Modified Jaguar Land Rover carrying the Queen's coffin was approved by the late monarch
The modified Jaguar Land Rover carrying the late Queen was approved by the UK’s longest reigning monarch to carry her following her death.
Queen Elizabeth II, who died at the age of 96 on Thursday 8 September, consulted with the Coventry-based car manufacturer to allow the public a clear view of her coffin.
The bespoke new state hearse was first used as the Queen’s coffin was taken on its final journey to Buckingham Palace from RAF Northolt on Tuesday after flying back from Edinburgh.
The State hearse was used again to take Queen Elizabeth II's coffin from London to Windsor after the state funeral on Monday (September 19th) for the committal service in St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.
Around 2,000 people including world leaders and foreign royals gathered inside Westminster Abbey in central London at 11am on Monday for a final farewell at Britain's longest reigning monarch’s funeral.
Following the funeral service, the Queen's coffin arrived at Wellington Arch at 1pm, where the coffin was transferred from the gun carriage to the State Hearse to begin its journey to Windsor.
Journey to Windsor
From Wellington Arch, the Queen's coffin travelled in the state hearse to St George's chapel in Windsor.
Apsley Way
South Carriage Drive
Queens Gate
Cromwell Road
Talgarth Road (via Hammersmith Flyover)
Great West Road (A4)
Great South West Road (A30)
London Road (A30) (via under Chiswick Flyover)
Staines Road (A30)
Windsor Road (A308)
Albert Road (A308) to Shaw Farm Gate.
At 3:06 pm, the hearse approached Shaw Farm Gate on Albert Road, Windsor, joining the procession which was waiting in position.
It then set off at 3:10pm, taking the following route:
Albert Road
Long Walk
Cambridge Gate
Cambridge Drive
George IV Gate
Quadrangle (South and West sides)
Engine Court
Norman Arch
Chapel Hill
Parade Ground
Horseshoe Cloister Arch
At 3:40pm The King and other Royal Family members joined the procession at the Quadrangle on the North side as it passed into Engine Court.
At 3:53pm, the procession halted at the bottom of the West Steps of St. George's Chapel in Horseshoe Cloister.
The bearer party will then lift the coffin from the State Hearse, from where it will be carried in procession up the West Steps for a Committal Service at the chapel.
Modifications for the bespoke hearse include wide windows along the side and back for mourners to see the monarch's coffin, a see-through glass roof, and three spotlights inside illuminating the coffin.
It is finished in Royal Claret, a colour used for official Royal and State vehicles, which are kept in the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace, and used by Members of the Royal Family on official duties.
The hearse carrying Queen Elizabeth II was designed by the Royal Household and Jaguar Land Rover and features the Queen’s Personal Royal Cypher.
A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace said: "The State Hearse has been designed to allow members of the public to have a clear view of Her Majesty’s Coffin as it travels through London and Windsor."
The Queen's husband, The Duke of Edinburgh, who died aged 99 last year, also designed his own custom-built Land Rover hearse for his funeral in April 2021.
His hearse featured a repaint in military green and an open top rear and special “stops” to secure his coffin in place.
The Queen will be buried in the grounds of Windsor Castle with her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.