The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II is placed near the altar at the State Funeral held at Westminster Abbey, London, the UK, on September 19, 2022. Photo: VCG

Britain's King Charles III walks behind the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II during a procession from Buckingham Palace to the Westminster Hall for the Queen's lying-in-state in London, Britain, on Sept. 14, 2022.(Photo: Xinhua)

The UK is in mourning as British people bid farewell to Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-serving monarch, on Monday, with deep grief and emotion. The State Funeral - the first since the death of wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill - is also under global spotlight as world leaders, dignitaries and royal family members, among about 2,000 attendees, gathered at Westminster Abbey to honor the late monarch. 

The nation pauses for Queen Elizabeth II's final farewell, BBC said, and the scale and global interest in the funeral is unprecedented and it's the largest single event the UK has hosted in decades, possibly ever. 

As a witness of the post-WWII period, Cold War and current rapidly changing times in the 21st century, Queen Elizabeth II had served as a carrier of the British constitutional monarchy, especially as a political symbol of the Commonwealth, maintaining the sovereignty and integrity of Britain and forming some kind of cohesion within the Commonwealth, Chinese experts said. 

When the power of the monarch was weakening, she maintained at least domestic unity of the whole Britain, Li Guanjie, an assistant research fellow on British Studies at Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times on Monday. The Queen conformed to changes of the time and tried to stay away from politics, as authority of the British monarch is waning to a minimum in history, said Chinese experts.

"The queen served seven decades for the UK, and weathered several significant moments, including Cold War and Brexit, and she has fulfilled her responsibilities of supporting the country through thick and thin," Cui Hongjian, director of the Department of European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Monday. 

Some British people who live overseas told the Global Times on Monday that they watched broadcasted funeral and some felt "deeply touched." 

Queen Elizabeth II is someone people tend to have a lot of respect and hold in high regards irrespective of people's worldview or politics. Her influence deeply penetrated life in the UK and she became so familiar to people, Tom Fowdy, a British political and international relations analyst, told the Global Times on Monday. "She closes an entire chapter of British history and her legacy will certainly be remembered in history," he said. 

Fill the void 

While King Charles III's ascension to the throne heralds a new chapter in the British monarchy, some media outlets such as the New York Times pointed out that King Charles III has an enthusiastic public reception so far, but for this man of strong opinions, replacing the Queen will be a challenge. For example, in contrast to the Queen, the King Charles III has passionate interests and strong views on issues ranging from climate change and organic farming to architecture. 

"I have doubts as to whether Charles will ever live up to the same level of prestige and popularity as his mother, for numerous reasons," Fowdy said. "It feels like Elizabeth II's passing means things will never be the same again. There may never be a monarch as highly regarded or iconic as what she is, and Charles will struggle to fill that void," he said. 

Now the UK is going through a complicated time with all sorts of domestic and international issues to deal with, which leaves little room for Charles to serve a role as significant as his mother, not to mention that it is impossible for the king to stay on the throne for another 70 years, according to experts. 

"It is impossible for the king to sidestep tradition and put his own spin on things after he is crowned as such move will trigger tremendous pressure from society, as well as UK political circle, and it may fuel the anti-monarchy trend in the UK," said Cui.

According to a new poll published by YouGov, a total of 63 percent think Charles will make a good king compared with just 39 per cent in March -- only a fifth think he will do a bad job, the Daily Mail reported on September 12. 

And almost three quarters of those who took the poll, said that the new king had responded well since the death of his mother, with only five per cent saying he had handled the situation badly. 

Some readers of political tea leaves have pointed to his first speech as king as evidence that Charles will choose to give up his public campaigning, even on matters as pressing as the climate change.

In last week's address to the British people, Charles pledged to uphold "constitutional principles," He added that, "it will no longer be possible for me to give so much of my time and energies to the charities and issues for which I care so deeply," CNN reported. 

Tough reality

Despite that some British MPs have reportedly advocated for the UK to take a tougher stance on China, hyping a ban on a Chinese delegation from entering the parliamentary estate to pay tribute to the queen, Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan visited the lying in state of the Queen on Sunday evening, according to media reports. 

On September 12, 2022, Vice President Wang Qishan visited the British Embassy in China to extend condolences over the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. Photo: fmprc.gov.cn

The arrangement can be seen as a sign of chaotic stance inside the UK government toward China, some expert said. Chinese delegation's attendance of the Queen's funeral is out of courtesy, but some MP's behavior again tells another truth that the bilateral relation will face more pressure in short term, as China not only needs to deal with the UK government, but also the UK parliament, and various other sectors of the society, Cui noted. 

The Conservative Party hopes for a balanced policy for China, or at least to avoid direct confrontation with China, he said. "But now the internal hostile voices, for instance, those from within the parliament, are weighing more and more on the government."

In addition to the State Funeral, the Chinese delegation will also attend a number of events related to official ceremonies. Invitees decide on which events to attend based on their respective schedules, according to the Chinese Embassy in the UK.

The new British Prime Minister Liz Truss will announce her debut on the global stage by urging the US President Joe Biden to stand firm with her against China's threat to "freedom and democracy around the world," and she is expected to meet Biden at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, the Daily Mail reported on Saturday. 

"The current UK government is believed to take a tough stance on China, and the overall UK-China relations remain at a freezing point, but we need to wait and see if some issues such as the Ukraine crisis could bring the two countries together again," Li said.