A quarter-million people look on as Queen Mother's coffin taken to Parliament

<br>LONDON (AP) _ To the solemn beat of military bands, the coffin of the Queen Mother was carried through the heart of London on a gun carriage Friday as Britain honored the woman whose life spanned a

Friday, April 5th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

LONDON (AP) _ To the solemn beat of military bands, the coffin of the Queen Mother was carried through the heart of London on a gun carriage Friday as Britain honored the woman whose life spanned a tumultuous century of upheaval and change.

Draped in her personal standard and topped with a diamond-encrusted crown and a single wreath of white roses from Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen Mother's coffin was taken to Parliament, where it will lie in state for four days to let people pay their final respects.

``In loving memory, Lilibet'' read a note on the wreath from the queen _ using her childhood pet name _ to her mother, who died Saturday at age 101.

Hundreds of royal guards in red tunics and gleaming black bearskin hats, sailors in white caps and members of the Royal Air Force in light blue escorted the solemn procession, their ranks passing by at the slow march used for funerals.

``It's the end of a great woman's life,'' said Mick Davids, 58, from Shere, southern England, who spent the night on the sidewalk outside St. James's Palace to watch the ceremony.

Fourteen members of the royal family, including Prince Charles and his sons Prince William and Prince Harry, walked behind the coffin, which was greeted by the queen as it arrived at Parliament. Many of the royal mourners were dressed in military uniforms and escorted by Britain's military chiefs.

Eight guardsmen carefully lifted the coffin from the gun carriage when it reached Parliament and carried it on their shoulders into the building. Clergymen walked in front with golden crosses. Inside it was met by the queen, accompanied by royal and parliamentary officials dressed in flowing gold and black robes and white horsehair wigs.

As Prime Minister Tony Blair looked on solemnly and a choir sang psalms, the coffin was carried into the medieval Westminster Hall and laid on a purple-draped dais, flanked by four large burning candles. The archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, gave thanks for the Queen Mother's ``example of faithful duty and unwearied service, and for the loyalty and love which she inspired.''

Following the brief service, the queen, looking tired and strained, left with the rest of the royal family in a convoy of Rolls Royce limousines and returned to Buckingham Palace. The eyes of Prince Charles, who was close to his grandmother, glistened with tears as he left the building.

Hundreds of people lined up outside Westminster Hall to pay their respects after the procession. By Friday afternoon, the line stretched from the Parliament buildings, over Lambeth Bridge and along the south bank of the River Thames.

``We have lost a part of Britain because she was an institution in her own right,'' said 36-year-old Andrew Hay, who camped out for 17 hours to be at the head of the line.

``She was the best. She had that very British indomitable spirit and nothing could faze her.''

Police estimated about 250,000 people watched the procession, including many tourists and office workers eager for a glimpse of the pageantry.

Some spectators camped overnight on the sidewalk to secure a good view. A few people wept openly and bowed their heads as the procession passed.

``It's a historical event and we won't see anything like this again,'' said Patricia Spears, 44. ``The Queen Mother was born at the start of one century and died at the start of the next. She was a remarkable and well-loved woman.''

Sixty central London streets were sealed off for the procession, the largest of its kind since former prime minister Sir Winston Churchill was buried in 1965.

More than 1,600 members of the armed forces escorted the coffin, which was topped with the crown she wore at the coronation of her husband King George VI in 1937. It rested on a purple velvet cushion.

The gun carriage that bore the Queen Mother's coffin was the same carriage used for her husband King George VI's funeral in 1952.

In a break with tradition, Princess Anne, dressed in the uniform of an honorary Royal Navy officer, also walked behind the coffin _ normally female members of the royal family do not take part in such processions. The Queen Mother's butler and other members of her household, dressed in black coattails, followed behind.

Soldiers from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Canada also took part in the procession.

Cavalrymen of the royal guard saluted the coffin with their swords as the carriage passed by. The soldiers and sailors who escorted the coffin marched with their rifles pointing down in a traditional sign of mourning.

Many Britons had a strong affection for the royal matriarch, remembering her warm smile and visits to the bomb-damaged East End of London during World War II. Thousands have signed condolence books across the country or left flowers outside the Queen Mother's homes in England and Scotland.