The royal household has bid farewell to their beloved matriarch and the nation’s longest-reigning monarch in a spot which has been the setting for each pleasure and sorrow for the Queen.
Mourners on the committal service in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Fortress included the late Queen’s nearest and dearest, her family workers previous and current, and international royals.
UK Prime Minister Liz Truss, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern had been amongst leaders arriving via the West Door earlier than 3.30pm forward of the service at 4pm.
At 3.28pm, the Queen’s granddaughter Zara Tindall arrived along with her husband Mike, quickly adopted by Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, and their mom Sarah, Duchess of York.
By 4pm the organ music started to swell, however inside a couple of minutes the sound of the pipers and drummers outdoors was overwhelming the music contained in the chapel.
For these dealing with the aisle with the West Door to their left, the sound of the organ could possibly be heard coming in direction of them from the best whereas the surface band’s music was making its approach in on the left.
At 4.09pm, the Queen Consort, the Princess of Wales, Countess of Wessex and Duchess of Sussex made their option to the aspect of the West Door in preparation for becoming a member of the procession.
Prince George’s honest hair could possibly be seen simply over Camilla’s shoulder because the royals watched the procession enter.
At 4.12pm the coffin was carried in, and briefly paused on the door.
The Imperial State Crown, Orb and Sceptre all twinkled because the lights contained in the chapel danced off the dazzling jewels.
Then the procession continued up the aisle because the ready royals joined.
Exterior, bunches of flowers created a floral carpet, whereas a rainbow of colors got here from bouquets of pink roses, pink lilies, potted crops and wreaths.
Inside one of many important entrances a decadent floral association of white blossoms sat in full bloom.
Among the many flowers contained in the chapel had been lilies, dahlias, roses and greenery together with eucalyptus picked from Residence Park.
A wreath from Quantity 10, signed by Prime Minister Ms Truss, was positioned near the door of the chapel, and mentioned: “For a lifetime of devotion and responsibility we provide our deep and honest gratitude.”
Because the 800 mourners sat and waited for the state hearse to reach, daylight streamed in via the West Door and thru the various home windows across the nave.
Vibrant lights rigged up alongside the edges shone upon the congregation in direction of the aisle.
Ready for the service to start, the congregation might have mirrored on the truth that on this gothic chapel, steeped in historical past, the Queen skilled a few of life’s happiest and saddest moments.
And the citadel, only a brief stroll up the hill, is the place she spent most of her time in her later years.
In the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Queen was ensconced within the historical royal fortress along with her late husband, her “power and keep”, the Duke of Edinburgh.
Philip’s funeral was held when coronavirus restrictions had been in place in April 2021 with the numbers strictly restricted and the ultimate farewell going down totally inside the confines of the citadel.
The picture of the Queen sitting alone in St George’s Chapel, socially distanced from her household as she mourned, turned one of many defining photos of the pandemic.
Funerals similar to these of Princess Margaret and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, have additionally taken place within the chapel which is located within the decrease ward of Windsor Fortress’s precincts and is already the resting place of 10 monarchs.
The funeral of the Queen’s father, King George VI, happened in St George’s Chapel on February 15, 1952.
However there have been joyful occasions too.
In Might 2018, Prince Harry married Meghan Markle – now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – in a glittering ceremony.
Later that yr, in October, the Queen’s granddaughter Princess Eugenie married Jack Brooksbank in one other royal marriage ceremony showstopper.
Earlier than the flip of the century, the Earl and Countess of Wessex tied the knot in St George’s in June 1999.
A number of years later, in 2005, a service of dedication and prayer was held within the Chapel following the wedding of the King and the Queen Consort.
It was the place Harry was baptised and the place his brother William, now the Prince of Wales, was confirmed.
However on this third Monday of September 2022, it was time for the Queen’s household to say goodbye to a mom, grandmother and great-grandmother.
Earlier than 4.15pm, the coffin proceeded via the nave, passing over the vaults of Henry VIII and Charles I.
Custom ran via the service, with maybe the Queen’s fame for fidelity and consistency prevailing till the very finish.
