Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby heaps praise on King Charles
Archbishop of Canterbury dons a hi-vis vest to meet members of the public queueing to see the Queen lying-in-state – and praises the King’s ‘extraordinary courage’ at continuing with duties in the wake of his loss
- Archbishop of Canterbury has heaped praise on the King for his ‘courage’
- He said few others would be alright with touring the UK after their mothers died
- Justin Welby said his actions demonstrate ‘his heart of service to the people’
- The Queen’s funeral: All the latest Royal Family news and coverage
The Archbishop of Canterbury has heaped praise on the King for his immense ‘courage’ in touring the United Kingdom just days after his mother The Queen passed away.
Justin Welby said His Majesty’s ‘courage is extraordinary’ as he helped people queuing to see the Queen laying-in-state at Westminster Hall.
The cleric was dressed in his dog collar and had a crucifix around his neck but had also donned a fluorescent jacket as he joined the faith team helping people in the queue deal with grief.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has heaped praise on the King for his immense ‘courage’ in touring the United Kingdom just days after his mother The Queen passed away
The Christian faith leader spoke to everyone from people in the queue to police officers on site
He even posed for a selfie with one fan outside the Palace of Westminster in central London earlier today
He told the BBC: ‘He lost his mother. There’ll be loads of people watching this who’ve lost someone similar.
‘And if you said to them, “You’re going to go oona tour of the UK and you’re not expected to show public emotion,” I think they would say “Don’t be ridiculous”.
‘The courage of him doing that is extraordinary but also it demonstrates his heart of service to the people.’
Justin Welby said His Majesty’s ‘courage is extraordinary’ as he helped people queuing to see the Queen laying-in-state at Westminster Hall
King Charles III walks behind Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin as it is transported on a gun carriage from Buckingham Palace to The Palace of Westminster on Wednesday
King Charles III greets Irish President Michael D Higgins during a Service of Reflection for the life of the Queen at St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast on September 13
King Charles III waves to the public as he departs St Anne’s Cathedral after attending a service of reflection in memory of the Queen
He added: ‘Most people are in very good shape. I had a couple of conversations yesterday where the process had renewed the sense of grief over their own losses.’
People wept, prayed and saluted after queuing for up to 48 hours to pay their respects to Her Majesty.
The queue stretches for 3.8 miles along the bank of the River Thames to Tower Bridge.
Those in it are now calling it the ‘Elizabeth Line’ in a nod to the London rail route opened by the Queen in June, one of her final public engagements.
Well-wishers have shared cheery camaraderie, egg sandwiches and biscuits during their wait outside, as people queued through the night to pay their final respects to the late monarch inside the Palace of Westminster.
Hymns have been played across the Southbank, with many joining in song.
By midday today, the queue was four miles long and stretched past Tower Bridge into Bermondsey, as officials expect some 400,000 people to view the coffin over the coming days. It was at 2.6 miles as of 8am today.
This morning, more than 1.3 million people logged on to watch the queue-tracker for the line.
Source: Read Full Article