A Paris metro station was renamed Elizabeth II for a day as a tribute to the British queen during her funeral.
Located on the Champs-Elysées, the George V station – named after the late sovereign’s grandfather – was replaced on Monday by a plaque commemorating the UK’s longest-serving monarch.
“We wanted to join the day of mourning by placing the ‘Elizabeth II 1926-2022’ plaque at the George V station on line 1,” a spokeswoman for the operator RATP told AFP. The station will revert to its official name on Tuesday.
The metro stop is named after George V, who reigned from 1910 to 1936. His sons succeeded him under the names of Edward VIII and George VI (the father of the future Elizabeth II).
In France, authorities ordered flags to fly at half-staff on public buildings on Monday for the queen’s state funeral.
STATE FUNERAL
Icon of an era, Elizabeth II, who died after 70 years of historic reign, received her last goodbye on Monday at an imposing state funeral at Westminster Abbey in the presence of leaders from around the world, before being buried privately in Windsor .
In his sermon, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, spiritual leader of the Anglican Church, praised the queen’s life, dedicated for seven decades to her people.
“People who love to serve are rare in any walk of life. Leaders who love to serve are even more rare. But in all cases, those who serve will be loved and remembered, while those who cling to power and privilege are forgotten,” Welby said.
The Westminster Abbey Choir and the Royal Chapel Choir made the nearly 2,000 attendees vibrate with their songs, including some 500 world leaders and monarchs, from US President Joe Biden to Brazilian Jair Bolsonaro, and the kings of Spain -Felipe and Letizia and the emeritus Juan Carlos and Sofía- to Emperor Naruhito of Japan.
A thrilling fanfare from the trumpeters of the cavalry of the royal house gave way to two minutes of silence, observed in all corners of the country, from the streets to the parks or the bars where many followed the ceremony on television.
The service ended with the national anthem, “God save the King”, sung in honor of the new monarch Carlos III.
This followed later, accompanied by his brothers and sons, the departure of the coffin from the Abbey, carried by eight bearers and covered with the royal standard, the imperial crown, the scepter and the orb, symbols of the queen.
The coffin was loaded onto a Royal Navy car which, pulled by dozens of sailors and accompanied by soldiers from three regiments close to the monarch, undertook a long procession through central London to Wellington’s Arch in Hyde Park Corner.
The monarch’s great-grandchildren, Prince George, 9 years old, second in line, and his sister Charlotte, 7 years old, followed the procession in an official car along with their mother Catherine, Princess of Wales, and Camilla, the new Queen consort.
Later, the remains of Elizabeth II had to be transferred by hearse to Windsor, a town about 40 km west of the capital where the famous castle is located, which will become the final resting place of the queen.
