Amidst their shared grief on Monday as the Royal Family led funeral for Queen Elizabeththere was also a sense of continuity and transition for the institution she was so devoted to serving in her 70-year reign. Deeply personal and symbolic moments contrasted with the pomp and carefully choreographed military ceremony of a state funeral few have seen. “What stood out to me was the amount of emotion on the faces of the royals,” Toronto-based royal author and historian Carolyn Harris said in an interview. “It was clear that for the new King Charles III, this was both a deeply personal loss and a moment of transition for him. “He was in charge of Queen Elizabeth II’s mourning and there will now be increased scrutiny of the new king and his role as sovereign.” At the heart of the funeral – a traditional Anglican funeral – was a desire to honor and remember Britain’s longest-living monarch, who died aged 96 on September 8 at her Balmoral estate in Scotland. WATCHES | The Queen’s funeral — in brief:
Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, in brief
Highlights from the funeral procession, service and engagement for Queen Elizabeth, who died on September 8. “Basically, today was about her and what she did,” Craig Prescott, a constitutional law expert at Bangor University in Wales, said in an interview. But however it appeared – whether through reference to her deep devotion to duty and Christian faith, or in more personal references that arose from moments like the dark of a lone bagpiper playing a lament from a balcony of Westminster Abbey – it was undeniably signaling that one reign had ended and another had begun. “I think the most emotional part for me was at the committal service when the crown, orb and scepter were removed from the casket,” Prescott said. “I think that poked a hole, drew a clear line that I guess in a sense … at that point the queen was no longer the queen.” The orb and scepter are removed from Queen Elizabeth’s coffin at the ceremony at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, on Monday. (Jonathan Brady/The Associated Press) State funerals are rare – the last in the UK was for Winston Churchill, the prime minister, in 1965. Only those a little over 70 may remember the last state funeral for a monarch — for the Queen’s father, King George VI, in 1952. For him, too, the TV cameras stopped at the door (in this case, at the smaller St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, where Monday’s ceremony took place). Not today, however, as cameras broadcast the funeral, military procession and ceremony around the world, showing a royal funeral far changed from how previous monarchs were once commemorated at the end of their reigns. WATCHES | Queen Elizabeth’s dogs and her pony await her funeral procession:
The Queen’s corgis and pony await her funeral procession
Queen Elizabeth’s two corgis, Sandy and Moic, and her black pony, Emma, were at Windsor Castle during the late monarch’s funeral procession. Judith Rowbotham, a social and cultural scholar and visiting research professor at the University of Plymouth in southwest England, could not help but recall William IV’s funeral in 1837, when some observers said one thing was obvious: the British were not fantasizing. it was chaos and only the Europeans did plays.” “Well, Victoria changed that,” Rowbotham said, recalling the 1901 funeral of Queen Victoria, the daughter of a soldier who wanted a soldier’s funeral. Queen Elizabeth “has done the same and it’s an interesting balance,” Rowbotham said. “It’s refreshing about the heritage, the tradition, all those symbols, but it’s also so modern. It’s been televised all along. It’s been mentioned on social media.” So, Rowbotham suggested, “you can emphasize on the one hand how traditional it was with the various dimensions… with pomp, ceremony… all that, but also how it’s modernized.” Much of the pomp and ceremony came through a military procession that had little precedent, filled as it was with representatives from Commonwealth countries and led by four Mounties. Queen Elizabeth, seen on Oct. 15, 2020, near Salisbury, England, was remembered for both her deep commitment to her role and her Christian faith on Monday during her funeral. (Ben Stansall/Getty Images) “There’s never been a funeral procession like this,” Rowbotham said. “Because [the Queen] she was so determined — the Commonwealth was so important to her… She was there because she wanted to be part of things — so you saw the Mountains, and what more impressive head of procession could you find?” As much as there was sadness on Monday, Rowbotham also found feelings of hope and positivity, particularly in music. “In the abbey … the selections were uplifting rather than somber, so you had the hymns the congregation could join in.” It was also deeply personal for the Queen. “There were hymns that were also there at the Queen’s coronation,” said Harris, who also noted that the flowers on the casket were the same as the flowers that were at her wedding to Prince Philip at the same historic venue in 1947. “So we see some very important parallels with these other very key milestones in the Queen’s life that unfolded at Westminster Abbey.” While Monday was a time to remember, mourn and honor the Queen, it was also a time to look to the future. WATCHES | Canadians remember meeting the Queen and how it affected them:
