At the service's conclusion, the Queen's coffin was lowered into the Royal Vault – the resting place of many past monarchs. Below the chapel lie King George III, IV and V, William IV and others. Last year Prince Philip, the Queen's husband, was also laid to rest there.
Queen Elizabeth was buried among her family at St. Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle, specifically in the 200-year-old Royal Vault underneath the King George VI Memorial Chapel.
Since the 1930s, burial of senior members of the Royal Family in St. George's Chapel was resumed and junior members were interred in the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore House.
Queen Elizabeth's coffin was built for a British monarch, the casket is made with materials designed to preserve her body and requires eight pallbearers. Preparations for the death of Queen Elizabeth II have been ready for decades and her coffin, in which she travelled first from Balmoral to Edinburgh.
The pallbearers hail from the Queen's Company, the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards. 'It's their role to protect her body, both in life and in death, remaining in the Queen's Company until King Charles decides otherwise,' explained Major Adrian Weale to the PA.
I think it was a practical move in that Mary I was originally in that spot, so Elizabeth's coffin could be added on top and then the tomb built over the vault. With regards to why there is no effigy for Mary I, I would think that was because Mary had died over forty years ago and had only reigned for five years.
FOOTAGE has been captured of a man who appears to run forward and touch the Queen's coffin inside Westminster Hall. The clip was shared online with the source unnamed.
“He stepped off the carpet in the direction of the catafalque, then grabbed hold of the Royal Standard flag draped over the coffin with both of his hands.” A live television feed showed the defendant darting out of line and climbing up the steps to the catafalque before touching the late monarch's coffin.
People who want to view the queen's coffin can do so 24 hours a day from 5 p.m. local time (1600GMT) Wednesday until 6:30 a.m. on Monday, the day of the state funeral.
Therefore, graves were always dug six feet deep to prevent body snatchers from gaining access to the buried remains. Another issue that people were worried about was animals digging up graves. An ancient practice of burying dead people six feet underground may have helped mask the odor of decay from predators.
The queen lay in state at Westminster Hall for four days before her funeral and many wondered how her body could stay preserved for so long. Following royal tradition, which dates back as far as the 1600s, the queen's coffin was lined with lead, which ensures that her remains stay intact for up to a year.
It's simply the process of air escaping and the loosened dirt and soil settling into place – due to gravity, this all happens with downward momentum, hence the grave appearing to sink. The coffin will also naturally collapse over time, which further shifts the soil within the grave.
The public will be able to file past the coffin 24 hours a day from 5pm on Wednesday 14 September until 6.30am on the day of the funeral - Monday 19 September. Those wishing to attend will be required to queue for many hours, possibly overnight.
At the service's conclusion, the Queen's coffin was lowered into the Royal Vault – the resting place of many past monarchs. Below the chapel lie King George III, IV and V, William IV and others. Last year Prince Philip, the Queen's husband, was also laid to rest there.
On Monday, the Queen's coffin will be lowered into St George's Chapel's Royal Vault, a burial chamber 16 feet deep where Philip's coffin currently resides. Both coffins will then be retrieved and buried at their final resting place at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, which is an annex of St George's Chapel.
Following the service, the Queen's coffin will now make its way to Windsor, where she will be buried with her beloved late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh. The coffin will be taken to Wellington Arch, Hyde Park Corner, as members of the public watch on, before it is taken to Windsor Castle.
The Queen's coffin was carried on the State Gun Carriage. The tradition of sailors pulling the coffin was brought in after the horses used to pull Queen Victoria's coffin in 1901 for her funeral were spooked and almost tipped her coffin.
Matthew Lymn Rose, managing director of A W Lymn, The Family Funeral Service, told i: “My understanding is that the Queen and all members of the Royal Family have coffins made while alive… so there is no delay, the coffin is there”. As with the Duke of Edinburgh's casket, the Queen's coffin is lined with lead.
The Prince Regent entered the vault accompanied by the Duke of Cumberland, Count Munster, the Dean of Windsor, Benjamin Charles Stevenson, and Sir Henry Halford. The pall was removed to reveal a plain lead coffin inscribed with the name of King Charles and the year of his death.
A future biography of Her Majesty authored by a close friend of Prince Philip stated that the Queen had bone marrow cancer, with bone pain being the most prevalent symptom. The remarks concerning her health problems were made in Gyles Brandreth's planned book, Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait.
I've read in different sources that as Prince Regent of the United Kingdom, George IV ordered several royal coffins opened, including Henry VI, Charles I, and Henry VIII.
It has been estimated that it would weigh between 250kg and 317kg. Eight military bearers have been selected to carry the Queen's coffin on the day of her funeral. According to the Ministry of Defence, the bearer party is formed of eight soldiers from the Queen's Company 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.
A pallbearer is one of several participants who help carry the casket at a funeral. They may wear white gloves in order to prevent damaging the casket and to show respect to the deceased person.
King Charles, William And Harry Walk Behind The Queen's Coffin At Her State Funeral.