Key points:
- Queen Elizabeth II is given a farewell at a state funeral at Westminster Abbey in London
- Guests included world leaders, former prime ministers, royalty, and members of the public.
- After the funeral, the Queen’s coffin will be taken to Windsor Castle for a private service
About 2,000 people, including royalty, world leaders, and members of the public, were inside the abbey for the first funeral of a monarch to be held there since the funeral of King George II in 1760.
The funeral began with the new king, Charles III, leading a procession past the Queen’s coffin from nearby Westminster Hall, where his mother’s body lay in the kingdom.
The Queen’s coffin was carried by the Royal Navy’s State Gun Carriage towed by 142 sailors.
Members of the three armed services formed a guard of honor in Parliament Square outside the Palace of Westminster.
King Charles was followed by his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, as well as the Queen’s other three children – Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.
The Imperial State Crown and the sovereign’s orb, and scepter were located above the queen’s coffin.
The card on the wreath at the top of the coffin was handwritten by King Charles R. and said: “In loving and dedicated memory.”
David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, conducted the service, and the sermon was delivered by Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Dean of Westminster said in his message: “With true sincerity, we remember with great respect the steadfast commitment and service she has put in all these years as Her Majesty and Head of the Commonwealth.”
“With admiration, we remember his lifelong sense of duty and dedication to his people. With thanks, we praise God for his continued example of Christianity and devotion.
“With love and respect, we remember with pride her love for her family and her commitment to her beloved works.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury told the congregation that the grief felt by so many in Britain and the wider world reflects the late monarch’s “abundant life and loving service”.
He further added, “Her late majesty recalls her words on the occasion of her 21st birthday when she said that her entire life would be dedicated to the service of the nation and the Commonwealth”.
“Never before her has anyone kept such a promise with such duty and integrity.
“Some leaders get the shower of love that we have seen.”
US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese were also present in the presence of world leaders.
Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska also attended.
Baroness Scotland, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, read the first text of Corinthians 15, which included the line: “O Death, where is your sting?”
The second text was delivered by British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who had been appointed the country’s new leader just two days before the Queen’s death.
It was the first state funeral to be held in Britain since the wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1965.
Mourners queued up in the streets around Westminster, and Buckingham Palace, and big screens were seen across the country.
Westminster Abbey was where the then Princess Elizabeth married Prince Philip in 1947, and where she was crowned in 1953.
The service concluded with the final post, followed by two minutes of national silence, God Save the King and the lamentation played by the Queen’s Piper.
The Queen’s coffin is now being carried from Westminster Abbey through Whitehall and the Horse Guard Parade, down the Mall, and to Wellington Arch in Hyde Park Corner, past Buckingham Palace.
Big Ben will toll at one-minute intervals, and a gun salute will be given from Hyde Park every minute.
At Wellington Arch, the coffin will be placed inside the State Hershey, where it will begin its final journey to Windsor Castle.
A dedicated service will be held at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, attended by 800 guests.
During the service, the sovereign’s orb, and a scepter would be removed from the top of the coffin – the final time separating Queen Elizabeth from her crown.
Her coffin will eventually be lowered into the royal vault.
Later on Monday evening, during a private service, the Queen will be buried with her late husband Prince Philip, who died in April 2021.