Police officers from across the UK gathered in London on Monday to line the funeral route of Keith Palmer, who was murdered in the terror attack in the British capital last month.
Well-wishers joined officers who bowed their heads in tribute along the 2.6-mile (4-kilometer) procession route while National Police Air service helicopters paid tribute from the skies above.
The 48-year-old police veteran and father was fatally stabbed at the Houses of Parliament by Khalid Masood on March 22 in a rampage that left four others dead.
Palmer, from south London and an ardent Charlton Athletic soccer fan, had served as a police officer for 15 years.
The cortege made its way from Westminster to Southwark Cathedral on Monday afternoon, led by a black horse escort from the mounted branch of London Metropolitan Police.
Well-wishers joined officers who bowed their heads in tribute along the 2.6-mile (4-kilometer) procession route while National Police Air service helicopters paid tribute from the skies above.
As the cortege made its way over Lambeth Bridge, the crowd clapped and cheered.
The hearse, adorned with a delicate white flower display declaring “No. 1 Daddy,” was escorted to the cathedral during the “full force” funeral — the police equivalent of a state funeral.
Palmer’s colleagues and friends carried his coffin into Southwark Cathedral for the closed service, which was followed by a private cremation.
Floral tributes have continued to be left in Parliament Square, close to where the attack unfolded.
For those unable to attend Palmer’s funeral in London, a two-minute silence was held outside police stations across the country.
“They wanted to honor Keith’s ultimate sacrifice,” Chief Constable Sara Thornton, who leads the National Police Chiefs’ Council, told Sky News. “They also wanted to come together as the family of policing to provide support for Keith’s family, his friends and his close colleagues.
Earlier on Monday, Palmer’s name was added to the National Police Memorial’s Roll of Honour and Remembrance during a ceremony on The Mall.
On Sunday, Palmer’s body was brought to the Palace of Westminster to lie in rest inside the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft — a rare honor that requires the consent of the Queen. A private service was held for Palmer’s family before officers formed an honor guard to watch over his coffin.
Last month, Masood plowed his car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing four, and stabbed Palmer outside Parliament before being shot dead.
Andreea Cristea, a Romanian national who fell from the bridge during the attack, succumbed to her extensive injuries on Friday. Aysha Frade, Leslie Rhodes, and US tourist Kurt Cochran were also killed in the attack.
