More than four billion people were expected to tune in to the Queen’s funeral today, with mourners around the world watching on smartphones, on big screens, in pubs and in churches.
People from across the Commonwealth and the world lit candles, waved flags and laid flowers as they watched the funeral of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.
Many of those speaking at the funeral service for the late Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey this morning acknowledged it would be a momentous day, not just for Britons.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby told mourners: “The sadness of this day, felt not only by the family of the late Queen but by the whole nation, the Commonwealth and the world, stems from her rich life and her loving ministry that is now gone.
“She was joyful, present to so many and touched a multitude of lives.”
Memorial services and parades have been held in some of the 14 other countries where the Queen has been head of state to commemorate her 70 years of service.
In Kolkata, India, women threw flower petals at a picture of the late Queen Elizabeth II in front of the Victoria Memorial Hall
Buddhist monks held a prayer session to mark the funeral of Britain’s longest-serving monarch in Kathmandu, Nepal
Antigua and Barbuda’s armed forces took part in a parade in the capital, St. John’s, for the late Queen, who remained the tiny nation’s head of state after gaining independence in 1981
The funeral was broadcast on big screens and in pubs and churches around the world. Pictured: a performance at St Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney
Locals and British expatriates gathered to watch the service on a large screen at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa
Antigua and Barbuda’s armed forces took part in a parade in the capital, St. John’s, for the late Queen, who remained the tiny nation’s head of state after gaining independence in 1981.
Earlier, dignitaries, politicians and the military attended a memorial service at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
In Ottawa, Canada, dignitaries gathered at Christ Church Cathedral to bid farewell to Queen Elizabeth, with former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney speaking of her “very deep love for Canada – its diversity, its geography and its history”.
In the Commonwealth country of Malta, where then-Princess Elizabeth briefly lived with her husband before becoming queen, a 21-gun salute was fired in the capital, Valletta.
People also gathered to watch the service at The Phenicia Hotel, where Elizabeth and Philip regularly attended dances between 1949 and 1951.
In the Commonwealth country of Malta, where then-Princess Elizabeth briefly lived with her husband before becoming queen, a 21-gun salute was fired in the capital, Valletta
Members of the Antigua and Barbuda Armed Forces took part in a parade for Queen Elizabeth II at Saint John’s
In Ottawa, Canada, dignitaries gathered at Christ Church Cathedral for a farewell ceremony for Queen Elizabeth, with former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney speaking of her “very deep love for Canada – its diversity, its geography and its history”.
People gathered to watch the service at The Phenicia Hotel, where Elizabeth and Philip regularly attended dances between 1949 and 1951
Mourners left floral tributes and held a candlelit vigil while watching the service outside the British Consulate in Hong Kong
While some gathered to watch the service in churches and pubs, others managed to catch a glimpse of the elaborate ceremony on their phones.
Large screens have also been set up in Cape Town, Hong Kong and elsewhere to allow locals and British expatriates to come together and pay their respects.
Mourners held a candlelight vigil while watching the service outside the British Consulate in Hong Kong, Buddhist monks held a prayer session at Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal, and women threw flowers at an image of the late Queen in front of Victoria Memorial Hall in Kolkata, India.
National landmarks were illuminated in many Commonwealth countries to pay tribute, with the sails of the Sydney Opera House once again illuminated by a portrait of Queen Elizabeth.
While some watched the service on big screens, others tuned in on their cell phones, like this mourner in Nairobi, Kenya
In the Commonwealth country of Malta, a portrait of Queen Elizabeth with British and Maltese flags adorned a balcony in Sliema
A woman held a Union flag and a candle as she attended a live broadcast of the State Funeral outside the British Consulate in Hong Kong
And in some places, public landmarks have been renamed in honor of the historic day.
The Paris metro station George V under the Champs-Élysées, which was named after the late Queen’s grandfather, was renamed Elizabeth II for the day of the funeral.
The world’s media also demonstrated the remarkable impact Queen Elizabeth had on people around the world.
“Few leaders receive such an outpouring of love,” Norway’s public broadcaster NRK said on its front page, while Germany’s Tagesspiegel lamented that “we’ll never see anything like it again.”
Some 500 leaders from around the world crowded into Westminster Abbey for a service that has been likened to a “global who’s who” while two million filled the streets and an estimated 4 billion tuned in from their homes to celebrate what has been called the ‘most attended event in history’.
The Paris metro station George V under the Champs-Élysées, which was named after the late Queen’s grandfather, was renamed Elizabeth II for the day of the funeral
In Antigua and Barbuda, dignitaries, politicians and the military attended a memorial service at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine
Families like this one in Nairobi, Kenya gathered to watch the historic funeral together