Queen buried beside her beloved Prince Philip as she completes her final journey
The UK said goodbye to its longest reigning monarch on Monday - Romilly Weeks reports
The Queen has been buried alongside her beloved late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, at the King George VI Memorial Chapel at Windsor Castle.
It followed a poignant service led by the Royal Family, who sang hymns as they paid their final public respects to the Queen after a day of ceremonies in both London and Windsor.
The lowering into the Royal Vault of St George's Chapel during a committal service this afternoon was the last time the Queen's coffin was seen by the public.
Thousands lined the streets in London and Windsor to pay their finals tribute to Her Majesty as she was taken on her final journey.
Later in the evening, at around 7.30pm, members of the Royal Family attended a small and private burial service at the memorial chapel - An annexe of St George's Chapel.
It was at the Windsor chapel that Elizabeth II was interred with her husband of nearly 74 years, away from the public view.
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When the Duke died 17 months ago, his coffin was placed in the Royal Vault of St George’s – ready to be moved to the memorial chapel when the Queen died.
The Queen’s coffin was interred with the Grenadier Guards’ Queen’s Company Camp Colour – a smaller version of the Royal Standard of the Regiment – which the King placed on her coffin at the end of the committal service.
Britain's longest reigning monarch has also been buried next to her father, King George VI, and the Queen Mother, along with he ashes of her sister, Princess Margaret.
St George's Chapel held a special place in the Queen's heart, as it was where she marked many a Christmas and Easter, and where she celebrated the weddings of three of her grandchildren.
Prince Harry married Meghan Markle there in 2018, as did Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank. Peter Philips, the queen’s oldest grandchild, married Autumn Kelly there in 2008.
The queen spent most of her weekends in Windsor, a quiet and more private retreat away from the bustle of central London.
Windsor Castle — believed to be the largest occupied castle in the world — was also where young Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret were sent to live during World War II while their parents were busy with the war effort.
In recent years the Queen made Windsor her main residence, having moved there in early 2020 at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
During the first service at St George's, the Imperial State Crown, orb and sceptre were removed from the Queen's coffin by the Dean of Windsor.
The final hymn was sung as the King prepared to drape the Queen’s Company Camp Colour of the Grenadier Guards on the coffin.
Once in place, the colour was then accompanied by the Lord Chamberlain’s Wand of Office, which he symbolically broke.
The purpose of breaking the wand is to create a symmetry with the three Instruments of State that had been removed from the coffin - all of which symbolise the end of the Queen's reign.
The simple service was led by David Conner, Dean of Windsor, who recited Psalm 103 as the coffin was lowered, which includes the traditional line: “Go forth upon thy journey from this world, O Christian soul”.
The service ended with the Sovereign Piper playing the lament A Salute to the Royal Fendersmith from the doorway between the chapel and the dean’s cloister, with the music gradually fading away as he walked towards the deanery.
The Archbishop of Canterbury then concluded the service with a blessing before the congregation sang the national anthem.
The King appeared emotional as those in attendance at St George’s Chapel sang the national anthem.
King Charles sat in the same seat the Queen had sat in for the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Royal Hearse escorted by Grenadier Guards as it neared Windsor
The service at St George's Chapel came after a long procession from London following the State Funeral of the Queen.
The State Hearse carrying the casket was escorted to the castle by dozens of Grenadier Guards, in close protection around their company commander.
Behind them were members of the Household Cavalry and members of the royal family.
Many flowers, thrown by well-wishers along the route, remained on the bonnet and roof of the hearse.
The Royal Hearse travelling up the Long Walk
Around 100,000 people were thought to have turned up at Windsor to pay their respects to the Queen and catch a final glimpse of her casket being driven past.
The Long Walk to the castle was lined with members of the armed forces on either side, stood in front of the thousands upon thousands of members of the public.
Silence fell among crowds of mourners as the hearse turned into the Long Walk in the final stretch of her journey.
The Queen's two corgis, Muick and Sandy, were waiting to greet their monarch in the castle quadrangle. The dogs will be going to live with the Duke of York.
