Charles III visited part of the country: As a king in Wales

He was the Prince of Wales for a long time, now Charles III. returned to the United Kingdom as king. In London, people now have to wait 24 hours to say goodbye to the Queen.

With a visit to Wales, Charles III. completed his funeral journey through the four parts of the United Kingdom. The new king traveled back to London in the evening, where he and his siblings are to hold a wake at the coffin of the late queen. The coffin was laid out in the Westminster Hall of the British Parliament until Monday morning.

In the Welsh capital Cardiff, Charles III. and King’s consort Camilla held a service in memory of the Queen. As their limousine drove through the city streets, crowds cheered them on in the sunshine.

King thanks you in Welsh

In a speech to the regional parliament, known as Senedd, Charles emphasized that the monarch had been particularly fond of the region: “Throughout the years of her reign, Wales could not have been more important to her,” he said. The King thanked MPs for their condolences – in Welsh. More than 700,000 people speak Welsh. More than three million people live in this part of the country. Welsh and English have been formally equal since 1993

Before Charles became king, he held the title Prince of Wales. Now his son William has taken it over.

The monarch also met Welsh Prime Minister Mark Drakeford, who set out his expectations of the king on the BBC this morning:

Silent protest by opponents of the monarchy

In the interview, Drakeford also took a position on the protests against the monarchy that had sporadically taken place in the past few days. There is a right to protest and there are different views. He indirectly criticized the sometimes rude actions of the police in the past few days. Officials should respond appropriately. However, Drakeford also stressed that he thought it was wrong to protest against the monarchy during the funeral ceremonies.

But there were also silent protests from opponents of the monarchy in Cardiff. They held up signs with inscriptions such as “Abolish the monarchy”, “Citizens instead of subjects” or “Democracy now”.

Queue has been closed in the meantime

Meanwhile, in London, the queue for a view of the Queen’s coffin had to be temporarily closed due to the enormous rush. It is now open again. However, the waiting time is around 24 hours and it gets cold at night, the government warned. The line to Parliament’s Westminster Hall, where the coffin was laid out, stretches for around five miles.

Ex-soccer star David Beckham also joined today. The 47-year-old told Sky News that he got in line at 2 a.m. and waited around twelve hours. He was there to honor the “special” Queen. “It’s a sad day, but an unforgettable one,” said Beckham. People should have until Monday morning to say goodbye to the Queen. Then a state act in Westminster Abbey with around 2000 guests is planned.

Many logistical challenges

To prepare for the state funeral, about 300 government officials were pulled from their jobs to help with the planning, according to the BBC. The biggest challenge is getting the attendees to the funeral ceremony on time.

As the BBC and the online portal “Politico” reported, the highest-ranking guests such as the Japanese Emperor Naruhito, whose visit is considered a special honor, as well as European monarchs and heads of state and government are to be taken by bus to Westminster Abbey from a secret meeting point will.

After the service in Westminster Abbey, the coffin is taken in a procession to Wellington Arch, the route leads from Parliament via The Mall and past Buckingham Palace. Such a ceremony has not taken place in Britain since the death of Winston Churchill in 1965, the BBC reported. The actual funeral should then be on Monday evening in a private circle at Windsor Castle west of London.