On Monday, people said a final farewell to the queen in an all-day service that included a moving sermon, personal messages from members of the royal family and the combined Canadian and British armed forces.
THE MOVING SERMON OF THE ARCHBISHOP
The service was led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who gave a moving homily which spoke of the Queen’s lifelong devotion to the Crown. Welby addressed the hundreds of guests at Westminster Abbey and millions watching from home on Monday as he praised the Queen’s 21st birthday pledge to dedicate her whole life to serving the nations of the Commonwealth. “People who love service are rare in any walk of life. Leaders of loving service are even rarer,” he said. “But in all cases those who serve will be loved and remembered when those who cling to power and privilege will be long forgotten.” The archbishop offered comfort in prayer to the royal family and mourners around the world who are grieving the loss of the world’s most remarkable matriarch. His sermon was delivered in one of the Queen’s last broadcasts, which was during the height of the pandemic, where the late monarch assured the public “we will meet again” amid a global lockdown. “Service in life, hope in death. All who follow the example of the queen and inspire trust and faith in God, can say with her: “We will meet again,” he said.
MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY FAREWELL TO THEIR MATRIARCH
Among the 2,000 world leaders who paid their respects to the Queen during Monday’s service, members of the royal family went to say their final goodbyes to their matriarch. Her eldest son and now new sovereign, King Charles III, left a handwritten note on his late mother’s coffin. According to CNN, the message read: “With love and devoted memory. Charles R.” Along with the letter, Charles also made a special wreath containing flowers and foliage from the gardens of Buckingham Palace. The wreath included rosemary, fragrant pelargoniums, dahlias and myrtle, which was cut from a plant that grew from a sprig of myrtle that was in the Queen’s wedding bouquet, according to the Palace. Charles, along with Queen Camilla, his siblings, children and grandchildren were all in attendance. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s children, William and Kate, also played a role in their grandmother’s funeral by joining the royal procession. Prince George, who is nine, and his sister, seven-year-old Princess Charlotte, walked with their parents during the service at Westminster Abbey as they accompanied the Queen’s coffin.
MOUNTIES PENCIL PROCESS
Canada’s presence was widely known during the Queen’s mission on Monday morning, as five members of the Royal Mounted Police (RCMP) led the procession through London. Four of the members of Canada’s Musical Ride rode horses given to the Queen by the RCMP. Alongside the RCMP, more than 60 members of the Canadian Armed Forces were also present from various regiments across Canada. The RCMP provided several horses to the monarch during her reign, including gifting her what would later become her favorite horse, the Burmese, in 1969. The Musical Ride Corps accompanied the monarch on many occasions, including her coronation in 1953.
PRAISED PALLOR CARRIERS
Eight pallbearers have been praised for gracefully carrying the Queen’s coffin up the steep steps of St George’s Chapel in London as members of the royal family walked behind them. Soldiers of the Queen’s 1st Battalion had the honor of carrying the late monarch in the heavy lead-lined coffin, in which was crowned the imperial diamond crown and orb and monarch’s sceptre. Onlookers took to Twitter to praise the soldiers for keeping their cool during the service. A user named Sheila Allies tweeted: “Well done to the Queen’s veterans. What a fantastic job they did. I have climbed these steps to the chapel and they are very steep. Well done indeed.” Another person tweeted: “In awe of the Queen’s 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards who were Her Majesty’s bodyguards. The strength, courage and nerve she showed during the #queens funeral today was nothing short of amazing. Impeccable precision with the eyes of the world on it.”
