Evangelist and missionary queued 7 times to pay respects to Queen

The Queen lying in state in St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh.(Photo: ITV News)

(CP) Inspired by Queen Elizabeth II's strong Christian faith, a 43-year-old evangelist and missionary stood in long queues seven times to see the monarch's coffin in Edinburgh before it left for London.

"I am a Christian, a really strong Christian, and she lived her life, faith was central to her life and essential to my life," Elizabeth Sabey, who worked as a missionary in Cambodia, told The Telegraph before departing on her eighth visit. "It felt so peaceful and beautiful. ... I just felt God's presence, like a unity among people, no divisions."

The longest-serving monarch in British history died last Thursday at her summer retreat at Balmoral Castle in Scotland at the age of 96.

"I don't think it's a coincidence that she passed away in Scotland, it was all, I feel, divinely orchestrated. ... I just think that's how it's meant to be," said the evangelist.

Sabey said the Queen's speeches, especially at Christmas, would bring tears to her eyes. "To hear somebody at the pinnacle of our country and yet she has a very vibrant, living, real, genuine faith, it wasn't just something that a monarch needs to do, it was something genuine and deep."

Charles III was officially proclaimed king by the Accession Council in a ceremony at St. James' Palace in London on Saturday morning.

The state funeral for the Queen has been scheduled to take place at Westminster Abbey in London at 11 a.m. local time on Monday.

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