Status: 09/19/2022 2:07 p.m
Around 2000 guests from all over the world paid tribute to the late Elizabeth II at Westminister Abbey. King Charles III was visibly moved. The ceremony ended with two minutes of silence and a lament.
The state funeral for Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II began today with a funeral service in London’s Westminster Abbey. Dean David Hoyle presided over the ceremony with around 2000 guests from all over the world. On the Queen’s coffin, which was draped with the royal standard, lay the royal crown, scepter and orb.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby paid tribute to Elizabeth II as a devoted head of state. In his homily, Welby said, “In any case, those who serve will be loved and remembered when those who cling to power and privilege are forgotten.” He saw the reason for the great sympathy in her way of approaching people. “She was joyful, was there for so many, and touched so many lives,” Welby continued. The Archbishop also recalled the Queen’s widely acclaimed speech to the nation during the coronavirus pandemic. At the time, Elizabeth II encouraged her subjects and said: “We will meet again.”
King Charles III visibly touched
The Queen’s son, King Charles III, was visibly touched during the ceremony. When the national anthem “God save the king” was played at the end, the eyes of the monarch, who did not sing along, seemed to fill with tears. Even during the funeral procession to Westminster Abbey, when Charles and other royals followed the Queen’s coffin, the king had seemed moved.
In addition to members of the British royal family and representatives of other royal houses, numerous heads of state and government such as US President Joe Biden attended the funeral service. Germany was represented by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The new British Prime Minister Liz Truss was among the guests, as were her surviving predecessors. Some deserving citizens were also invited to the funeral service in Westminster Abbey.
Burial at Windsor Castle
There was a two-minute silence at the end of the service. Air traffic in London was suspended for half an hour so that around 2,000 guests could commemorate the Elizabeth II ceremony in silence. After the minutes of silence, the mourners sang the British national anthem, which after the death of the Queen is no longer called “God Save the Queen” but “God Save the King”. At the end, a bagpipe player played a dirge.
Now the coffin with the mortal remains of the Queen is pulled in a solemn procession to the triumphal arch of Wellington Arch, from where it is taken by hearse to Windsor Castle, 35 kilometers away. There, after a service with 800 guests, the funeral will take place in the evening with the royal family.
Elizabeth II died on September 8th at the age of 96 – and after 70 years on the British throne. An era ended with her death, and the event triggered sadness and sympathy worldwide. The Queen’s State Funeral is the first in Britain since the death of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1965. The Queen’s funeral ceremonies are taking place amid heavy security.