The Queen's corgis waiting in the quadrangle waiting for the procession
Carltonlima Emma, the horse the Queen so loved to ride around the castle grounds, was also waiting at the side of the procession as the hearse passed.
Terry Pendry, who went riding often with the Queen, stood on Cambridge Drive holding the horse and bowed his head.
Earlier, hundreds of thousands of well-wishers lined the route of the funeral procession through the capital and beyond to say their last goodbyes, while millions around the globe watched the state funeral proceedings on TV.
The Queen’s coffin was placed gently into the state hearse before a sea of colourful military personnel, bands, and some cavalry gathered around Wellington Arch.
The Queen's favourite horse being passed by the procession
The transfer from the gun carriage to the vehicle took place in a still silence as the King, the Queen Consort and other senior members of the Royal Family stood to its side just metres away.
The King and the Queen Consort could be seen leaning their heads together to exchange a few words at one point.
Princess Charlotte, stood between her parents the Prince and Princess of Wales, clasped her mother’s hand.
The King and military personnel all saluted as the state hearse pulled away and the national anthem was played.
As the cortege made its way through the streets, roses and other flowers were thrown towards the hearse. Cheers and applause rang out among the packed crowds.
The King and his siblings walked behind the coffin as it left Westminster Abbey following the state funeral, while other royals travelled by car.
Noreen Roberts, who watched the procession in London after losing her friend on the same day the Queen died, said she had imagined them in heaven together after the coffin was borne along The Mall.
Ms Roberts, 63, from Hitchin, Hertfordshire, said she had felt the late monarch’s presence as the cortege passed.
“I definitely felt her presence today. It was nice to feel close to her one last time,” she said.
“For such a little person she had this huge presence. I lost my friend on the same day she died and I can imagine the two of them up there at the pearly gates.”
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ITV News' Correspondent Emily Morgan, who was on the A4 as the hearse went by, said: "As it rounded the corner onto the A4 a hush descended.
"As it came past me there was a spontaneous eruption of clapping, people cheering. I don’t think anyone expected that to happen, it was a real outpouring of love and grief.
"There are still people standing here now. I think they're finding it difficult to walk away, to accept that this moment, for them at least, is over."
The Royal Hearse departing London
ITV News' Correspondent Emily Morgan, who was on the A4 as the hearse went by, said: "As it rounded the corner onto the A4 a hush descended.
"As it came past me there was a spontaneous eruption of clapping, people cheering. I don’t think anyone expected that to happen, it was a real outpouring of love and grief.
"There are still people standing here now. I think they're finding it difficult to walk away, to accept that this moment, for them at least, is over."
The procession arriving at Wellington Arch
During the service, the King was visibly moved and looked close to tears as the national anthem was sung in the Abbey.
Prince George was also comforted by his mother, the Princess of Wales, during the service.
In a personal touch, the wreath adorning the Queen’s coffin had a handwritten note, which was penned by the King.
The message said: “In loving and devoted memory.”
Around 2,000 people attended the Queen’s funeral at Westminster Abbey, including members of royal families from across Europe, politicians from all sides of the political spectrum and world leaders, including US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron.
King Charles and the Queen Consort walked immediately behind the coffin as it entered the Gothic church for the service, followed by the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, then the Duke of York, followed by the Earl and Countess of Wessex.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte walked with their parents and were followed by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and other members of the royal family.
The aerial view of the Royal Hearse on its journey towards Windsor
During his sermon, the Archbishop of Canterbury told the congregation the outpouring of emotion for the Queen “arises from her abundant life and loving service, now gone from us”.
Justin Welby described the Queen as having touched “a multitude of lives” and being a “joyful” figure for many.
He told mourners: “People of loving service are rare in any walk of life. Leaders of loving service are still rarer.
“But in all cases those who serve will be loved and remembered when those who cling to power and privileges are forgotten.
“The grief of this day – felt not only by the late Queen’s family but all round the nation, Commonwealth and world – arises from her abundant life and loving service, now gone from us.
“She was joyful, present to so many, touching a multitude of lives.”
