King Charles III received international leaders at Buckingham Palace on Sunday, the eve of Queen Elizabeth II ´s funeral, and among the guests was US President Joe Biden, who gave his last look at the late Queen´s coffin.
Biden put his hand on his chest as he stood with his wife, Jill, in front of the flag-covered casket in Westminster Hall in London.
And people gathered over time to pay their last respects to the one queen that most Britons had known for their lives before she buried the two.
Biden said the Queen, who ruled the country for 70 years until her death on September 8 at the age of 96, embodied a "service concept".
After signing the condolence book, Biden added, "To all the people of England, all the people of the United Kingdom, our hearts are with you, you were fortunate to have been there for 70 years, we have all been. The world was better for her."
Then the US president went to Buckingham Palace to attend a reception hosted by Charles III for dozens of leaders from Emperor Naruhito of Japan to French President Emmanuel Macron.
In a statement to the "Sky News Australia" network, the anti-monarchy Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who on Saturday gave the last look at the Queen´s coffin, said that Elizabeth II was "reassuring by her constant presence."
For his part, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, after signing the condolence book, said that Queen Elizabeth II "has worked all her life and shouldered the burden of her duties with unparalleled tact."
Dozens of state leaders are flocking to Britain, whose police are organizing their largest security operations to keep pace with the arrangements for the historic funeral of the longest-serving queen in her history.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also paid a farewell look to Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace.
But in a sign of the challenges facing the new king, Ardern added that she expected New Zealand to abandon its dependence on the British monarchy in the future.
Crowds began gathering in the vicinity of Westminster Abbey, where the state funeral of the Queen will be held, which is expected to paralyze London and be watched by billions around the world.
I.J. Kelly, a 46-year-old teacher from Northern Ireland, got a special spot with her friends on the route the procession will take after the funeral.
"Watching on TV is great, but being here is different," she told AFP, pointing to camping chairs, warm clothes and extra socks.
"I will probably be overwhelmed with feelings when the convoy passes, but I wanted to be here to pay my respects," she said.
Fiona Ogilvy, 54, who served in the Royal Air Force, held a position outside Westminster Abbey.
"When you join the RAF, you swear allegiance to the Queen, and that makes a lasting impression," she said.
"She continued to do her duty until two days before her death, and you can´t ask her for more than that," Ogilvy added, referring to Queen Liz Terrace´s appointment as prime minister.
On Sunday, a minute of silence is observed in Britain at 2:00 (19:00 GMT) in honor of the Queen´s "life and legacy".
The period for mourners wishing to bid farewell to the Queen, her coffin draped in the British flag in Parliament´s Westminster Hall, ends at 6:30 (5:30 GMT) on Monday morning.
Those wishing to bid farewell to the Queen are lined up for kilometers on the banks of the River Thames, with waiting times exceeding 13 hours.
Sean Mayo, 27, who works in the field of information technology, said he was relieved to be able to reach Westminster Hall after waiting in line for 14 hours to say goodbye to the Queen.
"She was like a grandmother to the nation. We will all miss her," he told AFP.
A man who left the queue Friday and bypassed mourners waiting in line to bid farewell to the Queen was arrested and charged with violating public order, police said Saturday night.
As mourners continued to bid farewell to the Queen, her eight grandchildren, led by Princes William and Harry, participated in a 12-minute farewell stand around the coffin.
Harry, who took two courses with the British Army in Afghanistan, wore the uniform of the cavalry unit in which he served.
It appears that Harry´s participation came after an offer of reconciliation made by Charles to his youngest son, after he and his wife, Megan, accused the royal family of racism.
Harry, 38, no longer plays any role in the royal family and has been stripped of his honorary military titles. The farewell is the last time he appears at a royal event in the official military uniform.
King Charles and his eldest son William, the new heir to the throne, had inspected the mourners queuing up on the banks of the Thames, on a tour to shake hands and thank them.
The official funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, the first to be organized in Britain since the death of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1965, will be held on Monday at 11:00 (10.00 GMT).
While the leaders of the European Union, France, Japan and other countries will attend, no invitations have been sent to the leaders of Russia, Afghanistan, Burma, Syria and North Korea.
Last week, the Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the "immoral" and "blasphemous" behavior of the United Kingdom towards it, after London decided not to invite Russia to the funeral.
As for China, it will participate in the funeral, but the British last authorities banned the participation of any of its leaders to take a look at the coffin of the Queen in Westminster Hall.
More than 2,000 police were called from across the country to support the London police.
After the funeral, Queen Elizabeth II´s coffin will be taken to St George´s Chapel at Windsor Castle in west London, where she will be buried in a family ceremony alongside her father, King George VI, and her mother and husband, Philip.
The Queen´s second son, Prince Andrew, praised on Sunday her "infinite knowledge and wisdom", knowing that he is facing a scandal over his links with American billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who was convicted of child abuse.
Camilla, the consort of King Charles III, praised Elizabeth II, saying, "She had wonderful blue eyes, and when she smiled they light up her whole face."
"She´s been a part of our lives for a long time," she said. "I´m 75 now and I can´t remember anyone in attendance other than the Queen."
"It must have been very difficult for her to be a single woman. There were no women prime ministers or presidents. She was the only one, so I think she did her own thing," she added.
