FeaturesState & Ceremonial

The Stone of Scone, the ancient symbol of royal power in Scotland

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20th October 2022
The Stone of Scone is one of the most famous symbols of Coronations in the United Kingdom and it has a long and controversial history. It is a block of red sandstone that has been associated with the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland, and later England and the United Kingdom, for hundreds of years. Also known as the Stone of Destiny, the 336-pound Stone was taken from Scone Abbey in…
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British RoyalsHistoryInterestsPalaces & BuildingsPrince PhilipQueen Elizabeth IIState & Ceremonial

Royal funerals in Westminster Abbey: history with a big hiatus

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17th September 2022
Queen Elizabeth II will be the first monarch to have her funeral held at Westminster Abbey since 1760.  All sovereigns after that date have received their last salute at St George’s Chapel, in Windsor, due to logistic challenges: the Royal Vaults in the Abbey are entirely full, and therefore royal burials are now in the Royal Vault under the Windsor chapel.  However, for a remarkable…
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FeaturesHistoryPalaces & Buildings

The last monarch to have a funeral at Westminster Abbey: King George II

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15th September 2022
In just days, the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II will take place at Westminster Abbey in London. It’s been centuries since a monarch had a funeral at the Abbey. The last one was King George II in 1760. The funeral of King George II took place on 13 November 1760. Horace Walpole, the son of Sir Robert Walpole, England’s first and longest-serving prime minister wrote an account of the…
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Palaces & Buildings

The history of Westminster Hall

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14th September 2022
On Wednesday, 14 September, Queen Elizabeth II’s body will process from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster, where it will lie-in-state in Westminster Hall. Westminster Hall is the oldest surviving part of the medieval Palace of Westminster, now a…
State & Ceremonial

Details of queuing system for Lying in State of Queen Elizabeth II revealed

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13th September 2022
The route that people will queue along to see the Lying in State of Queen Elizabeth II has been revealed. The head of the queue will be on the Albert Embankment. It will tail back from there along Belvedere Road, behind the London Eye and head on to the South Bank. From there it follows the route of the River Thames, snaking past the National Theatre, the Tate Modern and HMS Belfast to…
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