The longest serving British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II was on Monday laid to rest at Windor Castle
She died peacefully on Thursday, September 8 at Balmoral Castle, Scotland, according to a statement by the Royal Family.
To bid the Monarch farewell, thousands of people crowded the streets of London as she made her final journey to and from Westminster Abbey – where the Queen was married and crowned — for the morning service.
Prince William and Prince Harry were solemn as they followed their grandmother’s coffin to Westminster Abbey on Monday for her funeral service.
The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II with the Imperial State Crown resting on top, borne on the State Gun Carriage of the Royal Navy proceeds towards Westminster Abbey.
In addition, over 2,000 people, ranging from senior royals to world leaders, including President Joe Biden, had gathered inside the church to mourn the 96-year-old queen.
Ahead of the service, a bell tolled 96 times – once a minute to mark each year of her life.
After the funeral, many thousands more lined the 22-mile procession route that saw the Queen taken to her final resting place at Windsor Castle on Monday afternoon.
Her state funeral is one of the grandest ceremonies ever seen in the British capital, which included personal touches from the monarch herself.
King Charles requested that the wreath on top of the Queen’s coffin contain the same type of florals used in the bouquet from her 1947 nuptials to Prince Philip.
The new monarch also left a touching note on top of his mother’s coffin that read: “In loving and devoted memory. Charles R.”
How It Started
Dignitaries and VIP guests started arriving up to three hours before the funeral service began, including Kate Middleton’s parents, Michael and Carole, Princess Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer and the Queen Consort’s children.
The meticulously planned funeral events began early Monday when the doors of Westminster Hall finally closed to the public after hundreds of thousands of mourners had filed past her coffin to pay their respects since Sept. 14.
Her Majesty’s coffin was then pulled from the hall on the State Gun Carriage of the Royal Navy — a tradition dating back to the funeral of Queen Victoria.
King Charles and his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, were among those who marched solemnly behind her coffin en route to the church.
Once inside, Queen Consort Camilla Parker Bowles, the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton; Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle joined the procession as the coffin was brought down the aisle.
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, were forced to sit behind his royal family — and well away from his once-close brother and new heir Prince William. The exiled couple were in the second row behind Charles, Camilla and other royals.
Reactions
Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, told the congregation that the grief felt by so many across the UK was testament to the late monarch’s “abundant life and loving service.”
“Her late majesty famously declared on a 21st birthday broadcast that her whole life would be dedicated to serving the nation and Commonwealth,” he said. “Rarely has such a promise been so well kept. Few leaders receive the outpouring of love that we have seen.”
Pin-drop silence fell over sections of the city as the service, which was being livestreamed on screens erected for the occasion, unfolded.
In the hours before the pageantry had even commenced, authorities said procession viewing areas had already filled up.
“We came down to pay tribute to our Queen, she means a lot to us. We’re right royalists,” Jimmy Jukes told The Post. “We saw her on Wednesday at the Lying-in-State and we want to say our final goodbyes. She taught us the meaning of respect. She taught us the meaning of being kind. As Brits, we are proud she was our Queen.”
Following the service, the Queen’s coffin was escorted through the streets of London as King Charles, his siblings — Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Prince Andrew — and his two sons trailed behind on foot.
Unlike his father and brother, Prince Harry did not salute his grandmother’s coffin as it was brought out of the church, since he was no longer a working Royal. His disgraced uncle, Prince Andrew, also didn’t join in giving a final salute.
Both Harry and Andrew, who donned mourning suits, were also not allowed to wear military uniforms.
Historic State Funeral
The Queen’s service marked the first state funeral in Britain since Winston Churchill was afforded the honour in 1965.
Dedicated in 960 CE, Westminster Abbey has hosted hundreds of royal milestones, including the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in April 2011.
The 2,000-strong funeral congregation included some 500 presidents, prime ministers, foreign royal families and dignitaries — including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The elected officials rubbed shoulders with other European royalty, including King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, King Felipe VI and Queen Letitia of Spain, King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, as well as Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco.
BY NEW YORK POST
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