King Charles thanks mourners for 'support and comfort' before Queen's funeral


Simon Rushton
  • English
  • Arabic

King Charles III has thanked all the people who have provided “support and comfort” following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

He and Queen Consort Camilla were "deeply touched" by the many messages they had received from around the world, the new king said on the eve of his mother’s state funeral.

Queen Elizabeth’s funeral on Monday is a huge security operation, with organisers having to ensure that international leaders attending it are safe amid the national mourning.

Tens of thousands of people joined the kilometres-long queue in London on Sunday to pay their last respects to the queen lying in state in Westminster Hall.

"Over the last 10 days, my wife and I have been so deeply touched by the many messages of condolence and support we have received from this country and across the world,” Charles said in a written message issued by Buckingham Palace.

"In London, Edinburgh, Hillsborough and Cardiff, we were moved beyond measure by everyone who took the trouble to come and pay their respects to the lifelong service of my dear mother, the late queen.

"As we all prepare to say our last farewell, I wanted simply to take this opportunity to say thank you to all those countless people who have been such a support and comfort to my family and myself in this time of grief."

Westminster Abbey will be the venue for the spectacular state funeral for the queen, who died aged 96 on September 8.

About 2,000 people, including royalty, presidents and prime ministers, will be in the gothic church for a day of pageantry, military processions and solemnity in honour of the late monarch.

Mourners outside Buckingham Palace. AFP
Mourners outside Buckingham Palace. AFP

About 26,000 people an hour passed through security barriers at Westminster Hall on Sunday in a long queue to see the queen's coffin. Many started the journey in Bermondsey, east London.

At 8pm on Sunday, the country observed a one-minute silence to remember the queen.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said the funeral presented an “unprecedented” security challenge.

One of the UK's biggest transport operations is also being set up, with Transport for London preparing for about one million visitors on Monday.

There are fears the transport network will be overwhelmed if too many people visiting the capital travel home as soon as the funeral procession leaves Westminster.

Charles and Camilla returned to Buckingham Palace on Sunday to host world leaders and official overseas guests at a state event.

Huddersfield Town permanent signings:

  • Steve Mounie (striker): signed from Montpellier for £11 million
  • Tom Ince (winger): signed from Derby County for £7.7m
  • Aaron Mooy (midfielder): signed from Manchester City for £7.7m
  • Laurent Depoitre (striker): signed from Porto for £3.4m
  • Scott Malone (defender): signed from Fulham for £3.3m
  • Zanka (defender): signed from Copenhagen for £2.3m
  • Elias Kachunga (winger): signed for Ingolstadt for £1.1m
  • Danny WIlliams (midfielder): signed from Reading on a free transfer
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The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

Rating: 4/5

The biog

DOB: 25/12/92
Marital status: Single
Education: Post-graduate diploma in UAE Diplomacy and External Affairs at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: I love fencing, I used to fence at the MK Fencing Academy but I want to start again. I also love reading and writing
Lifelong goal: My dream is to be a state minister

No Shame

Lily Allen

(Parlophone)

if you go

The flights

Emirates fly direct from Dubai to Houston, Texas, where United have direct flights to Managua. Alternatively, from October, Iberia will offer connections from Madrid, which can be reached by both Etihad from Abu Dhabi and Emirates from Dubai.

The trip

Geodyssey’s (Geodyssey.co.uk) 15-night Nicaragua Odyssey visits the colonial cities of Leon and Granada, lively country villages, the lake island of Ometepe and a stunning array of landscapes, with wildlife, history, creative crafts and more. From Dh18,500 per person, based on two sharing, including transfers and tours but excluding international flights. For more information, visit visitnicaragua.us.

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THE DETAILS

Kaala

Dir: Pa. Ranjith

Starring: Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar  

Rating: 1.5/5 

Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site

The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.

Updated: September 18, 2022, 9:49 PM