Canadians share their memories of meeting Queen Elizabeth
People from across Canada are reflecting on their interactions with Queen Elizabeth and how they were affected. “The Queen’s death brought the royal family together, different generations, different branches of the family,” Harris said. “Thus the role of the monarchy as a force for unity was greatly emphasized, by bringing together the royal family, the crowned heads of Europe and the general public as well.” For some in the public, that meant waiting in hundreds of thousands of queues for the lie-in-state that preceded the funeral – along with the crowds that gathered in London and Windsor on Monday, lining the streets to catch a glimpse of the processions. WATCHES | Queen Elizabeth talks about Canada during her official visits:
Queen Elizabeth speaks for Canada
In her 70 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth has made 22 official visits to Canada. Here are some comments she made over the years while visiting. “What we saw today, the size of the crowd, the fact that the whole world turned out, I think it was a testament to what the Queen did [since the late 1990s]slowly, surely, steadily just updating the monarchy in its current form,” Prescott said. Harris said the sheer number of people who stood in line will also be remembered. “There were so many people who not only wanted to say goodbye to the Queen but also to be part of a historic moment. [because] it is unlikely that we will see another 70 years of reign.’
Honoring the Gan-Gan
Prince George and Princess Charlotte walk after Queen Elizabeth’s funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday. (Hannah McKay/The Associated Press) For much of their young lives, glimpses of Prince George and Princess Charlotte have been limited to carefully selected family photos released to mark their birthdays. However, on Monday, the two eldest children of Prince William and Kate, Princess of Wales, had front row seats to the unfolding story. The appearance of George, 9, and Charlotte, 7, was a surprise for Rowbotham. “I’m sure it took a lot of thought, but they were both pretty big,” she said. “They loved their great-grandmother, their Gun-Gan, as George called her, and to have lost her at this age, they’re actually old enough to remember.” Prescott saw the appearance of George and Charlotte as “saying that this is the future of the monarchy and saying [it on] the biggest scene yet.” “You had Charles … and then William and George sat … next to each other. I think there was a clear indication that it’s the King in waiting, and then George after that and Charlotte as well.” From left, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. Princess Charlotte. Kate, Princess of Wales. Prince George? and Prince William sit during the service for Queen Elizabeth at St George’s Chapel in Windsor on Monday. (Victoria Jones/The Associated Press) Prescott was also surprised to see George and Charlotte “because generally William and Catherine are very careful about when the children are seen in public so far.” But apparently, Prescott said, it is “a clear indication that they want to signal the future of the monarchy as much as they can”. Harris said the children symbolized how the funeral was a family occasion, but also reflected continuity for generations to come. “The Queen was not only a ruler, but a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.”
Guiding
Four members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police take part in the military procession following the Queen’s funeral on Monday. (Mike Egerton/Pool/Reuters) When the military procession escorted the Queen’s coffin from Westminster Abbey, on her head was the familiar red serge of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Prescott said seeing the four Mounties there felt natural. “The Queen was passionate about the Commonwealth. She visited Canada more than any other [Commonwealth] country,” he said. “It makes perfect sense that Canada played a leading role, a real signal.” WATCHES | The Queen rested at Windsor, one of her favorite places:
England’s Windsor bids farewell to Queen who felt ‘like family’
The city of Windsor, England, the location of the famous castle and countless…
