Who Was The Last Person To Pay A Final Respect To The Queen?
Lifestyle - News
By BRYCE CAMERON
On Sept. 19, Queen Elizabeth II was finally laid to rest following her passing on Sept. 8. The Daily Mail reports that over 400,000 people passed through Westminster Hall over the course of five days, looking to pay their respects to the fallen monarch, and the very last person to bid goodbye to the queen holds a significant role in the UK.
The United Kingdom's first-ever female Black Rod, Sarah Clarke, was the last to pay respects to the queen. The Black Rod is a government official responsible for controlling access to and maintaining order within the House of Lords, the upper house of the UK Parliament; the Rod also organizes and attends major ceremonial events in the Palace of Westminster.
The Mirror reports that Clarke fought back tears as she said her emotional goodbye to the queen, and she was photographed wiping her eyes as she walked away from the coffin. Clarke's being the last to view the queen is fitting, considering that Clarke helped run the lying-in-state service that allowed thousands of others to bid farewell to the queen.