Queen is mourned with silence in the busy heart of London
By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — Westminster Hall is both a scene of constant movement and the quietest place in London. The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II on its purple-draped platform is the fixed point at the center of the vast medieval hall, the oldest part of the Houses of Parliament. Around it, people flow in two lines in a silent river of humanity. The first mourners were admitted Wednesday evening, after the queen’s casket was borne to the hall in a solemn procession from Buckingham Palace. The mourners moved at a steady walk and in silence past the flag-draped coffin. The hall will be open round-the-clock until Monday morning, when Elizabeth’s funeral will be held in nearby Westminster Abbey.
