Final Farewell

Icy winds coursed through the British capital, making the line of people queing on Lambeth Bridge shiver.

But the joint discomfort also brought a sense of warmth: Punks, young mothers, schoolchildren and the elderly were all standing in the queue to pay their respects to the Queen Mother, lying-in-state at Westminster Hall.

Some waited for up to five hours in the icy chill. But they were not to be deterred. And on Monday night, more spent the night camping outdoors on London’s streets in order to gain the best view for the Queen Mother’s funeral ceremony, which took place on Tuesday.

As many as 200,000 people have solemnly filed past her coffin in Westminster Hall.

Thousands more surrounded Westminster Abbey to hear the 50-minute funeral service on loudspeakers.

Announcements were made in train and bus stations to allow passengers to mark the start of the service.

35 members of the Royal family attended the service, as well as 25 European royals and dignitaries from around the world, including UN secretray general Kofi Annan.

On Monday evening, the Queen addressed the nation in a televised speech, thanking the public for their "deeply moving tributes" to her mother.

"Ever since my beloved mother died over a week ago I have been deeply moved by the outpouring of affection which has accompanied her death. My family and I always knew what she meant for the people of this country and the special place she occupied in the hearts of so many here and in the Commonwealth and in other parts of the world. But the extent of the tribute that huge numbers of you have paid my mother in the last few days has been overwhelming. I have drawn great comfort from so many individual acts of kindness and respect," she said.

The Queen Mother was laid to rest on Tuesday evening alongside her late husband King George VI and the ashes of their daughter Margaret.