On 8 September, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II passed away at the age of 96. Like many moments of her life, her funeral and remembrance events were covered and watched all over the globe. As thousands of mourners lined the streets of London, many stood by to pay their final respects as Her Late Majesty left Buckingham Palace for the final time.
Several days after her death and after returning from Scotland, where she passed away, The Queen arrived at Buckingham palace for the final time. Her casket was flown in on an RAF C-17 aircraft from Edinburgh. The procession from the airport to the Palace marked the last part of a four-day journey that saw The Queen’s coffin move from her beloved Scottish retreat Balmoral, where she died, to the English capital.
On arrival, The Queen’s cortège was met with applause from members of the public. Her Late Majesty had purposely designed her hearse to allow the fullest view of the oak coffin. This included her request for expansive rear windows and a glass roof. It was built by Jaguar Land Rover in partnership with The Queen and the Royal household. Like many other vehicles in the state and royal fleet, it was finished in Royal Claret.
Once at Buckingham Palace for her final night, the coffin rested in the Bow Room overnight draped in the Royal Standard and with the Imperial State Crown along with a wreath of white flowers. Thousands once again lined the streets as the coffin made its way to Westminster Hall for public viewing. Members of the public lined up for more than 24 at some points for a chance to get a look at the casket and pay their final respects.
King Charles III was joined by The Princess Royal, the Earl of Wessex, and Prince Andrew, as well as his sons Prince William and Prince Harry, as the coffin made its way to Westminster Hall. An escort of two officers and 32 troops from the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards walked on both sides of the gun carriage. Once at the hall, Queen Camilla and other members of the royal family arrived for a short service.
The gun carriage carrying the casket left at 2.22 BST for a very specific reason. The drums beat during the procession beat at 75 beats per minute which allows the carriage to arrive at the hall at 3 pm BST. While the time itself wasn’t significant, the horses had to undergo extensive training to be able to walk that slowly. The nearly 40-minute long walk brought together most senior members of the royal family.
The Queen lay in rest until her funeral at Westminster Abbey. After the funeral service, she was taken to St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, where she was laid to rest alongside her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, her sister Princess Margaret, and her parents, King George VI and The Queen Mother.
