Photos of the day: Queen Elizabeth's funeral and journey to final resting place at Windsor
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.
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.
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 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, 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.
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 Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron also arrived to take their place inside Westminster Abbey.
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.
Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire were among the many leaders of Commonwealth countries in attendance.
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.
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.
Shortly after, the coffin, drawn by 142 sailors, began the short journey to Westminster Abbey, with members of the Royal family following on foot.
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.
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 looked somber as they walked in the procession.
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.
The solemn crowds stood still with their gazes lowered. Many listened to a radio broadcast of Her Majesty's state funeral.
Just before 11 am, the coffin arrived at the West Gate of Westminster Abbey.
Her Majesty's coffin was then carried inside for the state funeral and placed on a catafalque.
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.
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.
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 mourners inside the Abbey sang the opening hymn, 'The Day Thou Gavest, Lord Is Ended,' to begin the Queen's funeral service.
Then Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland read a lesson. Then Prime Minister Liz Truss read from the Gospel of John.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, delivered the sermon for the Queen's service.
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."
At 11:55am sharp the last Post was sounded in Westminster Abbey, followed by national two minutes silence.
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.
Then the coffin procession left Westminster Abbey for Wellington Arch.
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 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 along with Camilla, the Queen Consort, led the Royal Family on a somber walk behind the Queen's coffin.
The Coldstream Guards also accompanied the procession down The Mall to Wellington Arch.
The procession was a sight to behold as it passed in front of Buckingham Palace.
The coffin procession then arrived at Wellington Arch.
Queen Elizabeth II's coffin was then placed in a state hearse to begin its journey to Windsor Castle.
Members of the Royal Family watched as the Her Majesty's coffin was gently moved into the hearse.
As the state hearse departed Wellington Arch, onlookers applauded their beloved Queen and threw flowers on the road.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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 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.
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).
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.
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.
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.