Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin is carried into Westminster Abbey on the day of her funeral. (James Ford for The Washington Post) Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral was full of pageantry and passion as Britain laid to rest its longest-serving monarch on Monday. Family members were reunited, world leaders paid their respects, Britons turned out in droves to say goodbye and choirs sang mournful hymns. Follow our live coverage here.
Procession at Westminster Abbey Marching at a precise 75 beats per minute – a pace reserved for funerals – soldiers and family members escorted the Queen’s coffin into Westminster Abbey for the state funeral. King Charles III led the family procession, flanked by his brothers and children. Princes Harry and Andrew did not wear military uniforms as they no longer work as royals. Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin traveled from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey for her funeral on September 19. (Video: The Washington Post) The service at Westminster Abbey was attended by world leaders, dignitaries and other royals. The hymns were based on moments from the Queen’s long life. A hymn, The Lord’s My Shepherd, was sung at her wedding in 1947. Musicians performed a hymn they composed for her coronation in 1953. The wreath above the coffin was cut from the gardens of Buckingham Palace and the residences of William and Charles. It also included myrtle, which the Queen carried in her wedding bouquet. The Queen’s great-granddaughters George and Charlotte sang hymns during the service held for her on September 19 at Westminster Abbey. (Video: The Washington Post) Prince George, 9, and Princess Charlotte, 7, joined the procession, following their great-grandmother’s coffin through the abbey. It was reminiscent of a more traumatic death, when their father William and his brother Harry walked behind their mother Diana’s coffin after she died in a car crash in Paris aged 36. George is second in line to the throne, after his father. Charlotte wore a horseshoe brooch, a gift from her horse-loving great-grandmother. She is third in line to the throne. The funeral of Queen Elizabeth II concluded at Westminster Abbey with the congregation singing the national anthem, ‘God Save the King’, on September 19. (Video: Reuters) At the end of the Westminster Abbey ceremony, the crowd sang Britain’s national anthem, now ‘God Save the King’, swapping the queen for the king to mark a new royal era. Pipe Major Paul Burns of the Royal Regiment of Scotland then played a traditional lament called ‘Sleep, dearie, sleep’. Burns played under the Queen’s window for 15 minutes every morning at 9am. whenever he stayed at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Holyrood House or Balmoral Castle.
The procession to Wellington Arch The procession continued to Wellington Arch, led by four horses from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Harry and William, in another echo of Diana’s funeral, followed their grandmother’s coffin side by side. It was one of their few public appearances together since Harry chose to leave royal life and move to California, causing a rift in the family. Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin is escorted from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch in a military procession on September 19. (Video: The Washington Post)
The final departure from London From Wellington Arch, the Queen left London for the last time. Her family greeted the hearse as it began its journey to Windsor, about 22 miles outside London, where the Queen will be buried. Members of the military procession alongside King Charles III salute as the Queen’s coffin leaves Wellington Arch on September 19. (Video: Reuters) Once in Windsor, the coffin traveled the Long Walk, a stretch of more than 2.5 miles created by King Charles II in the late 17th century. The tree-lined avenue links Snow Hill – where King Henry VIII is said to have awaited news of Anne Boleyn’s execution – and Windsor Castle. Crowds flocked to see the hearse, which Elizabeth helped design so that its glass windows and roof would make the coffin more visible to the public. Two of the Queen’s favorite corgis, Muick and Sandy, as well as her favorite pony Emma, also attended. After a service at Westminster Abbey, the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II traveled in a 25-mile procession to Windsor, England on September 19 (Video: The Washington Post) Windsor’s service at St George’s Chapel was more intimate than events in London. Guests included members of the family and staff of the royal household. The crown, orb and scepter were removed from the queens coffin before being lowered into the royal vault, symbolizing the transition of the crown. A visibly emotional Charles was named sovereign as ‘God Save the King’ echoed through the chapel halls. Later in the evening, a private burial ceremony is scheduled to take place, concluding a day of remembrance and mourning for Queen Elizabeth II. At the end of the Queen’s funeral, various ceremonial ceremonies were held, including the breaking of the wand on September 19 at Windsor Castle. (Video: The Washington Post) Ruby Mellen reported from Washington, DC William Booth, Karla Adam, Annabelle Timsit, Adam Taylor and Libby Casey contributed to this report.
