A NUMBER of people from the Isle of Wight have made the journey to London to attend the Queen's funeral procession.
They were among the hundreds of thousands of mourners in the capital to pay their respects to the late monarch today (Monday).
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Many had even camped overnight in anticipation of the Queen's funeral.
Among those who did so was Alysa Shirley, who camped out on The Mall for two chilly nights, hoping to get a grandstand view of the Queen's coffin and the Royal Family walking in step behind.
Alysa, of Victoria Lodge Hotel, Shanklin, told the County Press: "I had to be there to say goodbye. I've done all the Queen's big events.
"Couldn't miss the biggest one of all time. I slept two nights on the path, but it's been worth it."
Her teenage son, Cameron, who was not with them in London, was front page news in the County Press in 2018 after a brutal attack on him left him fighting for his life.
After spending more than a year in a Southampton hospital, Cameron also went on to catch Covid there — but he has since made a full recovery.
Another Islander who attended was Sol Grimshaw, studying at university in London, who was there with friend, Jack Thomas, who sent in a picture of themselves.
They were among the throngs who descended on the capital to watch the event unfold and to pay their respects to Her Majesty.
The hour-long funeral at Westminster Abbey — the building in which the Queen was married and crowned — itself passed off perfectly, attended by about 500 leaders and dignitaries from the UK and around the world, alongside many members of foreign royal families, who sat opposite the Royal Family in the church.
The Isle of Wight was represented at the Queen's funeral by Susie Sheldon, the Lord-Lieutenant of the Isle of Wight.
Read more: Who represents the Isle of Wight at the Queen's funeral?
After the service ended, the Queen's coffin was mounted onto a Royal Navy gun carriage for the procession, which passed many of London's famous landmarks, including Buckingham Palace, to the solemn sound of the tolling of Big Ben's bell every 60 seconds.
The crowds along the route waved, tossed flowers into the path of the cortege and shed a tear in respectful silence.
The coffin was eventually met by the Royal Hearse for the final journey for the Queen's committal and burial at Windsor.
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