Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II

~ Saad719

Foreign Royal Guests and Relatives and Heads of State and Representatives of 121 Countries joined the British Royal Family for the Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey on September 19th, followed by a Procession to Marble Arch and a Committal Service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. The late Queen, who passed away at Balmoral Castle earlier this month, had been Lying-in-State first at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh and then at Westminster Hall in London for the past week.  

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On the morning of the State Funeral, the Lying-in-State ended at 6:30 am as the final members of the public were admitted, and at 10:44 pm, the Coffin (topped with the Imperial State Crown, the Orb and the Sceptre) will be borne in Procession on the State Gun Carriage of the Royal Navy from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey for the State Funeral, followed by the King, members of the Royal Family and members of the King’s Household. The Procession will arrive at the West Gate of Westminster Abbey, where the Bearer Party lifted the coffin from the State Gun Carriage and carried it into the Abbey for the State Funeral Service, followed by members of the Royal Family:

Queen Camilla      King Charles III

Sir Timothy Laurence     Princess Royal

Duke of York

Countess of Wessex       Earl of Wessex

Princess of Wales       Prince of Wales

Princess Charlotte      Prince George

Duchess of Sussex       Duke of Sussex

Earl of Snowdon      Peter Phillips

Duke of Gloucester

Prince Michael of Kent      Duke of Kent

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The State Funeral Service was conducted by the Dean of Westminster and during the Service, the Prime Minister and the Secretary General of the Commonwealth will read Lessons. The Archbishop of York, the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and the Free Churches Moderator said Prayers while the Sermon was given by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who also gave the Commendation and the Dean of Westminster pronounced the Blessing. Towards the end of the Service, Last Post was sound followed by Two Minute’s Silence observed in the Abbey, and throughout the United Kingdom. 

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After the Service, the Coffin was borne through the Abbey, returning to the State Gun Carriage for the Procession to Wellington Arch, Hyde Park Corner. The King and Members of the Royal Family again followed The Queen’s Coffin in Procession. The Procession included detachments from the Armed Forces of the Commonwealth. Minute Guns were fired in Hyde Park by The King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, and Big Ben tolled throughout the duration of the Procession. At Wellington Arch, the Coffin was transferred to the State Hearse to travel to Windsor. As the State Hearse departed Wellington Arch, the Parade gave a Royal Salute and the National Anthem was played. The King and Members of the Royal Family departed for Windsor.

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Following the Funeral at Westminster Abbey and Procession through London, the Coffin of Queen Elizabeth II (topped with the Imperial State Crown, the Orb and the Sceptre) reached Windsor, when the State Hearse slowed to join a Procession to be formed up on Albert Road to travel via the Long Walk to St George’s Chapel, Windsor for the Committal Service. Members of the Royal Family joined the Procession in the Quadrangle at Windsor Castle. Minute Guns were fired on the East Lawn, Windsor Castle by The King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, and Sebastopol Bell and the Curfew Tower Bell will be tolled. The Procession halted at the bottom of the West Steps of St. George’s Chapel where a Guard of Honour, found by the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards was mounted. The Queen’s Coffin was borne in Procession into the Chapel, followed by members of the Royal Family.

