Photos of the day: Queen Elizabeth's funeral and journey to final resting place at Windsor

An end of an era for the monarchy and for the people
The longest-reigning monarch in British history
Paying homage to their Queen
The doors of Westminster Hall were closed
Royal guards marched ahead of Queen's funeral
Guests arrived to Westminster Abbey
French President Macron was among at least 500 leaders to attend
The King of Spain and the Queen of Jordan
Justin Trudeau
PM Liz Truss
Her Majesty's coffin was transported on a state gun carriage
A short journey to Westminster Abbey
The closest members of the Queen's family accompanied her
A difficult day for the Queen's family
King Charles III and Anne, Princess Royal
A day of mourning in the entire nation
A solemn crowd
Arrival at Westminster Abbey
Carried inside Westminster Abbey
Kate, George, Charlotte, and Meghan
Royal farewell
Tears in their eyes
The opening hymn
Liz Truss read the Gospel
A moving sermon
Two minutes of silence
'Sleep, dearie, sleep' played by the Queen's piper
Departing Westminster Abbey
Missing their great-grandmother
The RCMP led the procession
King Charles III leads the procession to Wellington Arch
The Coldstream Guards
In front of Buckingham Palace
Arrival at Wellington Arch
Ready to begin the journey to Windsor
The Royal Family
Applause from the masses
Hundreds of thousands lined the streets
Majestic scenes
England’s great architecture
The Queen's final destination
Brought to Her final resting place
 Surrounded by the royals
The start of the service
Queen Elizabeth ‘a blessing to us'
Removing the Crown Jewels
A last farewell
What’s next for the monarchy?
An end of an era for the monarchy and for the people

Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, was laid to rest in Windsor Castle following a somber yet emotive ceremony on Monday, September 19, 2022. Hundreds of thousands of people turned out to mark the occasion and celebrate the life of an incredible monarch.

The longest-reigning monarch in British history

Ruling from 1952 until her death at 96 years of age on September 8, 2022, Queen Elizabeth II was the longest-reigning monarch in British history. The Queen is survived by her four children, eight grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren.

Paying homage to their Queen

Thousands of people waited for hours to give their last respects to the Queen over the past five days. Shortly before 6:30 am, the last people in the line could finally pay their homage to Queen Elizabeth II, lying in state in Westminster Hall.

The doors of Westminster Hall were closed

The Queen's final journey began early on Monday morning; 6:30 am marked the end of lying in state, and the doors of Westminster Hall were closed to the public.

Royal guards marched ahead of Queen's funeral

Royal guards, the Royal Navy, Air Force and the Yeoman of the Guard at Westminster Abbey were among those that marched in a procession prior to the Queen's funeral.

Guests arrived to Westminster Abbey

Meanwhile, the first guests arrived at Westminster Abbey for the Queen's funeral. Here we see US President Joe Biden, who walked into the church holding his wife Jill Biden's hand.

French President Macron was among at least 500 leaders to attend

French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron also arrived to take their place inside Westminster Abbey.

The King of Spain and the Queen of Jordan

Here we see Queen Letitzia of Spain, King Felipe VI of Spain, Queen Rania of Jordan and Abdullah II of Jordan as they arrived to pay their respects at the Queen's funeral.

Justin Trudeau

Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire were among the many leaders of Commonwealth countries in attendance.

PM Liz Truss

Naturally, Britain's new Prime Minister Liz Truss also attended Her Majesty's funeral. Truss met Queen Elizabeth II just two days before she died to formally take the role.

Her Majesty's coffin was transported on a state gun carriage

Then at 10:35 am, the bearer party of Queen's Company, 1st Bn Grenadier Guards, lifted the coffin from the catafalque and placed it on a state gun carriage first used for the funeral of Queen Victoria.

A short journey to Westminster Abbey

Shortly after, the coffin, drawn by 142 sailors, began the short journey to Westminster Abbey, with members of the Royal family following on foot.

The closest members of the Queen's family accompanied her

Members of the Royal family included in the procession were: The King, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal, the Earl of Wessex, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Sussex, Peter Phillips, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of Gloucester and the Earl of Snowdon.

A difficult day for the Queen's family

Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex are shown here as they arrived at Westminster Abbey to attend their grandmother's state funeral.

King Charles III and Anne, Princess Royal

King Charles III and Anne, Princess Royal looked somber as they walked in the procession.

A day of mourning in the entire nation

The Mall in central London was completely silent at the start of the Queen’s funeral in Westminster Abbey. Hundreds of mourners gathered to pay their respects to their Queen.

A solemn crowd

The solemn crowds stood  still with their gazes lowered. Many listened to a radio broadcast of Her Majesty's state funeral.

Arrival at Westminster Abbey

Just before 11 am, the coffin arrived at the West Gate of Westminster Abbey.

Carried inside Westminster Abbey

Her Majesty's coffin was then carried inside for the state funeral and placed on a catafalque.

Kate, George, Charlotte, and Meghan

Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, The Duke of Kent and Prince Michael of Kent, Camilla, the Queen Consort, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, all joined the royal procession behind the Queen's coffin as it made its way through the Westminster Abbey.

Royal farewell

Her Majesty's funeral began at 11 am with nearly 2,000 guests in attendance. Westminster Abbey is also where the Queen was crowned in 1953 and where Princess Elizabeth married Prince Philip in 1947.

