Queen Elizabeth II

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

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…
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Queen Elizabeth II

Thousands queue overnight to pay final respects to Queen Elizabeth II as she lies in state

Thousands have queued through the night to pay their final respects to Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Westminster Hall officially opened for viewing at 5 pm on Wednesday, 14 September. It’s believed those who were first in line had waited about 48 hours through rainy conditions to pay their respects to Her late Majesty. The Queen’s coffin was moved from Buckingham Palace…
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British RoyalsQueen Elizabeth II

The Floral Tribute: the Poet Laureate writes an homage to Queen Elizabeth II

The Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom has released a final tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II, evoking her memory in an appropriately-named ‘Floral Tribute.’ Simon Armitage’s poem is written as a double acrostic, meaning the first word of each line forms its own word when you read vertically—in this, both stanzas spell out ‘Elizabeth.’ In ‘Floral Tribute,’ a September…
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Palaces & Buildings

The history of Westminster Hall

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…
British Royals

Who will keep vigil at Queen Elizabeth II's coffin as it lies in state?

Queen Elizabeth II’s lying in rest began on Monday, 12 September in the evening at St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh. On Tuesday evening, her body will be flown from Edinburgh to RAF Northolt, again accompanied by her daughter, The Princess Royal. Her coffin will be taken to Buckingham Palace on Tuesday evening and will then process to Westminster Hall on Wednesday to lie in state until the…
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