Queen Camilla      King Charles III

Sir Timothy Laurence     Princess Royal

Duke of York

Countess of Wessex       Earl of Wessex

Princess of Wales       Prince of Wales

Princess Charlotte      Prince George

Duchess of Sussex       Duke of Sussex

Earl of Snowdon      Peter Phillips

Duke of Gloucester

Prince Michael of Kent      Duke of Kent

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The Committal Service was conducted by the Dean of Windsor, with prayers said by the Rector of Sandringham, the Minister of Crathie Kirk and the Chaplain of Windsor Great Park. The Choir of St George’s Chapel sang during the Service. Prior to the final Hymn, the Imperial State Crown, the Orb and the Sceptre was removed from The Queen’s Coffin, and placed on the Altar. At the end of the final Hymn, The King placed The Queen’s Company Camp Colour of the Grenadier Guards on Her Majesty’s Coffin. At the same time, The Lord Chamberlain “broke” his Wand of Office and placed it on the Coffin. As The Queen’s Coffin was lowered into the Royal Vault, the Dean of Windsor said a Psalm and the Commendation before Garter King of Arms pronounced Her Majesty’s styles and titles. The Sovereign’s Piper played a Lament and The Archbishop of Canterbury will pronounce the Blessing. The National Anthem was sung at the conclusion of the Service. A Private Burial will take place in The King George VI Memorial Chapel later in the evening, conducted by the Dean of Windsor. The Queen is to be buried together with The Duke of Edinburgh.

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King Charles III (in the Order of the Garter) and Queen Camilla (wearing Queen Victoria’s Hessian Diamond Jubilee Brooch) will be joined by members of the extended British Royal Family; the Prince and Princess of Wales (in the Queen’s Japanese Pearl Choker and Bahrain Pearl Earrings), Prince George and Princess Charlotte, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex,  the Princess Royal and Sir Timothy Laurence, Earl and Countess of Wessex, Peter Phillips, Zara and Mike Tindall, Princess Beatrice and Count Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank, Viscount Severn and Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, The Earl of Snowdon, Lady Sarah (in the Snowdon Floral Brooches) and Daniel Chatto, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and their respective children, grandchildren, and spouses. Countess Mountbatten of Burma and Lady Pamela Hicks (wearing her Diamond Bow Brooch) were also present.

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Foreign Royal Guests and Relatives will join Heads of State and Representatives of 121 Countries, making the Funeral one of the largest gatherings of Heads of State in history, which included:

King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway (wearing the Royal Family Order of King Harald V of Norway)

Queen Margrethe II (in the Connaught Pearl Brooch) and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark

King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden

King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima and Princess Beatrix of The Netherlands

Queen Anne-Marie (wearing Queen Louise’s Seed Pearl Brooch), Crown Prince Pavlos, and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain with King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia (in Queen Frederica’s Ruby Pendant)

Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium (in her Diamond Butterfly Brooch)

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan

King Abdullah and Queen Azizah of Malaysia

King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan, Princess Haya bint Al Hussein and Prince Hassan

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei and Prince Mateen of Brunei

The King of Saudi Arabia

King Jigme and Queen Jetsun Pema of Bhutan

King Letsie III of Lesotho

King Tupou VI of Tonga

Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco

The Emir of Qatar

The Sultan of Oman

Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein

Crown Prince Moulay Hassan of Morocco

The King and Crown Prince of Bahrain

The Crown Prince of Kuwait

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates

Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria

Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania (wearing Queen Helen’s Fleur-de-Lys Brooch) and Prince Radu

Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia

Archduke Karl von Habsburg

King Tūheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII

Afioga Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoʻa Sualauvi II of Samoa

Prince of Venice

The Margravine of Baden, Hereditary Prince Bernhard and Hereditary Princess Stephanie

The Landgrave and Landgravine of Hesse

The Prince and Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

The Presidents of the United States, France, Germany, Ireland, Austria, Portugal, Italy, Finland, Iceland, Swiss Confederation, Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Croatia, Slovakia, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Albania, Montenegro, Brazil, South Africa, Malta, India, Bangladesh, Singapore, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Ghana, Kenya, Algeria, Namibia, Malawi, Maldives, Gabon, Somalia, Cameroon, Cyprus, Fiji, Seychelles, Tanzania

The Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Jamaica, Pakistan, Czech Republic, Egypt

The Governors General of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Belize, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, The Bahamas, Jamaica, Tuvalu, and the Solomon Islands

Heads of State Reception at Buckingham Palace | Royal Vigil | Grandchildren’s Vigil | Lying-in-State at Westminster Hall | Coffin Returns to Buckingham Palace | Lying-in-State at St Giles’ Cathedral 

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