Queen Elizabeth II¡¯s coffin was today lowered into the Royal Vault at St George¡¯s Chapel in Windsor Castle, bringing to an end public mourning for Britain¡¯s longest-reigning monarch, reports news agency AFP. She was laid to rest aside?her husband Philip and parents in an intimate ceremony.
The ¡°second Elizabethan age¡± was symbolically brought to a close when the highest-ranking official in the royal household, Lord Chamberlain Andrew Parker, broke his wand of office and the Imperial State Crown, orb and sceptre were placed on the high altar.
The evening interment service was not open to the media, and King Charles III, Queen Consort Camilla, Prince William and Kate, Prince Harry and Meghan, and other royals were able to bid a final farewell to the late monarch in private after being in the public spotlight for 10 days of national mourning.
Queen Elizabeth¡¯s closest relatives were ashen-faced throughout solemn funeral rituals in London and Windsor, silently playing their parts in meticulously choreographed processions that nevertheless betrayed the high emotions of the day.
The presence of William and Harry, walking side-by-side behind their grandmother¡¯s coffin, was reminiscent of the day 25 years ago when, as boys, they took part in a similar procession to the funeral of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales.
Let's now look at the other details from the ceremony.
Several world leaders gathered in London to bid farewell to the Queen. President Droupadi Murmu paid her respects on behalf of India and met with King Charles III. US President Joe Biden, France¡¯s Emmanuel Macron, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Pakistan¡¯s Shehbaz Sharif were among the attendees.??
¡°In loving and devoted memory, Charles R.¡±
This handwritten card from King Charles III placed among the colourful flowers lying over rich green foliage gave a personal touch to British Queen Elizabeth II¡¯s coffin during the late monarch¡¯s final journey on Monday.
During the ceremony, Prince Harry, who was accompanied by his wife Meghan Markle, got in hot waters after a clip of him purportedly not singing to the royal anthem ¡°God Save the King¡± (which was ¡°God Save the Queen¡± during Queen Elizabeth II¡¯s reign) went viral.
The 10-second clip, taken from the widely-watched broadcast of the funeral, shows Harry standing solemnly behind King Charles as the gathering sings the royal anthem. Traditionally, only the reigning monarch does not sing the British anthem, therefore Harry¡¯s tightlipped silence made him stand out.
During the vigil for the queen ¡ª as her coffin lay in state in Westminster Hall ¡ª which was kept by her eight grandchildren, during which Harry was allowed to wear his military uniform at the ¡°king¡¯s request¡±. It was the first time that he wore the uniform after stepping away from royal duties in 2020.
The Duke of Sussex, however, was purportedly left ¡®heartbroken¡¯ after he found that Queen Elizabeth II¡¯s ¡®ER¡¯ initials ¡ª for ¡®Elizabeth Regina¡¯ ¡ª were removed from the shoulder of his uniform.?
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