British Culture Secretary, Michelle Donelan, on Tuesday disclosed that over quarter of a million people physically viewed the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, when it lay in state for four days in London.
Donelan, after burial of the Queen at Windsor Castle, said that her department was still “crunching the numbers” as to how many people had queued for hours in London to process past the queen’s coffin at Westminster Hall, quoting about 250,000 participants.
The royal family will continue to observe one more week of mourning for the departed monarch after the state funeral on Monday.
Donelan said that the Queen deserved the send-off given her at the funeral.
According to her, “You saw so many thousands out there and I don’t think anybody can suggest that our late monarch didn’t deserve that send-off, given the duty and the selfless service that she committed to over 70 years.”
Donelan noted that the queue at the lying-in-state at Westminster Hall was “phenomenal”.