As the world’s eyes turn towards London for the Queen’s funeral, the organisations keeping the show running behind the scenes have been working overtime to ensure everything goes as planned.
The Met have a monumental operation to keep the city safe after fears of a massive influx of mourners prompted the cancellation of football matches over the weekend.
Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said: “The event will be a massive challenge for the Met Police and for me personally.”
His main focus is keeping control of the crowds in central London, which are predicted to reach over one million people.
“The Met have quite a track record of policing large events, so there’s quite an established institutional knowledge.”
However, Rowley is concerned that this event will be nothing like the Met, or the country, has ever seen before.
The Army have been making similar preparations, due to their prominent role in the processions throughout the day.
One soldier said: “It is an honour to be personally involved in the funeral, especially with my personal connection from my previous role.
“From a service point of view, we have always had a terrific relationship with Her Majesty.”
They have been constantly rehearsing throughout the week, including dress rehearsals at night on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Soldiers from each Commonwealth nation were brought to England so that each country the Queen ruled could participate in the funeral.
Horses had to be trained and cleaned days in advance, and cannons had to be tested to prevent misfires on the day.
Image Credit: Met Police
