During her state funeral service at Westminster Abbey, the Queen’s lifelong sense of duty was honored.
The Dean of Westminster, who presided over the service, thanked the congregation of 2,000, which included world leaders and nobility.
King Charles III led a solemn procession from Westminster Hall to the abbey behind his mother’s coffin.
The Queen’s coffin is currently being transported to Wellington Arch in London’s Hyde Park Corner, where Big Ben will be tolled.
As the service neared its conclusion, the Last Post was played by the same musicians who performed it at the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, followed by two minutes of national quiet.
After the funeral, the national song was performed while the King stood in silence.
A handwritten note from him was put on the coffin of his mother. It states: “In loving and respectful remembrance The author, Charles R.”
The Dean, the Very Reverend David Hoyle, began the service by remarking about the Queen’s “unwavering dedication to a lofty vocation during her long years as Queen and Head of the Commonwealth.”
“We recall with reverence her lifelong sense of responsibility and commitment to her people,” he said.
The crowd performed The Lord’s My Shepherd, a hymn sung during the wedding of the Queen and the late Duke of Edinburgh. Prime Minister Elizabeth Truss read John 14 to the mourning.
The Most Reverend Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, delivered the sermon and paraphrased the singer Dame Vera Lynn as saying, “we will meet again.”
In a rare address to the country during the beginning of the Covid epidemic, the Queen used this statement.
The archbishop stated, “Today’s sorrow, felt not only by the late Queen’s family but by the entire nation, Commonwealth, and world, is a result of her bountiful life and loving service, which has now ended.
In the first of three processions throughout the day, the Queen’s coffin was carried from Westminster Hall, where she had been in a state since Wednesday.
The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex followed their father, the King, side by side. The King walked with his siblings, the offspring of the Queen.
Prince William’s oldest two children, Prince George, and Princess Charlotte entered the abbey after the procession.
The State Gun Carriage, drawn by 142 sailors, carried the coffin throughout the procession to the abbey while the music of pipes and drums broke out.
World leaders in attendance included US Vice President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Approximately 2,000 mourners attended the official funeral for the Queen, including 500 dignitaries, including presidents, prime ministers, and foreign monarchs.
In attendance were members of numerous European royal families and six former British prime leaders.
Invitations were sent to around 200 people who were recognized in the Queen’s birthday honors.
Due to the Queen’s position as head of state for 14 Commonwealth states, the event was expected to be viewed by millions of people across the UK and around the world.
Large screens were erected in cities around the United Kingdom for individuals who were not invited, and some theatres, pubs, and other locations are also showing the once-in-a-generation event.
Many were moved to tears as they lined streets and congregated in parks throughout the city to hear the ceremony.
It was the largest ceremonial occasion since World War II and the first state funeral since Sir Winston Churchill’s in 1965.
As the casket approaches Hyde Park, cannon salutes are fired every minute, and spectators can witness the procession from designated viewing places along the route.
At approximately 13:00, the coffin will be transported from Wellington Arch to the new State Hearse for its final journey to Windsor Castle. There, the casket of the Queen will enter St. George’s Chapel for the burial service.
The committal service will be held by the Dean of Windsor, David Conner, with the blessing of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and will be attended by roughly 800 people.
The Queen will be interred alongside her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, in the King George VI memorial chapel housed within St. George’s Chapel at a later private family service.
