Queen Elizabeth II: President Draupadi Murmu pays tribute to departed soul

International

oi-Prakash KL

London,
Sep
18:
President
Draupadi
Murmu
on
Sunday
paid
her
tributes
to
Queen
Elizabeth
II
on
behalf
of
the
people
of
India.

President
Murmu
visited
the
Westminster
Hall
in
London
where
the
body
of
the
Queen
is
lying
in
state
and
offered
condolences
on
behalf
of
the
Indian
government.

The
Indian
head
of
state,
who
arrived
on
Saturday
evening,
has
joined
around
500
world
leaders,
including
US
President
Joe
Biden
and
royals
from
across
the
world,
in
a
congregation
of
around
2,000
expected
at
the
Abbey
for
a
sombre
ceremony
starting
at
11
am
local
time
and
concluding
with
a
two-minute
silence
around
the
country
an
hour
later.

“President
Droupadi
Murmu
arrives
in
London
to
attend
the
state
funeral
of
Her
Majesty
Queen
Elizabeth
II,”
the
Rashtrapati
Bhavan
tweeted.

Ahead
of
Monday’s
funeral
service,
the
President
is
invited
to
a
reception
hosted
by
King
Charles
and
Queen
Consort
Camilla
at
Buckingham
Palace.
All
visiting
heads
of
state,
government
and
official
overseas
guests
are
expected
at
what
has
been
described
as
an
“official
state
event”.

During
the
day
on
Sunday,
a
visit
to
Westminster
Hall
where
the
Queen’s
coffin
is
Lying-in-State
and
Lancaster
House
nearby
to
sign
a
condolence
book
is
also
likely
to
be
on
the
President’s
schedule.

Zaki
Cooper,
who
worked
in
the
Queen’s
Royal
Household
between
2009
and
2012
and
has
written
widely
about
the
monarchy,
believes
the
Queen
enjoyed
an
“affectionate
relationship
with
India”
and
was
instrumental
in
the
transition
from
empire
to
Commonwealth.

“By
recognising
the
desire
for
many
countries
to
self-determination,
she
embraced
the
Commonwealth,”
said
Cooper.
“The
Commonwealth
often
featured
in
her
messages
and
speech.
She
was
the
organisation’s
head
and
also
its
inspiration.
Her
legacy
of
developing
friendly
relations
between
nations
is
one
that
will
continue
to
inspire
the
Commonwealth,
as
it
embarks
on
a
new
chapter
with
King
Charles
III
as
its
head,”
he
said.

Representatives
of
the
Realms
and
the
Commonwealth
will
be
among
those
in
the
congregation
at
Monday’s
funeral
service.
Hours
before
the
ceremony,
the
Queen’s
Lying-in-State
will
close
to
members
of
public
queuing
for
the
past
few
days,
with
waits
of
around
24
hours
expected
over
the
weekend
as
the
queue
stretches
to
around
10-km-long.

The
gates
to
Abbey
will
open
at
8
am
local
time
on
Monday
for
the
visiting
dignitaries
and
guests
invited
to
the
funeral,
which
will
include
hundreds
of
people
who
were
recognised
in
the
Queen’s
Birthday
Honours
earlier
this
year,
many
honoured
by
the
late
monarch
for
their
extraordinary
contributions
to
the
response
to
the
COVID-19
pandemic
and
volunteering
in
their
local
communities.

Under
the
plans
in
place
for
the
day,
all
heads
of
state
and
overseas
government
representatives,
including
foreign
royal
families,
are
expected
to
gather
at
a
central
venue
and
travel
under
“collective
arrangements”
to
the
Abbey.
The
state
funeral
service
will
be
conducted
by
the
Dean
of
Westminster,
with
Prime
Minister
Liz
Truss
and
Commonwealth
Secretary-General
Baroness
Patricia
Scotland
reading
“lessons”.

The
Archbishop
of
York,
the
Cardinal
Archbishop
of
Westminster,
the
Moderator
of
the
General
Assembly
of
the
Church
of
Scotland
and
the
Free
Churches
Moderator
will
say
prayers
and
the
sermon
will
be
given
by
the
Archbishop
of
Canterbury,
who
will
also
give
the
Commendation.
The
conclusion
of
the
first
state
funeral
in
the
UK
in
57
years,
last
held
at
the
Abbey
for
Britain’s
war-time
Prime
Minister
Winston
Churchill
in
1965,
will
be
followed
by
a
service
and
a
private
burial
ceremony
at
St.
George’s
Chapel
in
Windsor.

The
late
monarch
will
be
laid
to
rest
in
the
chapel
at
Windsor
Castle.
Meanwhile,
King
Charles
has
thanked
police
officers
involved
in
the
long-term
planning
of
Operation
London
Bridge
–
the
codename
for
the
operation
following
Queen
Elizabeth
II’s
death.
During
a
visit
to
the
Metropolitan
Police
Service
Special
Operations
Room
on
Saturday,
the
King
asked
officers
if
the
plans
are
working.
The
officers,
who
have
been
involved
in
the
operation
for
three
years,
said
“they
are,
absolutely”.