Queen Elizabeth's funeral sparks concern as other funerals lay cancelled, postponed: Report
1 min read . Updated: 18 Sep 2022, 04:21 PM IST
Premium- Several supermarket chains and retailers will remain shut on Monday due to the funeral while thousands of hospital appointments have also been cancelled as a ‘mark of respect’, as per report
As Britain prepares for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday, reports have emerged suggesting the cancellation and postponement of several other hospital appointments as well as funerals as a “mark of respect." The state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday will reportedly be a Bank Holiday across United Kingdom and owing to this many services will remain unavailable in the country as its bids farewell to its longest reigning monarch, according to Hindustan Times report.
A report by the Independent states that several supermarket chains and retailers will remain shut on Monday due to the funeral while thousands of hospital appointments have also been cancelled as a “mark of respect." Notably, other funerals have also been cancelled, the report added, saying that this has sparked concerns among Britons, the report said.
Meanwhile, the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) said that there has been no obligation or guidance issued to cancel or postpone funerals on September 19 adding that there have been cancellations by a number of crematoriums taking their “individual decision" and the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management also said that some funerals have been postponed, according to Hindustan Times report.
It is worth noting that Queen Elizabeth II's body has been lying-in-state at the historic Westminster Hall since Wednesday. Well wishers of the royal family have been filing past in a constant, emotional stream to pay their respects to the monarch, including US President Joe Biden paid his last respects in London to Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday.
According to AFP report, after witnessing the sombre scene in parliament's Westminster Hall, Biden, Japan's Emperor Naruhito and other world leaders were due to attend a reception with the late queen's successor, King Charles III. Biden, who flew in late Saturday, has said that Elizabeth "defined an era" after she reigned for a record-breaking 70 years leading up to her death on September 8, aged 96, the report said. Additionally, the report said Australia's anti-monarchy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who viewed the lying-in-state and met Charles on Saturday, told Sky News Australia that the queen was “a constant reassuring presence."
(With inputs from AFP, Hindustan Times, Independent)
