Mourners from around the world say goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II in London: "It's as close to heaven as I'm gonna get"
Since Queen Elizabeth II's death, hundreds of thousands of people have waited for hours, sometimes even a full day or night, to pay their respects to Britain's longest-reigning monarch. Her state funeral was held Monday morning in London's ancient Westminster Abbey.
World leaders, royal family members and dignitaries attended the funeral services as the world looked on. Some people traveled to London just to experience this historical moment.
"If you just imagine the most serene thing, that was it so far that I've ever seen or experienced in my life. For me, it's as close to heaven as I'm gonna get," one mourner told "CBS Mornings" co-host Gayle King.
Some felt a connection with Queen Elizabeth II because she reminded them of their own family members. It's that special connection that made Chris Tinney make the trip to say goodbye.
"She's like everyone's grandmother and mother. Epitomized what we should be," Tinney said.
It wasn't just Brits who lined the streets to view the funeral procession—some Americans were among those in the crowd.
"Ten years ago, we were here in London and I said to the girls, 'Well when the queen passes, whenever that day may be, we will come for the funeral.' We just thought it would be a special time and we're very respectful of the queen and it's a really special time for a father to spend time with his two daughters," an American named Tom said.
As Queen Elizabeth II's reign ends and King Charles III takes over, many came to pay their respects to Elizabeth for being the strong woman leader that she was.
"We won't see another lady on the throne for many, many years to come. We have Charles, William and then after that, you're going to have his son, it's going to be a long long wait for another lady to be on that throne, so we have to show respect to that person," Wilma Malcolm said.