The reason the Queen's coffin was carried through Parliament Square on a 123-year-old gun carriage towed by 98 Royal Navy sailors is because of a near-mishap that occurred during Queen Victoria's procession. Victoria's coffin was to be carried on the 2.5 tonne gun carriage through the streets of Windsor in 1901.
Sailors are pulling the Queen's coffin rather than horses due to weather tradition The late monarch had a long-standing, special relationship with the Royal Navy as her father, husband and...
Tradition began with Queen Victoria
Once this was agreed to, the horses were unharnessed and improvised ropes were attached to the gun carriage, which weighs 3,000kg (2.5 tonnes), and the team of sailors was brought in to ensure the coffin was carried safely for the rest of the route.
The eight men are from the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards which had a close connection with the Queen who held the position of company commander. At the time the British Army said the "very best soldiers" were chosen to carry out this solemn duty. Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories?
En route from the hall to the abbey, the Queen's coffin was carried on a 123-year-old gun carriage as part of a procession led by the royal family, Palace guards and 138 Royal Navy sailors. They are known as the Sovereign's Guard and are in place to haul the carriage along with a white rope.
The Queen's coffin (which was made thirty years ago) is thought to weigh anywhere between 250kg and 317kg, due to it being made from oak with brass fittings and lead lining – which is used to slow decomposition. This means an additional two pallbearers are needed to carry it.
It was transported by 138 naval ratings, with 98 pulling, in front of the carriage, and 40 behind, braking, with 4 officers walking alongside the 40 brakers, 4 officers walking alongside the pullers, and 2 further officers leading the 138.
Queen Elizabeth II will be buried in an English oak coffin featuring brass handles that were designed more than 30 years ago, and lined with lead. It is estimated the coffin weighs between 250kg and 317kg.
There was nothing they could do, and Burnell-Williams was pronounced dead on the spot.
The pallbearers were chosen from the Grenadier Guards because of their duty to the monarch and their ranking as one of the most senior regiments. "It's their role to protect her body, both in life and in death, remaining the Queen's Company until King Charles decides otherwise.
Before the Queen's coffin was lowered into the royal vault in St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, a crown, orb and sceptre were removed.
The tradition of using guards to pull the carriage began at Queen Victoria's service, it is believed, when concern were raised that horses would be spooked by the crowds and topple the coffin.
The breaking of the wand of office is a ceremonial tradition which brings to an end the sovereign of a monarch. For Queen Elizabeth II, the wand will be broken and then placed on the late monarch's coffin.
Soldiers from the Queen's Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, were chosen to lift the coffin during the service at Westminster Abbey and Windsor Castle. Although a senior officer took day-to-day control, the former sovereign's connection with her men was strong, and they paid tribute to her during the service.
The Queen's coffin (which was made thirty years ago) is thought to weigh anywhere between 250kg and 317kg, due to it being made from oak with brass fittings and lead lining – which is used to slow decomposition. This means an additional two pallbearers are needed to carry it.
Soldier Queen coffin: Soldier Jack Burnell-Williams, who walked beside Queen Elizabeth II's coffin, found dead at army barracks - The Economic Times.
Household Cavalry Trooper Jack Burnell-Williams was among those to escort the late monarch's coffin as it was carried by gun carriage through Whitehall and down the Mall following the service at Westminster Abbey. A teenage soldier who took part in the Queen's state funeral has been found dead at his barracks.
Story highlights. The body found on Queen Elizabeth II's estate in Sandringham last week was a 17-year-old who had been missing since August, police said Sunday. DNA tests helped detectives identified the woman as Alisa Dmitrijeva, Norfolk police said in a statement.
Due to the lead lining of the coffin, the casket would be very heavy. 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.
“Coffins are normally sealed by screwing the lid into the sides but that does not form an airtight seal. “The modern process would be to zinc-line [the coffin]. Zinc is much thinner than lead, and more malleable.
Alongside the King, Baron Parker - the Lord Chamberlain who was the most senior official in the late Queen's royal household - stood in front of the coffin and symbolically "broke" his wand of office by dismantling it into two halves and laying them on her coffin.
The coffin is draped with the Royal Standard, and on it is placed the orb, sceptre and Imperial State Crown. It is said that the tradition of using sailors to haul the gun carriage has evolved because the horses bolted at Queen Victoria's funeral.
The custom was adopted in 1901 at Queen Victoria's funeral when the splinter bar of the gun carriage broke as her coffin, weighing nearly half a ton, was lifted into place and the horses began to move. Hit by a ricocheting leather strap, one of the horses panicked and plunged.
Part of everyday Naval life, a salute is always made with the palm facing in. Why? Because sailors' hands were generally covered in tar from sails and rigging, and it was deemed unsightly to show an officer or member of the Royal Family a dirty palm.
Yes. The Queen's coffin will be on public view 24 hours a day in the four-and-a-half days before her funeral.