Queen Elizabeth’s coffin arrives in London; King Charles visits Northern Ireland

Charles pledges to “seek the welfare of all the inhabitants” of Northern Ireland

London:

More than 26,000 people, as per an official count, paid their respects in Edinburgh to the Queen Elizabeth II at St. Giles Cathedral, queuing up through the night to file past her coffin. In central London, authorities erected barricades along the pavements in the vicinity of Buckingham Palace and Westminster, in preparation for throngs of people expected to come to say goodbye to the Queen, whose body arrived in London on Tuesday evening.

Earlier in the day, King Charles III, the U.K.’s new monarch, and his wife, Camilla, the ‘Queen Consort’ as she is now known, visited Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, where the King met with a diverse group of political leaders at a reception, and faith leaders  from various backgrounds [including Chinese, Muslim and Hindu] at a church service for the Queen. British Prime Minister Liz Truss was also in attendance at the church. There, he pledged to “seek the welfare of all the inhabitants” of Northern Ireland.

Sinn Fein, the de facto political wing of the former Irish Republican Army (IRA), did not attend the ceremony proclaiming the King over the weekend, but its first minister-designate, Michelle O’Neill participated in the King’s visit on Tuesday and offered her condolences.

While mourners, in the tens of thousands, paid their respects to the Queen, there have also been a few protestors trying to exercise their right to protest and – specifically – protest the institution of monarchy.

A group opposite the entrance to the cathedral held up blank signs to signify their right to protest, the Guardian reported. They were there because people were being detained for showing anti-monarchy signs, one protestor told the newspaper.

On Saturday, a 22 year old woman carrying a sign “F*** Imperialism”, “Abolish Monarchy”, was arrested and charged on “breach of peace” grounds.