In his homily, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby paid tribute to the late Queen’s lifetime achievement. People who “serve with love” are rare, he said. “Leaders who serve lovingly are even rarer.” Yet people would long remember the servants “when those who cling to power and privilege are forgotten.”
The late Queen vowed on her 21st birthday to serve her subjects throughout her life – and did so throughout her 70-year, seven-month and two-day reign. Just two days before her death at the age of 96, the already frail Queen had appointed and received Britain’s new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, and bid farewell to outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The new King Charles III sat in the front rows at the funeral service. and his three siblings, as well as the Queen’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The coffin was covered with the royal standard, on it rested the royal crown, scepter and orb. After a trumpet call at the end of the service, the mourners and the whole country remained silent for two minutes, after which the mourners sang the national anthem in the new male version “God save the King”.
After the funeral service in Westminster Abbey, the coffin containing the Queen’s remains was carried in a solemn procession by 142 marines on a cannon carriage to the triumphal arch of Wellington Arch. Tens of thousands of people lined the procession route, the black-clad servants of the Queen were standing in front of Buckingham Palace when the coffin was driven past.
Many people had camped along the route since the weekend to secure a good front row seat. From Wellington Arch, the coffin made its way in a hearse to Windsor Castle, 35 kilometers away. Countless people lined this path as well. The day of the funeral had been declared a national holiday.
At Windsor Castle, after a service with 800 guests in the evening, the funeral will take place in the company of the royal family. The Queen is buried in the King George VI Memorial Chapel. There she is reunited with her parents, her sister Princess Margaret and her husband Prince Philip, to whom she was married for 73 years.
Elizabeth II died on September 8 at the age of 96 after 70 years on the British throne. An era ended with her death, and the event triggered sadness and sympathy worldwide. The state funeral and subsequent burial marks the end of a ten-day nationwide period of mourning.
The Queen’s State Funeral is the first in Britain since the death of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1965. The Queen’s funeral ceremonies are taking place amid heavy security.
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