B E L O V E D

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, photographed in May 2022,
The aquamarine brooches were an 18th-birthday gift from her parents.

Buckingham Palace released today a recent photograph of the Queen with her familiar broad smile:  a lovely parting look at the beloved monarch, mother, and grandmother who holds a special place like none other in the hearts of not only her family and her people, but also in the hearts of billions all around the world.

The queue for the lying in state at Westminster Hall has been closed by the authorities, as the last mourner must be out of the Hall by 6:30 a.m. so that preparations for the state funeral can begin.  Until then, you can still watch the live stream of the lying in state here:

London has geared up for the massive funeral, a gargantuan task for the police and military, and a logistical nightmare for the Foreign Office, what with hundreds of kings, princes, presidents, prime ministers, and assorted potentates streaming in from the four corners of the world to attend tomorrow's State Funeral in Westminster Abbey.  A quarter of the 2000 seats in Westminster Abbey will be occupied by these dignitaries and their spouses.  Also present will be the Royal Family, foreign royalty, Governors-General from the Commonwealth realms, the British Prime Minister and Cabinet, Commonwealth prime ministers, Members of Parliament, officers of the Crown and the Royal Household, the Diplomatic Corps, British and Commonwealth military representatives, and God knows who else.  

The guest list is so big, and security so tight, that instead of arriving with dignity in their limousines, heads of state will be ferried en masse to the Abbey by a fleet of hired buses.  Imagine the high and mighty of the world all jammed into their seats, like commuters in the morning rush hour.  Extraordinary.  An exception has been made for the American President, who will arrive in his own heavily armored limo.

The King and Queen Consort hosted a reception for world leaders at Buckingham Palace tonight.

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Buckingham Palace has released the programme of events for the funeral tomorrow, which you can read on the BBC website here.

Auspiciously, a rainbow appeared over Westminster Hall and the Abbey this afternoon, to the astonished delight of those in the queue:

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