There is the certainty of life after death, as declared in the prayers: “We rejoice in your gracious promise to all your servants, living and departed, that we shall rise again at the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ.” And there is the vision of triumph at the end of time, as the Deceased from the Apocalypse mentioned: “There shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying.” This passage was read at the funerals of the Queen’s grandparents and father, leaving us behind an unbroken line of succession. There was no qualification in any of these words, no thought of the day “some may say, others will feel differently,” but instead pure hope rooted in unwavering faith. The queen is dead, but her story is not over. This also applies to the monarchy. We then arrived at a moment of departure and transition, the likes of which the public had never seen before. First, the instruments of state that Elizabeth received at her coronation were removed from the coffin and handed to the Dean: the sceptre, which represents authority and justice. the orb, representing Christ’s empire throughout the world. and the imperial crown. The Dean placed them on the altar, on three purple pillows. The King then placed a small, red and gold flag on the coffin – Queen’s Company Camp Color of the Grenadier Guards. The Lord Chamberlain broke his wand in two, symbolizing the end of his service to Her Majesty, and also placed it in the coffin.