The service was mentioned with the Queen over a variety of years and all of the prayers and hymns had been chosen by her – aside from one.
She left one hymn to be chosen on the time, and after a dialogue between the King and the Dean of Windsor David Conner, the hymn chosen was Westminster Abbey tailored from the Alleluyas in Purcell’s O God, Thou artwork my God.
A lot of the service had a really feel of wanting again, repeating what has gone earlier than, and of coming full circle.
Previous to the ultimate hymn, the Imperial State Crown, the Orb and the Sceptre had been faraway from the coffin by the Crown Jeweller and, with the Bargemaster and Serjeants-at-Arms, had been handed to the Dean who positioned them on the altar.
The removing of the crown from the coffin to the altar was a poignant second, as a result of in 1953 the crown was taken from the altar in Westminster Abbey and positioned on the Queen’s head at her coronation, marking the beginning of a 70-year reign.
On the finish of the ultimate hymn, the King positioned the Queen’s Firm Camp Color of the Grenadier Guards on the coffin.
On the identical time, The Lord Chamberlain broke his Wand of Workplace and positioned it on the coffin.
This was to create a symmetry with the three Devices of State that had been eliminated.
The coffin, which was positioned on a catafalque draped in purple velvet, was slowly lowered down into the royal vault because the Dean of Windsor mentioned: “Go forth upon thy journey from this world, O Christian soul.”
The chapel was fully silent because the Sovereign’s Piper performed a lament, A Salute To The Royal Fendersmith, from the doorway between the chapel and the Dean’s Cloister.
As he performed, he walked slowly in direction of the Deanery within the Cloister and the sound of the music step by step pale away.
In the course of the service, the King sat within the seat which was occupied by the Queen on the events when she got here to the chapel, positioned closest to the altar.
Custom ran via the service in its music too because it featured a number of items that had been additionally heard at Philip’s funeral and different main royal occasions.
JS Bach’s Schmucke Dich, O Liebe Seele – Adorn Your self, O Expensive Soul – (BWV 654) a bit for organ, was performed because the mourners waited for the service to start.
One other was Vaughan Williams’ Rhosymedre, a agency favorite with the royal household with the music being carried out on the marriage ceremony of Charles and Diana, and at Philip’s funeral.
Nimrod by Sir Edward Elgar was heard on the Queen’s coronation in 1953 and was additionally performed earlier than the committal started.
The service ended with Bach’s Prelude And Fugue In C Minor (BWV 546) performed after the nationwide anthem, which was additionally heard on the finish of Philip’s funeral.
Prayers had been mentioned by the Rector of Sandringham, the Minister of Crathie Kirk and the Chaplain of Windsor Nice Park, and by the Dean of Windsor.
The Choir of St George’s Chapel – made up of 11 males, one girl and 13 boys – was performed by James Vivian, director of music, and the organ was performed by Luke Bond, assistant director of music.
A lot of the music on the service was composed by Sir William Harris, who served because the organist at St George’s Chapel between 1933 and 1961, taking in a lot of the Queen’s childhood.
The younger Princess Elizabeth would typically go to the organ loft to observe Sir William play, and it’s believed he taught her to play the piano.
The Dean of Windsor’s bidding, which was written after the Queen’s loss of life, included the phrases: “Right here, in St George’s Chapel, the place she so typically worshipped, we’re sure to recall to mind somebody whose uncomplicated but profound Christian religion bore a lot fruit.
“Fruit, in a lifetime of unstinting service to the nation, the Commonwealth and the broader world, but in addition (and particularly to be remembered on this place) in kindness, concern and reassuring look after her household and associates and neighbours.
“Within the midst of our quickly altering and often troubled world, her calm and dignified presence has given us confidence to face the longer term, as she did, with braveness and with hope.”
The Queen might be buried along with her late husband Philip within the King George VI Memorial Chapel – an annex to the primary chapel the place her mom and father had been buried, together with the ashes of Princess Margaret.
A non-public burial service, attended by the King and different members of the royal household, will happen on Monday night.
Philip’s coffin will transfer from the royal vault to the memorial chapel to hitch the Queen’s.
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