Sombre pageantry as funeral begins for Britain's Queen Elizabeth

People queue outside the Houses of Parliament to pay their respects to Britain's Queen Elizabeth during her lying-in-state at Westminster Hall, following her death, in London, Britain, September 18, 2022. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier

LONDON (Reuters) - King Charles and other senior British royals followed Queen Elizabeth's coffin into Westminster Abbey on Monday, joining world leaders and monarchs to bid farewell to a beloved figure who unified the nation through her 70-year reign.

In scenes of inimitable pageantry, pall bearers carried her flag-draped casket along the aisle in the country's first state funeral since 1965, when Winston Churchill was afforded the honour.