alleged involvement in the killing inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Continue reading...Experts revise initial assumption that sighting was space junk linked to Elon Musk’s satellite programme
A fireball seen over many parts of the northern UK has been confirmed as a meteor after a day of confusion about its identity.
The fireball was visible above northern England, Northern Ireland and Scotland as it blazed across the clear night sky just after 10pm on Wednesday night.
Continue reading...Westminster Abbey ceremony to be attended by 2,000 guests and end with two-minute silence
Queen Elizabeth II will be buried next to the Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor in a private ceremony attended by her family on Monday after her state funeral at Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace has said.
The Queen will be laid to rest in the King George VI Memorial Chapel during a service at 7.30pm.
Continue reading...Wang Qishan to be at service despite banning of Conservative MPs due to complaints about Chinese repression
The Chinese vice-president, Wang Qishan, is to attend the Queen’s funeral in a move that has prompted complaints from a group of British Conservative MPs that have been banned from travelling to China due to their campaigns against Chinese repression.
Wang will be the most senior Asian political leader to attend the service at Westminster Abbey and among the representatives of authoritarian states, a grouping that also includes Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, the president of Egypt. The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is expected to lead a delegation to London, although his attendance at the funeral has not yet been confirmed.
Continue reading...Unite leader deplores prospect of post-Brexit deregulation drive ‘when millions are struggling’
Unions have reacted with fury to the prospect of the government scrapping a cap on bankers’ bonuses, as ministers geared up for a return to near-normal politics next week, topped by an emergency mini-budget on Friday.
Kwasi Kwarteng, the chancellor, who will set out plans for tax cuts and give more details about the government’s plans to limit rising energy bills, is also considering whether to shed the legacy of an EU-wide cap on bonuses of twice an employee’s salary, imposed after the 2008 financial crash.
Continue reading...