New Zealand on Monday marked the death of Queen Elizabeth II with a public holiday, a moment of silence and an official memorial service.
The South Pacific nation is among 14 outside of the United Kingdom that continue to recognize the British monarch as their symbolic head of state. New Zealand had decided to wait until after last week’s funeral in Britain to hold its own commemoration.
Hundreds of mourners sat on parliament’s grassy grounds on a sunny afternoon to watch large screens that showed a livestream of the state memorial service, which took place nearby at the Wellington Cathedral of St. Paul and was open only to invited guests.
The service began after a minute of silence at 2 p.m. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern read an excerpt from a souvenir book that was released to mark the queen’s first visit to New Zealand in 1953, one of 10 visits she would make to the nation of 5 million during her reign.
New Zealand on Monday marked the death of Queen Elizabeth II with a public holiday, a moment of silence and an official memorial service.
The South Pacific nation is among 14 outside of the United Kingdom that continue to recognize the British monarch as their symbolic head of state. New Zealand had decided to wait until after last week’s funeral in Britain to hold its own commemoration.
Hundreds of mourners sat on parliament’s grassy grounds on a sunny afternoon to watch large screens that showed a livestream of the state memorial service, which took place nearby at the Wellington Cathedral of St. Paul and was open only to invited guests.
The service began after a minute of silence at 2 p.m. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern read an excerpt from a souvenir book that was released to mark the queen’s first visit to New Zealand in 1953, one of 10 visits she would make to the nation of 5 million during her reign.
