Queen Elizabeth II bids farewell today, ending a colorful chapter of seven decades

International Desk: Today is the end of a colorful chapter in the history of the world. Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch of the British Empire and the oldest in the world, will be buried today. The queen who has ruled Britain for 70 years will be bid farewell in a royal manner.

The heads of state and government of many countries of the world have already arrived in London, the capital of the United Kingdom, to attend the Queen's funeral. Representatives of various royal families of Europe also attended.

On September 8, Queen Elizabeth II, the head of the British royal family, breathed her last in Scotland's Balmoral Palace. The 96-year-old queen was suffering from physical complications due to old age.

According to the decision of the royal family, the body of the queen will be buried on September 19 in St. Paul's church in the area of ​​​​Westminster Abbey in the capital of London. His body lay in state for four days at Westminster Hall, Britain's parliament building, for public tributes before being buried.

Queen Elizabeth will lie in state until Monday. In the meantime, 10 days of state mourning will be completed in Britain for the death of the Queen and the funeral of the late Queen will begin.

The Queen's coffin is kept in Westminster Abbey, the British Parliament. From there on Monday, the Queen's funeral will be completed according to royal rules through Buckingham Palace. The queen will be buried according to all royal customs. Queen Elizabeth II will be buried next to her husband Prince Philip.

Meanwhile, the administration of the United Kingdom is eager to ensure that there are no errors in the last journey of Queen Elizabeth II. The number of invited guests for the funeral ceremony is more than two thousand. Among them are 500 special guests including heads of state of the country and abroad.

Four thousand volunteers have been recruited to handle this grand event. The royal family's own staff will also be with them. The Queen's funeral will also be telecast live.

World leaders who are participating in the funeral

Around 500 heads of state and foreign leaders from around the world will attend Queen Elizabeth II's funeral today. US President Joe Biden arrived in London on Sunday where he signed an official condolence book.

Apart from French President Emmanuel Macron, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Italian President Sergio Matterland and Irish Taoiseach Michael Martin will attend the Queen's funeral.

Some Commonwealth leaders including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern have already arrived in London. Other Commonwealth leaders expected at the funeral include Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

India will be represented by the country's President Draupadi Murmu. China sent its Vice President Wang Qishan to attend the queen's funeral.

Meanwhile, Monday has been declared a public holiday in the UK. London police have organized the tightest security in memory around the arrival of world leaders for the funeral.

Queen Elizabeth, the longest reigning monarch of Britain, is a witness to the history of her country as well as the world. Many movies, documentaries, TV and web series have been made about Rani during her lifetime.

It is estimated that the number of people around the world watching the funeral will surpass that of the late Princess Diana in 1997, the London Olympics in 2012 and the weddings of members of the royal family.

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