Surprise, surprise, surprise: Fox News.
Hulu, a Disney operation directed me to Fox News for this momentous event. Who would have thought?
The news channel was created by Australian-American media mogul Rupert Murdoch, Australian-born American businessman with huge footprint and beginning in the UK. One wonders.
I assume "one" set of cameras that then feed to all other media outlets. A BBC production?
Joe Biden, wide awake, looking very presidential, with his wife at his side, in the cathedral. Really, really quite amazing.
Wow, those are incredible images of the cathedral, and with the cathedral "full," the venue seems so incredibly small.
Alfred Hitchcock would have appreciated the cinematography, especially the "shot" from the ceiling of the abbey.
Not one person wearing a mask (and just like that, Covid-19 is over), and the cathedral is literally standing-room only. One wonders how this would have been "handled," had this taken place in September, 2020.
Holy mackerel: Harry in a suit, not his military uniform; but he is wearing his medals.
Wow, wow, wow. Two tours in Afghanistan. His father, King Charles III, and his brother are both in their military uniforms. And, yes, it bothers him if anyone asks. By tradition, Harry is not allowed to wear his military uniform in public after he separated from the service. An exception was made once, in Balmoral a few days ago, where the queen lied in-state before traveling to London.
Wow, huge entourage -- her extended family and her "servants" from all her homes.
Live: mid-morning, Monday.
The clarity of the stream -- the coffin being carried in -- absolutely remarkable. We see more than those actually attending the service. And now, the Scottish bagpipes.
Queen Elizabeth:
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022.
She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during her lifetime and 15 at the time of her death.[
Her reign of 70 years and 214 days is the longest of any British monarch, the longest recorded of any female head of state in history, and the second-longest verified reign of any sovereign in history (the longest: King Louis XIV, France).
Elizabeth was born in Mayfair, London, as the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth). Her father acceded to the throne in 1936 upon the abdication of his brother, King Edward VIII, making Elizabeth the heir presumptive.
She was educated privately at home and began to undertake public duties during the Second World War, serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. In November 1947, she married Philip Mountbatten, a former prince of Greece and Denmark, and their marriage lasted 73 years until his death in April 2021. They had four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward.
Archbishop of Canterbury.
Elizabeth Truss, third to speak. Prime Minister as of September 6, 2022 -- only thirteen days ago. Boris is "fit to be tied," no doubt, as they say. In a way, I assume, the royal family is relieved that two of the more polarizing political figures of the 21st century are not in attendance.
Among the royal family, it's hard to say who received most video coverage. Of the six, my estimate: Harry (21%); William (20%); Kate (18%); Charles (16%); Camilla (14%); Meghan (11%).
Seeing the live shots of The Westminster Abbey brings back many, many memories.
I visited Westminster only once, I assume, don't recall, but the "layout" is identical to Ripon Cathedral which I attended often on Friday's evensong and Sunday service when serving at RAF Menwith Hill over the course of four years back in the early 2000s.
Ripon Cathedral, at one time, I knew this history so well:
The Cathedral Church of St Peter and St Wilfrid, commonly known as Ripon Cathedral, and until 1836 known as Ripon Minster, is a cathedral in Ripon, North Yorkshire, England.
Founded as a monastery by Scottish monks in the 660s, it was refounded as a Benedictine monastery by St Wilfrid in 672.
The church became collegiate in the tenth century, and acted as a mother church within the large Diocese of York for the remainder of the Middle Ages. The present church is the fourth, and was built between the 13th and 16th centuries.
In 1836 the church became the cathedral for the Diocese of Ripon.
In 2014 the Diocese was incorporated into the new Diocese of Leeds, and the church became one of three co-equal cathedrals of the Bishop of Leeds.
The cathedral is notable architecturally for its gothic west front in the Early English style, considered one of the best of its type, as well as the Geometric east window. The seventh-century crypt of Wilfrid's church is a significant example of early Christian architecture in England.
The cathedral has Grade I listed building status.
My environs -- North Yorkshire -- that affected my life more than anyone will ever know.
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