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Liam O'Dell
Sep 17, 2022
Related video: King Charles and siblings hold vigil over Queen Elizabeth's coffin in Westminster Hall
BangShowbiz
The lengthy queue to pay tribute to the late Queen lying-in-state has astonished members of the public, but one peculiar word – catafalque – is also leaving people awestruck.
UK searches for the term surged last night, after it was reported a man had been arrested over a “disturbance” at Westminster Hall, where the late monarch’s coffin has been placed for mourners to pay their respects.
The incident took place at around 10pm on Friday, with a spokesperson for the UK parliament saying in a statement: “We’re aware of an incident in Westminster Hall, in which a member of the public moved out of the queue and towards the Catafalque.
“They have now been removed from the Hall and the queue restarted with minimal disruption.”
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police said: “Around 22:00hrs on Friday 16 September, officers from the Met’s Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command detained a man in Westminster Hall following a disturbance.
“He was arrested for an offence under the Public Order Act and is currently in custody.”
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So what exactly is a catafalque?
Well, according to the Collins Dictionary, it’s a “temporary raised platform on which a body lies in state before or during a funeral”. It’s pronounced ‘cat-aff-falk’.
Makes sense, but Twitter users were amazed by the UK parliament’s use of the term, with many expressing their delight at finding out what the word actually means:
\u201c@chrisshipitv Catafalque is going on here?! \n\n(Dunno if this works, never heard that word before)\u201d— Chris Ship (@Chris Ship) 1663365667
\u201c@chrisshipitv @RexChapman Am I the only one that had to google \u2018catafalque\u2019?\u201d— Chris Ship (@Chris Ship) 1663365667
\u201c\ud83d\udea8#BREAKING: There has been an incident in Westminster Hall where a member of the public rushed at the #Queen\u2019s coffin and catafalque.\u201d— Breaking News 24/7 (@Breaking News 24/7) 1663366156
\u201c@breeallegretti Not the main point here I know but have we decided how \u201ccatafalque\u201d is pronounced yet?\u201d— Aubrey Allegretti (@Aubrey Allegretti) 1663365515
\u201cFuck is a Catafalque? Is it like Griffon? Is it some imagined colonial beast? Half cat half falcon?\u201d— The Blindboy Podcast (@The Blindboy Podcast) 1663366196
\u201cWe\u2019ve all just learned what a catafalque is.\u201d— Simon Harris - #LovelyBitOfSquirrel (@Simon Harris - #LovelyBitOfSquirrel) 1663367030
\u201c@chrisshipitv This was the best possible way to learn the word catafalque.\u201d— Chris Ship (@Chris Ship) 1663365667
\u201cStarting a new day by googling the word CATAFALQUE.\u201d— Nzeugma \u2744\ufe0f (@Nzeugma \u2744\ufe0f) 1663369577
As well as the incident involving the catafalque, Friday evening also saw King Charles and his siblings take part in the Vigil of the Princes for a 15-minute tribute.
He was joined by Prince Edward, Prince Andrew and Princess Anne in Westminster Hall for the silent vigil at around 7.30pm.
If you want to see the catafalque for yourself and pay your respects to the late Queen, the UK government’s live tracker is currently giving a waiting time of up to 16 hours, with the back of the queue at Southwark Park.
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