Tears in their eyes

Prince William, Prince of Wales and other members of the British Royal Family were seen with tears in their eyes during the Queen's funeral service.

The opening hymn

The mourners inside the Abbey sang the opening hymn, 'The Day Thou Gavest, Lord Is Ended,' to begin the Queen's funeral service.

Liz Truss read the Gospel

Then Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland read a lesson. Then Prime Minister Liz Truss read from the Gospel of John.

A moving sermon

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, delivered the sermon for the Queen's service.

"Few leaders receive the outpouring of love that we have seen"

In his moving sermon, Welby said, "Her Majesty famously declared on a 21st birthday broadcast that her whole life would be dedicated to serving the nation and Commonwealth. Rarely has such a promise been so well kept; few leaders receive the outpouring of love that we have seen."

Two minutes of silence

At 11:55am sharp the last Post was sounded in Westminster Abbey, followed by national two minutes silence.

'Sleep, dearie, sleep' played by the Queen's piper

At noon the state funeral service ended with a lament played by the Queen's piper. The Queen’s Piper, Warrant Officer Class 1 (Pipe Major) Paul Burns, played a traditional piece, 'Sleep, dearie, sleep,' inside Westminster Abbey.

 

 

Departing Westminster Abbey

Then the coffin procession left Westminster Abbey for Wellington Arch.

Missing their great-grandmother

Here we can see Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Camilla, Queen Consort, Prince George of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales as they left the Queen's funeral. There is little doubt that the Queen's great-grandchildren will miss her dearly.

The RCMP led the procession

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police led the procession to Wellington Arch, followed by NHS staff, the George Cross Foundation and Armed Forces of the Commonwealth, and the British armed forces.

King Charles III leads the procession to Wellington Arch

King Charles III along with Camilla, the Queen Consort, led the Royal Family on a somber walk behind the Queen's coffin.

The Coldstream Guards

The Coldstream Guards also accompanied the procession down The Mall to Wellington Arch.

In front of Buckingham Palace

The procession was a sight to behold as it passed in front of Buckingham Palace.

 

Arrival at Wellington Arch

The coffin procession then arrived at Wellington Arch.

Ready to begin the journey to Windsor

Queen Elizabeth II's coffin was then placed in a state hearse to begin its journey to Windsor Castle.

The Royal Family

Members of the Royal Family watched as the Her Majesty's coffin was gently moved into the hearse.

Applause from the masses

As the state hearse departed Wellington Arch, onlookers applauded their beloved Queen and threw flowers on the road.

Hundreds of thousands lined the streets

The whole route to Windsor was lined with people - cheering, throwing flowers, applauding and paying their respects to Her Late Majesty. The drive was 22 miles and, as the vehicle approached the Long Walk, it slowed down as the procession began again to the sound of bagpipes.

Majestic scenes

The Late Queen’s children and grandchildren once again followed the hearse as it slowly travelled up the long walk, covered in the flowers that had been thrown. The procession was accompanied by the Household Cavalry and members of Her Majesty’s own household. A majestic resounding of bagpipes and drums sounded as the procession marched up The Long Walk towards St George’s Chapel.

England’s great architecture

The views of the royal grounds and buildings were captured brilliantly in the light, making for a truly regal arrival at the foot of the West Steps of the Chapel. The silence that followed the loud ring of the bagpipes was deafening.

The Queen's final destination

The coffin was removed from the vehicle and carried up the steps by the bearer party as the royal household looked on, positioned at intervals along the steps. The bells tolled. The Queen had arrived at her final resting place.

Brought to Her final resting place

The royal family stayed at the entrance to Horseshoe Cloister as Her Majesty began the ascent into the chapel. They then followed behind to enter the Nave where approximately 800 people were waiting. The choir began to sing as the procession entered.

Surrounded by the royals

The aisle would ultimately lead to the upper area of the chapel where some members of the Royal family were awaiting, including Lady Louise Windsor, her brother Viscount Severn and Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo. Other European royals were also in attendance, including the King of Sweden (pictured).

The start of the service

The coffin bearers placed the adorned coffin of Her Late Majesty in the centre of the aisle in a part of the chapel called the Quire; and King Charles, Camilla and company made their way to their places on the bench.

Queen Elizabeth ‘a blessing to us'

The Dean of Windsor then begun the ceremony and reflected on the ‘many ways her long life has been a blessing to us’. After his address, the congregation sung ‘All My Hope on God is Founded’, with an emotional participation from the royal family, including the young Prince George and Princess Charlotte (pictured on her way to the service).

Removing the Crown Jewels

After readings and hymns, the sceptre and orb were removed from the top of the coffin. Following this, The Imperial State Crown was then lifted from its position. The crown, decorated with priceless jewels, was worn by Elizabeth after her coronation. The items were placed on the altar.

A last farewell

As bagpipes accompanied the royal coffin into the distance, the congregation said their last farewell to Her Majesty. The Archbishop of Canterbury gave a blessing and the anthem, ‘God Save the King’ was sung to a clearly emotional Charles.

What’s next for the monarchy?

King Charles’ coronation is not expected to be until Spring or Summer next year. Until then, Charles still does reign as King - the throne passed immediately to him on the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The King is expected to move to one of the Queen’s residences where a new future for the monarchy will begin.