Determined to say "goodbye to our amazing queen", hundreds braved the rain 200 miles away as the state funeral in London was broadcast live in the northern English county of Yorkshire in honour of the late monarch.
As the rain poured, a sea of umbrellas covered Millennium Square in Leeds as Yorkshire united to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, whom many attending on Monday referred to as ‘the boss’.
Like other cities, such as Birmingham, Coventry, Exeter, Lincoln, Ipswich and Manchester, the funeral service was broadcast on a big screen and former military officers came to hold the Royal Standard with their heads bowed in solemn remembrance of the lady they had served for decades.
Paul Bradford, 80, joined the British Army’s Parachute Regiment in 1962 and had travelled from the neighbouring town of Morley, proudly displaying his medals.
“I wanted to come to pay my respects to the boss,” he told The National.
“I served her for years, she was an amazing woman.”
Strangers huddled together sharing umbrellas, watching as the queen’s coffin entered Westminster Abbey in London.
It was a poignant moment for George Barrett, 75, when during the service one bishop said "we have all lost loved ones".
“My sister died two days after the queen,” he said.
“I’ve travelled here from Kent on holiday and I couldn’t miss it. I feel like I’m laying both of them to rest.
“The queen was just a one off, the way she led this nation was purely and utterly amazing.”
Lorraine Skelton has just returned to Yorkshire from paying her respects to the queen laying in state in Westminster Hall.
“I watched them carry her coffin through London,” she said.
“I had to come today to watch the funeral, it didn’t seem right staying at home and watching it on the television.”
Michelle Harrison, from Leeds, who came with her daughter, arrived early to get a seat.
“We’ve been queuing for hours and were the second to get a seat here to watch it,” she said.
“We brought a picnic. It’s a moment of history and we wanted to say goodbye to her surrounded by other people. We brought tissues as I knew it would be emotional.”
Retired teacher Nicholas Hewitt travelled from Bradford for the big screen gathering.
“I watched Winston Churchill’s funeral when I was young in 1965 on a black and white television,” he said. “I didn’t want to view the queen’s in the same way. It didn’t feel right sitting at home. She was the best of the best.”
Hospital employee David Malone said he had his partner Vanessa Appleyard were still in shock and felt they want to attend the funeral with others.
"We didn't care that it was raining," he said. "We wouldn't have missed it. The queen meant so much to us and she will be sadly missed. I couldn't get to Edinburgh but my family did. We couldn't get the time off to see her lying in state, so today was our chance to say goodbye."
Former RAF serviceman Matthew Ramsey came to hold the Standard outside Leeds Civic Hall and bowed his head as her coffin left the abbey in London.
“I came here because she was my boss, she was the chief,” he said. “We wanted to unite the local military here and give her a good send off.”
Final unseen portrait of the queen revealed before funeral - in pictures
Fighter jets flew overhead and gun salutes echoed through the city and as the national anthem played, the hundreds of people in the square standing in unity to honour the queen in silence.
“This is the most emotional part,” Thomas Smith, from Sheffield, said as The Last Post sounded.
When the coffin began its final journey to Windsor, the skies in Yorkshire cleared and the umbrellas were shaken dry, as everyone rose for a second time as the hearse drove away.
“I did shed a tear,” Catherine Arnold said. “I think most of us did. It was great to see such a turnout for her.
“It’s been emotional. We will never forget today, the day we said goodbye to our amazing queen.”
Queen Elizabeth II's 70-year reign - in pictures
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
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Company%20profile
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The Internet
Hive Mind
four stars
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Match statistics
Dubai Sports City Eagles 8 Dubai Exiles 85
Eagles
Try: Bailey
Pen: Carey
Exiles
Tries: Botes 3, Sackmann 2, Fourie 2, Penalty, Walsh, Gairn, Crossley, Stubbs
Cons: Gerber 7
Pens: Gerber 3
Man of the match: Tomas Sackmann (Exiles)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
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EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
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Zimbabwe v UAE, ODI series
All matches at the Harare Sports Club:
1st ODI, Wednesday, April 10
2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
4th ODI, Tuesday, April 16
UAE squad: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
THURSDAY FIXTURES
4.15pm: Italy v Spain (Group A)
5.30pm: Egypt v Mexico (Group B)
6.45pm: UAE v Japan (Group A)
8pm: Iran v Russia (Group B)
Euro 2020
Group A: Italy, Switzerland, Wales, Turkey
Group B: Belgium, Russia, Denmark, Finland
Group C: Netherlands, Ukraine, Austria,
Georgia/Kosovo/Belarus/North Macedonia
Group D: England, Croatia, Czech Republic,
Scotland/Israel/Norway/Serbia
Group E: Spain, Poland, Sweden,
N.Ireland/Bosnia/Slovakia/Ireland
Group F: Germany, France, Portugal,
Iceland/Romania/Bulgaria/Hungary
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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