The Queen was reunited with her beloved husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, and was buried with him in King George VI’s Memorial. The king and the royal family gathered for a private funeral on Monday at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, following the Queen’s funeral and service. King George VI’s tiny chapel houses the remains of Queen George VI’s father, her mother the Queen Mother and her sister Princess Margaret. When Philip died 17 months ago, his coffin was buried in St George’s Royal Vault – ready to be moved to the memorial when the Queen died. A statement on the royal family’s official website said: “The Queen was laid to rest alongside the Duke of Edinburgh at King George VI Memorial.”
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The statement said the funeral, which took place at 7.30pm, was conducted by the Dean of Windsor. A senior palace official had previously said the service and burial would be “completely private as this is a deeply personal family occasion”. The central feature of the open stone chapel memorial annex, which was added to the north side of St George’s behind the North Quire Aisle in 1969, is a black stone slab set into the floor. It is inscribed in gold letters “George VI” and “Elizabeth” and is accompanied by the years of their birth and death. Princess Margaret, who died in 2002, was cremated and her ashes were initially placed in the Royal Vault before being transferred to George VI’s memorial with her parents’ coffins when the Queen Mother died weeks later. The princess wanted to be cremated because she found the alternative royal burial ground at Frogmore in Windsor Great Park too “grim”. Lady Glenconner, a lifelong friend of the princess, said in 2002 that the princess preferred the chapel memorial. “He told me he found Frogmore very sad,” said Lady Glenconner. “I think he would like to be with the late king, as he will be now. I think there’s room for him to be with him now.” George VI died in 1952, but was first interred in the Vault Royal and moved to the memorial when it was built 17 years later.
