Businesses, schools closed, streets congested
World leaders in attendance
Russia, Belarus, Myanmar barred
It was a testament to brotherhood of nations – Osinbajo
It was an emotional day on Monday for the British public as they bid a final farewell to their beloved monarch, Elizabeth II, who died on September 8 at the age of 96. The country came to a standstill, with businesses and schools closed.
By Monday evening, the queen’s coffin was lowered into the vault beneath St. George’s Chapel—just moments after the Imperial State Crown, Orb and Scepter were removed from on top of the coffin.
Earlier, thousands of people who lined the streets as the procession headed to Windsor for the burial threw flowers towards the vehicle as it departed from Wellington Arch in central London towards Windsor, a historic town some 26 miles (42 kilometers) from London that is the location of Windsor Castle, one of the royal residences. King Charles III and the Queen Consort, as well as other senior royals also traveled by car.
Earlier on, the funeral service was held at Westminster Abbey—the Gothic church in central London where the Queen was crowned in 1953. Her coffin then made its way through Central London in a funeral procession more than a mile long that involved thousands of members of the U.K.’s military.
On top of the coffin was a simple note from King Charles III that read, “in loving and devoted memory—Charles R.”
Planning a state funeral of this magnitude in a little more than a week was a logistical nightmare—one that British officials likened to “arranging 100 state visits all in one go.”
The events occurred in an exceedingly timely manner—only a couple of minutes behind schedule despite the complicated logistics.
Despite the throngs of people and the heavily-congested streets, the mood outside the Palace of Westminster, where the funeral procession marched past as it headed towards Wellington Arch, was mostly calm. Thousands of people shuffled past one another to watch the procession go by.
Police officers, some of whom were brought in from far flung parts of the country, helped guide onlookers along. While many mounted buildings and lamp posts to see over the crowds, others brought camping chairs and step-ladders. Some even climbed on the shoulders of their partners and friends.
The prominent mourners were naturally the Queen’s eldest son and successor, King Charles III, along with the Queen Consort, Charles’ two brothers, Princes Edward and Andrew, and his sister Princess Anne.
Eight grandchildren attended—among them Charles’ sons, Prince William and Prince Harry and their respective wives, Catherine the Princess of Wales, and Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle. Many other close relatives were among the mourners.
Many other royals—from Europe and further afield—were prominent among the more than 2,000 people that attended the Westminster Abbey service.
They included Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde and King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands’ were in attendance, alongside Denmark’s Queen Margarethe II and King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway.
Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako attended, as were Jordan’s King Abdullah, Malaysia’s Yang di-Pertuan Agong (the Sultan Abdullah of Pahang), and Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk.
Among political leaders at the funeral were the current and several former British Prime Ministers.
The U.S. was represented by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. China’s Vice President Wang Qishan attended, as did Indian President Droupadi Murmu.
South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol attended, as were Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, among others.
Invitations were reportedly not extended to the leaders of Russia and Belarus, on account of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine.
The junta in Myanmar, which seized power in a 2021 coup, was also not invited to send a representative.
With the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince George is second in line to the throne, while Princess Charlotte is third.
The youngest royal siblings, however, were absent at the committal service at Windsor Castle.
The United Kingdom fell silent for two minutes beginning at 11:58 a.m. local time on Monday to honor Queen Elizabeth II. The two minutes of silence began at the funeral for the monarch in Westminster Abbey, but was observed across the nation of 67 million people.
Thousands of people gathered outside the Palace of Westminster as word got around that the two minutes of silence had begun—slightly behind schedule.
For those few moments, the only noises that could be heard were the click of cameras, the occasional hushes among the crowd, and bits of the funeral procession streaming from people’s phones.
The silence ended as quickly as it began when the crowd broke into the national anthem—this time singing “God Save the King” after 70 years of “God Save the Queen.”
As people sang, it was clear that the moment represented for many a palpable sense of transition—from Queen to King and from the end of one age to the start of the next.
Queen Elizabeth was interred at the late medieval St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, where 10 other monarchs lie buried.
The royal vault at the chapel was the final resting place of several members of the British royal family, but the Queen was interred at an annex known as the King George VI Memorial Chapel. This addition was unveiled at her request in 1969 as a final resting place for her father, whose remains were moved to it from the royal vault.
Queen Elizabeth II was buried there alongside her father, mother, sister and husband Prince Philip. His remains will be transferred from the royal vault, where they have been held since his death in April.
In brief, the Queen’s coffin was taken in a solemn procession from Westminster Hall, where Queen Elizabeth II had been lying in state, to Westminster Abbey for a funeral service at 11:00 a.m. local time (6:00 a.m. ET).
The hour-long service was officiated by the Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. U.K.
Prime Minister Liz Truss, whose meeting with the Queen was the monarch’s last official engagement, gave a reading.
The two-minute silence across the U.K. marked the end of the service, along with a reveille, the national anthem, and a royal piper playing a lament.
Over 800 mourners attended the committal service, followed by a private burial at the King George VI Memorial Chapel at 7:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, the coming together of leaders from different parts of the globe to celebrate the life of late Queen Elizabeth II and attend her funeral has been described as a show of solidarity and goodwill by people from around the world.
Vice President of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo, said it was also a testament to the brotherhood of nations.
Osinbajo stated this on Monday in London during a media chat with journalists after attending the State Funeral Service of the late Queen of England at Westminster Abbey.
According to the Vice President, “for countries like ours, for Nigeria and for the Commonwealth, this has been very ennobling, very strengthening.
“I am sure that King Charles felt not just the honour of having so many people come by, but also the reassurance that there is a brotherhood across the world and that the Commonwealth remains strong, a Commonwealth of free nations who willingly subscribe to coming together, to work together to achieve sometimes disparate political objectives but clear economic objectives.”
Speaking about the significance of the event, Osinbajo said “it is a historic event and one that is unlikely to happen, perhaps in another lifetime, just the sheer enormity of all that has happened and the gathering of leaders from everywhere, the good will, the good wishes, and all of that from practically everywhere around the world.”
“So, I think that this has truly been a testament to the sort of person the Queen was – in life and death, brought people together and perhaps even more so in death,” the Vice President added.
He then prayed for a successful reign for King Charles lll, noting that “one wishes King Charles very well indeed, and I think we are all anxious that he succeeds.
“And that he perhaps does even better than his mother, which is the hope of his mum. I am sure that the Queen will really hope that all her successors and in this case King Charles, will do better than she did.
“We are all looking forward to a wonderful reign, a reign that will bring prosperity, peace, not just to England, but to the Commonwealth and to all of us.”
Speaking further about the late British monarch, whom he earlier described as a Monarch for all seasons, the Vice President said “in the 70 years that she has been Queen, it’s obvious that through practically every cycle – war, peace, economic decline, apartheid, all the various cycles, where truly major things were going on, she held her own and she was always able to bring a certain degree of understanding.
“And just the gravity of someone who doesn’t hold political office is so well respected and well regarded. In so many ways, she was a factor in practically all of the various cycles that we have experienced, not just in the Commonwealth, but in the world itself.
“I think she was a stabilizing force, that was why I thought the description (borrowed from “the man for all seasons”) that she was the Queen for all seasons.”
Right after the Funeral Service at Westminster Abbey, the Vice President and all the foreign dignitaries-about 500- were hosted to a reception by the UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, James Cleverly.
The Queen’s funeral procession then proceeded to Windsor Castle where she was laid to rest, passing through selected streets in London.