The staff of Buckingham Palace salute the Queen
Mr Welby, standing in the church where kings and queens have been crowned since 1066, also said that the Queen had declared on her 21st birthday “that her whole life would be dedicated to serving the nation and Commonwealth”.
He added: “Rarely has such a promise been so well kept. Few leaders receive the outpouring of love we have seen.”
Among the hymns sung at the service, The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want, was also sung at the Queen’s wedding to the Duke of Edinburgh in the abbey in 1947.
The other hymns were The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Is Ended; and Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.
As the abbey fell silent, the Queen’s Piper, Warrant Officer Class 1 (Pipe Major) Paul Burns, played the traditional lament Sleep, Dearie, Sleep. Also played were The Last Post, Reveille and the national anthem.
The Archbishop of Canterbury making a reading at the Queen's funeral
The Queen’s coffin was draped in the Royal Standard, with the wreath of flowers requested by the King.
Cut from the gardens of Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Highgrove House, the flowers and foliage have been chosen for their symbolism.
They include rosemary, for remembrance, and myrtle cut from a plant which was grown from a sprig of myrtle in the Queen’s wedding bouquet. Myrtle is an ancient symbol of a happy marriage.
The funeral was broadcast live at around 125 cinemas and several cathedrals in the UK, and on a big screen in Holyrood Park in front of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh.
Several big screens were also set up in Hyde Park, while London’s City Hall said all public viewing areas for the Queen’s funeral procession were full.
Monday marks the climax of what is being regarded as the biggest security operation the UK has ever seen, surpassing the operation for the Platinum Jubilee weekend and the London 2012 Olympics, which saw up to 10,000 police officers on duty per day.
It was also the largest global protection operation dealt with by the force, with world leaders, dignitaries and other VIPs attending the state funeral.
Former counter-terrorism police chief Nick Aldworth said it was “probably the biggest operation that we’re likely to mount in the UK”.
It comes at a time when the country’s terrorism threat level stands at “substantial”, meaning an attack is “likely”.
Police and security services were alert to the prospect of knife attacks, bombs being detonated, and all other possible terror threats or incidents. So-called lone actor terrorism, in particular knife attacks, are now considered the main threat.
But police guarding the King and senior members of the royal family also have to consider the risks posed by people who are fixated with those in the public eye.
Members of the public were urged to report any suspicious behaviour, with security experts describing potential terrorists among the crowds as people who would seem “blatantly out of place” and uninterested in ceremonial events.
The risk of a threat is “fairly high” particularly when Charles comes into contact with crowds, according to a royal security expert.
Richard Aitch, director of operations for firm Mobius International, said it becomes “very difficult” for personal protection officers when the monarch is so close to a “group of unknowns” like crowds and they would be carrying out a split second process of “personal vetting” to root out suspicious activity.
As of 5pm on Monday, 67 arrests had been made as part of the operation for a range of offences, the Met said.
More than 3,000 officers from almost every force in the country were helping police in London.
Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, who only took over the role a week ago, likened the possible total number being deployed to the size of West Midlands or Greater Manchester police.
Armed police, motorbike escort riders, officers carrying out patrols on horseback, dog teams and the marine unit were among the specialist teams involved.
Rooftop snipers were in place while the cortege was moving, accompanied by a helicopter escort anywhere outside of the capital, Mr Aldworth said.
There were more than 22 miles of barriers in central London alone to control crowds and keep key areas secure.
About 2,300 police officers were in place to oversee the Queen’s final journey from Westminster Abbey to Windsor Castle.
"It was a last hurrah for Her Majesty", ITV News' Geraint Vincent speaks to mourners who came to see the Queen's very last journey.
About a thousand lined the route, alongside military personnel, from the Abbey to Wellington Arch while the Queen’s coffin was carried from the service by gun carriage.
There was also a considerable police presence in Windsor ahead of the Queen’s committal later in the day.
Thames Valley Police said around 2,000 of its officers were deployed in the force’s “largest and most significant” operation, and were joined by colleagues from 28 other forces.
In the Berkshire town, drones were used to monitor crowds, vehicle barriers were in place and there were “airport-style” security checks like screening arches and bag searches.