British RoyalsHistoryInterestsPalaces & BuildingsPrince PhilipQueen Elizabeth IIState & Ceremonial

Royal funerals in Westminster Abbey: history with a big hiatus

By
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…
Read more
King Charles III

King Charles receives a jubilant welcome in Wales after first visit as monarch

By
16th September 2022
King Charles III received a jubilant welcome in Wales as he concluded his whirlwind tour of the United Kingdom in the week since he became sovereign. Joined by his Queen Consort, The King carried out engagements in Cardiff, arriving first at Llandaff Cathedral for a service in memory of Queen Elizabeth II. King Charles spoke with the Archbishop of Wales after the service, who joked that…
Read more
Queen Elizabeth II

The 'Wand of Office' that will be broken as The Queen is laid to rest

By
16th September 2022
In a ceremony filled with symbolism, Queen Elizabeth II’s State Funeral will involve one final piece of pageantry before her coffin is lowered into the Royal Vault – the Lord Chamberlain will symbolically break his wand of office and place it on the late queen’s coffin. The Lord Chamberlain is the senior most position in the Royal Household, responsible for overseeing all departments…
Read more
The Edinburghs

The Earl of Wessex speaks of the ''unimaginable void'' left by the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II

By
16th September 2022
The Earl of Wessex has spoken of the ‘unimaginable void’ left in his life by the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. In a moving statement, Prince Edward also described how much joy it had given him and his wife, the Countess of Wessex, to see their two children enjoy time with their grandparents. He said ”Sophie and I have taken huge pleasure in seeing our James and Louise enjoying…
Read more