LAST UPDATE | 19 Sep 2022
BRITAIN’S QUEEN ELIZABETH II has been laid to rest following 70 years of service after family, friends and the nation said a farewell to the late monarch.
Hundreds of thousands lined the queen’s funeral procession that carried the monarch from lying in state at Westminster Hall to her state funeral and on to Windsor Castle for the committal service.
The new king and his siblings walked behind the coffin as it left Westminster Abbey following the state funeral, while other royals are travelling by car.
During the service, Charles was visibly moved and looked close to tears as the national anthem was sung in the Abbey.
Prince George was also comforted by his mother, Catherine, during the service.
In a personal touch, the wreath adorning the queen’s coffin had a handwritten note, which was penned by the king.
The message said: “In loving and devoted memory.”
The coffin then headed to Wellington Arch at the corner of Hyde Park, before being transferred into a hearse for the journey to St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
A televised committal ceremony took place in the chapel at 4pm.
A private burial then took place, with the queen being laid to rest with her husband Prince Philip in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, with only close family attending.
Around 2,000 people attended the queen’s funeral at Westminster Abbey, including members of royal families from across Europe, politicians from all sides of the political spectrum and world leaders, including US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Charles and the Queen Consort walked immediately behind the coffin as it entered the Gothic church for the service.
During his sermon, the Archbishop of Canterbury told the congregation the outpouring of emotion for the monarch “arises from her abundant life and loving service, now gone from us”.
He described her as having touched “a multitude of lives” and being a “joyful” figure for many.
He told mourners: “People of loving service are rare in any walk of life. Leaders of loving service are still rarer.
“But in all cases those who serve will be loved and remembered when those who cling to power and privileges are forgotten.
“The grief of this day – felt not only by the late queen’s family but all round the nation, Commonwealth and world – arises from her abundant life and loving service, now gone from us.”
The queen’s coffin has been draped in the Royal Standard, with the wreath of flowers requested by the new king.
Cut from the gardens of Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Highgrove House, the flowers and foliage have been chosen for their symbolism.
They include rosemary, for remembrance, and myrtle cut from a plant which was grown from a sprig of myrtle in the queen’s wedding bouquet. Myrtle is an ancient symbol of a happy marriage.
The funeral was broadcast live at around 125 cinemas and several cathedrals in the UK, and on a big screen in Holyrood Park in front of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh.
Several big screens were also set up in Hyde Park, while London’s City Hall said all public viewing areas for the queen’s funeral procession were full.
The queen’s final resting place will be the King George VI memorial chapel, an annex to the main chapel where her mother and father were buried, along with the ashes of her sister, Princess Margaret.
Philip’s coffin will move from the royal vault to the memorial chapel to join the queen’s.
Today marks the end of what is being regarded as the biggest security operation the UK has ever seen, surpassing the operation for the Platinum Jubilee weekend and the London 2012 Olympics, which saw up to 10,000 police officers on duty per day.
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