The Queen has been laid to rest beside husband Prince Philip
Topics: News, Royal Family, The Queen, King Charles III
Gregory Robinson
Featured Image Credit: Allstar Picture Library Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo/PA
Topics: News, Royal Family, The Queen, King Charles III
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has been laid to rest following her funeral in London today.
Members of the royal family came together to mark the final farewell to the beloved monarch who died at Balmoral aged 96 on 8 September.
Prior to the funeral today, the Queen’s coffin was kept lying-in-state in a continuous vigil at at the Palace of Westminster.
The lying-in-state came to an end this morning at 6.30am as the final members of the public were admitted.
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Thousands of people queued along the streets of London for a chance to pay their respects to the UK’s longest serving monarch.
The Queen’s coffin was taken by a procession on the State Gun Carriage of the Royal Navy from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey for the state funeral.
Close to 200 people who received recognition in the Queen’s Birthday Honours earlier this year joined the congregation, including those who volunteered in their local communities and made outstanding contributions in the fight against covid-19.
The Queen’s eldest son and successor King Charles III and his wife Camilla, Queen Consort were in attendance at the services today.
Her Majesty’s other three children; Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward were also at their service with their respective spouses.
Her Majesty’s grandchildren and their partners were in attendance including; Prince William and Kate Middleton, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank, Zara and Mike Tindall, Peter Phillips, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn.
Beyond the British royal family, foreign dignitaries were also in attendance, with King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain having been confirmed as guests prior to the ceremony.
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco and King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway also paying their respects.
World leaders including the newly inducted UK prime minister Liz Truss, who met the Queen two days before her death, attended the ceremony as did Labour party leader Sir Keir Starmer and First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon and US President Joe Biden was also present.
Towards the end of the service, which was conducted by the Dean of Westminster, a two-minute’s silence was held throughout the UK, with the National Anthem sung bringing the funeral to a close at lunchtime.
The Queen’s coffin, His Majesty The King and members of the royal family left for Windsor where a Committal Service took place.
The Queen’s coffin was then lowered into the Royal Vault and a private burial will take place in the King George VI Memorial Chapel This is where the Queen Mother and King George VI are buried and where her sister Princess Margaret's ashes are kept.
Her Majesty is buried with her husband of 73 years the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, who died in April 2021 aged 99.
A period of royal mourning will continue for seven days after the funeral.