Iranian woman one of last people to see queen’s coffin before funeral, recalls royal trip to Tehran

One of the last people to see Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin before her state funeral on Monday morning was a woman of Iranian origin whose connection to the late monarch goes back several decades.

55-year-old Sima Mansouri from Croydon, south of London, queued for hours to see the coffin, finally being able to pay her respects just before 6:30 am UK time on Monday, when London’s Westminster Abbey was closed to the public in preparation for the funeral.

She was the second to last member of the public to see the queen’s coffin, which had been “lying-in-state” for days before the funeral.

Mansouri told the PA Media news agency that her love for the late Queen Elizabeth II dated back to her childhood, when she heard the story of her cousin who acted as a flower girl for a royal visit to Tehran.

“It was a boiling hot day and my poor cousin has got very fair skin, blonde hair and blue eyes,” she said.

“The Queen came out of her plane and was more concerned with my cousin burning in the sun than being a royal.”

“She said: ‘Can someone please get this little girl out of the sun?’ Then she kissed her and grabbed the flowers. I thought it was amazing,” Mansouri told PA.

Heerey left the line with Sima Mansouri, 55, who was very emotional outside the gates. “She stood for freedom, human rights and women’s rights,” said Mansouri, who was born in Iran and now lives in London. pic.twitter.com/zmKUo8VqHw

— Alexander Smith (@AlexanderSmith) September 19, 2022

The queen’s first and only visit to Iran was in 1961, when it was still ruled by Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, who was overthrown by the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The current Iranian government has remained silent on the queen’s death, not sending condolences, while some Iranian newspapers blamed the queen for the Shah’s 1953 coup against Iran’s then-Prime Minister, Mohammed Mossadegh.

However, Iranian diplomatic staff are expected to be at the funeral on Monday.

The last member of the public to see the queen’s coffin was Chrissy Heerey, a member of the UK’s Royal Air Force.

Mansouri told Sky News that she and Herrey would remain “friends forever” after being united by the experience.

Tens of thousands of people descended on London to pay their respects to the queen during her “lying-in-state”, with some queuing for over 30 hours to be able to see the monarch’s coffin before her funeral.