26 details from the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II that you might not have noticed

Like any royal event in the UK, the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II is subject to age-old traditions and royal code. Including the funeral was partially planned by the Queen herself, who, as you know, agreed in advance with civil servants on the scenario of farewell to her. The death of Elizabeth II stunned the whole world and chained millions of people to TV screens and monitors. But, despite the close attention to the funeral of the royal person, many things remained unnoticed by the public or not understood.
Facts about Queen Elizabeth II funeral
We at Bemorepanda want to tell you how the funeral went, showing you some of the details that you most likely didn't notice or missed.
1. Before the start of the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, the bell in Westminster Abbey began to ring 96 times - so many times one minute before the funeral began - meaning every year of her life.
2. Her coffin was draped with the Royal Standard, a flag representing the sovereign of Britain, the Crown Lands and the British Overseas Territories. The flag consists of three lions representing England, one lion representing Scotland and a harp representing Ireland.
Usually this flag was flown when the Queen was staying at one of her palaces or when she was on official business in her car or plane.
3. The crown on the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II was the Imperial State Crown, made for the coronation of her father, King George VI, in 1937.
4. The crown is made of gold, 2868 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, 269 pearls and 4 rubies.
According to CBS News, the pearl on the crown belonged to Queen Elizabeth I, which has "an incredible connection with the history of Britain."
5. Next to the crown, you can see the scepter and orb of the Sovereign, which symbolize the relationship of Queen Elizabeth II with God and power.
The scepter you see on the coffin of Elizabeth II has been used at every coronation since 1661.
6. A bouquet of flowers on the coffin of the queen was presented by King Charles III.
Among the flowers were garden roses and myrtle grown from Queen Elizabeth II's wedding bouquet, which was presented to her in 1947.
7. Inside the funeral bouquet there is a note from King Charles III.
It reads: "In memory of Charles R. with love and devotion." The "R" in Charles's signature means "Rex" ("Rex"), which in Latin means "king, lord, king." This is the traditional signature of the monarch, which dates back to the 12th century.
8. During the funeral procession, the family of Queen Elizabeth II followed her coffin as it moved through Westminster Abbey.
Notably, Prince George of Wales and Princess Charlotte of Wales were in attendance along with their parents, William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales. This makes George and Charlotte the youngest members of the royal family to attend a state funeral in recent memory. Incidentally, neither of them attended Prince Philip's state funeral in April 2021.
9. If you look closely, you can see that Princess Charlotte has a small diamond horseshoe brooch that pays tribute to her great-grandmother's love for horses.
The brooch was presented to Charlotte by Queen Elizabeth II.
10. Catherine, Princess of Wales - Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge Catherine - wore a pearl necklace from the Queen's personal collection to the funeral.
Kate also wore the necklace to Prince Philip's funeral.
11. The same pearl necklace of Queen Elizabeth II was worn by Princess Diana in 1982 at a state banquet, which was held at Hampton Court Palace.
12. The Bahraini pearl earrings that Kate wore to the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II were a gift to the Queen for her wedding in 1947.
This is not the first time Kate has worn these earrings.
13. Like Kate, Meghan Markle's jewelry at Queen Elizabeth II's funeral is also a big deal.
The diamond and pearl earrings Meghan wore to the funeral were a wedding gift from the Queen in 2018. Markle has worn these jewelry more than once.
14. Instead of a military uniform, Prince Harry put on a formal suit.
Prince Harry has refused public office as a member of the royal family and was therefore not allowed to wear a military uniform to a state funeral.
15. During the state memorial service, several hymns of great importance to Queen Elizabeth II were played.
One of them was Psalm 23, "My Shepherd of the Lord," which was sung at her wedding to Prince Philip in 1947. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip married at Westminster Abbey, where the funeral service was held.
16. Toward the end of the memorial service, the bagpipes began to play.
The Queen's personal piper, Major Paul Burns, played the funeral song "Sleep, Dearie, Sleep".
Almost every morning in the palace, Queen Elizabeth II was woken up by the bagpipes, which began to play at 9:15, giving this moment a special significance. Paul Burns' bagpipe playing is a personal request of Queen Elizabeth II, who was planning her own funeral.
17. As the funeral procession passed Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth II's official residence in London, more than 100 Palace employees stood outside and as the Queen's hearse passed, some people bowed and curtsied.
18. Near Windsor Castle, while waiting for the arrival of the funeral procession, journalists saw Queen Elizabeth II's favorite corgis, Muick and Sandy.
19. Her favorite pony also said goodbye to the queen.
20. After the funeral at Westminster Abbey, Queen Elizabeth II was taken to St George's Chapel, which is located in Windsor Castle, where her coffin was placed in the Royal Crypt.
It is the resting place of former British monarchs.
21. In St. George's Chapel, the Lord Chamberlain broke his staff.
The destruction of the wand symbolizes the end of the reign of the monarch and is the last act before the queen's coffin was placed in the Royal Crypt. The staff was buried with her. Also, the breaking of the staff symbolizes the end of the Lord Chamberlain's service to the late monarch.
22. By the way, this was the first time that the destruction of the staff was broadcast on television.
The last time this tradition of breaking the staff took place at the funeral of King George VI in 1952.
23. Much of the music played during the service at St George's Chapel was composed by Sir William Harris, who was the organist at the chapel where Queen Elizabeth II spent most of her childhood.
24. At the conclusion of the service in St. George's Chapel, the crown, orb and scepter were removed from the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II and placed on the altar. This symbolized the end of her reign.
25. The Royal Crypt is not the final resting place of Queen Elizabeth II.
After the funeral, the Queen will be moved to the King George VI Memorial Chapel, which she built in honor of her late father in 1962.
Queen Elizabeth II's final resting place will be among her parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, her sister Princess Margaret, and her husband Prince Philip, who will also be moved to the Memorial Chapel.
26. In fact, after the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II was lowered into the Royal Crypt, this was the last time the public saw her coffin.
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