With jokes and selfies: who turned the funeral of Elizabeth II into a social event

In Britain, they said goodbye to Elizabeth II. The funeral ceremony was held at the Palace of Westminster, where a closed coffin was placed, covered with the royal standard. World leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, went to the farewell ceremony in a bus column – in accordance with the recommendations of the British government. But it was Joe Biden who drew all the attention. First, he, breaking protocol, arrived at the abbey in his own armored limousine, which caused a traffic jam. Then, when leaving a note in the condolence book, the American president used one of the prepared cards. And during the funeral of the British Queen, he generally laughed. All the details of farewell – in the plot of the correspondent “IzvestiaAlexandra Lipeyko.

Behind the scenes of the funeral ceremony

During her lifetime, Elizabeth II was called the best actress on the royal throne. Her words, her movements were always precise, as if rehearsed a thousand times. The organizers of the funeral of the monarch are also trying their best to preserve this feeling. They have posted the exact minute-by-minute schedule for today’s ceremony. And indeed, the hearse passes by strictly at the appointed time.

But instead of a beautiful picture, the scene now and then breaks through what they tried to hide behind the scenes with all their might. For example, the fact that the will of the deceased, as well as the traditions of the British court, is not worth a penny by guests – invited leaders of other countries. The President of Armenia takes a selfie in the cathedral, where they asked not only not to take pictures, but to turn off the phones completely.

Joe Biden was ten minutes late for the ceremony. And all because the American president refused to go along with everyone, as prescribed in the protocol, on special buses. Instead, he set off in his famous cortege and, although he reduced it from 40 to six cars, he still got stuck in a traffic jam.

Yes, and at the ceremony itself, he clearly stood out from the group of sympathizers: he joked about something and laughed out loud, and rewrote the entry in the book of condolences without a twinge of conscience from the brought crib.

Split in the royal family

In general, they seemed to have come here as if to a big social event: it’s no joke – for the first time, the heads of state of half the globe with their families and not only came to Foggy Albion. In total, about 500 people occupy high positions or have lost them. So, even the Spanish king in exile came. Although in Madrid they officially asked Juan Carlos not to appear, because the country is represented by an official delegation.

Did not rally the death of the queen, it seems, and members of the royal family. It turned out that the Second Prince Harry found out about the death of Elizabeth just five minutes before the official announcement of Buckingham Palace. In this they saw the snobbery of the older members of the family. And, in particular, the new king.

“Charles III seems to share the values ​​of his mother, but he doesn’t always do it well. That’s why such scandals arise. The further, the more this heavy background will accumulate behind him. And he is unlikely to be able to change,” he believes. Raymond.

They provoked a new wave of separatism already within British society: there was talk of abolishing the institution of the monarchy not only in distant Canada or New Zealand, but even in Scotland, the favorite region of Elizabeth II. To avoid radical antics during the funeral, security measures were further tightened across the country – 10,000 policemen were rounded up, flights over the capital were canceled. And they tried to make sure that the crowd was at a respectful distance from the procession, and even better, generally looked at it on TV.