HUNDREDS of thousands of the Queen’s loyal subjects are expected to line the roads as she makes her last journey from London to Windsor Castle on Monday.
The final details of the route were revealed yesterday — chosen to maximise the chance for well-wishers to bid Her Majesty farewell.
After the state funeral the Queen’s coffin will be drawn by Navy sailors on a gun carriage
The carriage will travel from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch, on Hyde Park Corner
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to line the roads as the Queen makes her last journey from London to Windsor Castle on Monday
Her Majesty will be laid to rest next to Prince Philip at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor
Almost 15,000 cops will be taking part in the funeral — in what has been called Britain’s biggest ever security operation.
After the state funeral, the Queen’s coffin will be drawn by Navy sailors on a gun carriage from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch, on Hyde Park Corner.
There, it will be lifted into the royal hearse to journey to Windsor Castle.
A Buckingham Palace source yesterday told The Celeb Report: “The route was planned with the public in mind.”
Instead of taking the M4, which would have been the speediest route, the coffin will travel at 12mph along A-roads west from London to Berkshire.
Teams of cleaners have worked through the night and over the past 36 hours to prepare the route by litter picking, cutting verges and jet washing the roads.
The hearse will first travel through Knightsbridge on the Cromwell Road — past Harrods, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Natural History Museum.
It will then continue on the A4 past Earl’s Court and the Famous Three Kings pub before making its way to the Chiswick roundabout beside the landmark Fuller’s Brewery.
Continuing on the Great West Road, it will then turn onto the A30 at Hounslow to leave central London towards Heathrow Airport.
It will then travel along the A30 towards Staines, Surrey, where it will join the A308 towards Old Windsor.
The hearse will then pass the site where the Magna Carta was signed by King John in 1215.
The famous Runnymede field is a perfect spot for mourners, and many thousands are expected to be there.
While at Runnymede, Her Majesty will pass the JFK memorial and the Air Force Memorial which honours World War Two airmen.
The hearse will then travel though the village of Old Windsor, passing the Bells of Ouzeley Harvester pub and the Toby Carvery before reaching Albert Road, which leads to Windsor and flanks the Royal Estate.
At Shaw Farm Gate, on Albert Road, the hearse will pause to be joined by King Charles III and other royals before making the journey to The Long Walk, where tens of thousands of mourners will watch it enter Windsor Castle.
Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson were seen there yesterday, looking at floral tributes.
It comes as…
- Kate and Wills reveal how kids George, Charlotte and Louis are coping after their great-grandmother’s tragic death
- Sophie Wessex shares an emotional hug with a well-wisher at a memorial for Her Majesty
- Mourning Brits queue for hours to visit the late monarch’s coffin lying in state at Westminster Hall
- Prince Harry faces a lonely 38th birthday without children Archie and Lilibet
- Details of the Queen’s state funeral are revealed – from where William and Harry will stand to how Meghan will travel
The Duke of York, 62, looked deep in thought as he walked through the grounds to view the sea of flowers.
And in her first appearance since the Queen’s death, Sarah, 62, could be seen bending down to read the messages left by well-wishers.
It is thought the Duchess of York will attend the Queen’s funeral on Monday with her daughters Princesses Beatrice, 34, and Eugenie, 32.
Around 10,500 Met Police officers will be on duty in London, supported by 2,000 colleagues from almost every other force.
More than 2,000 Thames Valley cops will also be present at Windsor.
Details about the huge scale of the operation emerged yesterday as police geared up to the task of protecting world leaders, hundreds of VIPs and millions of mourners.
Met Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said: “As a single event, this is larger than the 2012 Olympics, it is larger than the Platinum Jubilee.
“The range of officers, police staff and all those supporting the operation is truly immense.”
Mr Cundy said the funeral would be the Met’s biggest ever global security operation — with US President Joe Biden among world leaders visiting.
Mr Biden is expected to fly into the UK today.
Tomorrow, he will meet Liz Truss for their first face-to-face chat since she became PM.
The Met has drawn up contingency plans to deal with threats including terror attacks, crowd crushing and criminals looking to exploit mourners.
It comes after two women were allegedly sexually assaulted in the queue to attend the Queen’s lying in state.
A man was remanded in custody.
A total of 34 people have been arrested in London in incidents connected with the period of mourning, several of them for protesting.
Police said that number was low.
- Additional reporting: Natasha Clark and Julia Atherley
Bishops: Help all to grieve together
THE Archbishops of Canterbury and York have written an open letter urging people up and down the country to ensure no one is left to grieve alone during the Queen’s funeral.
Campaign group the Together Coalition, backed by community organisations and charities, is urging groups and individuals to reach out to those who might be alone.
The Queen with Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury
Writing in The Celeb Report, Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, urges Britons to come together on Monday.
THE funeral of Her Majesty The Queen on Monday will be an enormous moment for this country.
It will be a great privilege to be involved but this event is not just for the people who will be in Westminster Abbey — it’s for us all.
This is a time for the nation to come together, to remember and give thanks for the life of Her Majesty.
Grief is a normal response to loss and the funeral will be an opportunity for us to face it together.
It will be a Christian service but I believe there will be something in it — perhaps a song, a prayer, or a line from the Bible — that people of any faith or no faith might find comforting.
The important thing is that we come together, because in each other we find support, comfort and care.
Jesus asks us to love our neighbour.
On Monday, that means looking out for each other, especially those who might find the day particularly hard because they are alone, or remembering loved ones they have lost.
If each of us commit to calling someone who might appreciate it, or inviting someone to watch the funeral with us, or meeting friends or family, we can make sure no one feels alone and isolated on Monday.
I believe God is close to those who suffer.
But He also reminds us to show that same love to other people and be part of a community that cares for each other.
'CRIED WITH JOY'
Kate's gesture for young girl who wanted to leave Corgi teddy for Queen
ROAD TO NOWHERE
Charles stunned after man roller skates in front of his car and is arrested
That was what Her Majesty taught us as well — that we can face hard days together, knowing we are never alone.
We are urging firms, councils and public spaces to do what they can to open up places where people can be together.
US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill are expected to fly in
Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson were seen at Windsor looking at floral tributes
The Duke of York looked deep in thought as he walked through the grounds to view the sea of flowers
Police on horseback on an exercise in Windsor ahead of the funeral
