The burial of Britain’s longest reigning monarch is set to break all records as Queen Elizabeth II is committed to mother earth on Monday, to join her ancestors in eternal sleep.
Over 200 nations will grace the ceremony, many at the level of head of state and the rest at the ambassadorial level.
The state funeral, which is one of the biggest logistical challenges in British history, will take place on 19 September, in Westminster Abbey, London.
United States President Joe Biden, the Emperor of Japan Naruhito and French President Emmanuel Macron are among the 2,000 guests attending this historic event.
More than 10,000 police officers from all over the country will be stationed in the capital as the authorities expect record crowds along the funeral route.
In the afternoon, Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin will travel to Windsor Castle for a church service. She will then be buried in a private ceremony.
From the last century onwards, at the demise of Britain’s monarch or any figure with international stature, the British have always rolled out to beat the drums.
In the last century, one can count many such momentous events.
From the burial of Queen Victoria in 1901 to that of her successor King Edward V11 in 1910 to that of his son the Queen’s grandfather King George V in 1936 to the Queen’s father, King George V1 in 1952 it has been one glorious spectacle to the other.
In addition, they have even celebrated the death of those who were not exactly royalty but had international renown.
When the wartime hero, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, died in 1965 it was greeted with the same glitz.
Also at the death of the glamorous Lady Diana, the estranged wife of Prince Charles, in a motor accident in 1997 the burial was a spectacular celebration.
Since the Queen died over a week ago the mourning across the country has been unceasing.
One watched with admiration as citizens massed out, mourning, while the Queen’s hearse journeyed from the Balmoral Castle in Scotland, where she died onto Edinburgh from where her body was flown to London.
In the last few days, common folk have came out in hundreds of thousands of their numbers waited patiently in long meandering queues in the cold, many wrapped in blankets, just to pay their last respects to the Queen lying in state in Westminster Hall.
The England football legend, David Beckham waited over 12 hours in the queue out in the cold before paying his respects to the Queen.
All the week there has been no let in the tributes that have poured from all parts of the world.
On Monday morning, the royal coffin, which is currently on display at Westminster Palace in London, will be moved to Westminster Abbey where the state funeral will take place. The procession will begin at 10.35am (11.35am in Paris) and the coffin will be placed on a gun carriage towed by 98 naval officers, in a tradition dating back to Queen Victoria’s funeral in 1901.
The procession, followed by the king and members of the British Royal Family, will be led by a band of 200 pipers and drummers from the Royal Air Force to Westminster Abbey Gate at 10.52am.
Although the state funeral service, led by the Dean of Westminster David Hoyle, will begin at 11am, the Abbey’s doors will open three hours earlier to welcome the 2,000 people who have been invited to the event.
After the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby’s sermon, the Last Post will be sounded, followed by two minutes of silence to be observed in the Abbey and throughout the UK.
The Reveille, national anthem and a lament performed by the queen’s piper will conclude the state funeral service at around noon.
Foreign heads of state and government representatives will then attend a reception hosted by the British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly at Church House, the headquarters of the Church of England, next to Westminster Abbey.
The queen’s coffin will be paraded through the capital to Hyde Park Corner, to the sound of the bells of Big Ben, where it will be loaded into a hearse and driven to Windsor, a town in south-eastern England, some 30km from London.
From 3pm, a new procession, preceded by members of the Royal Cavalry, will cross the ‘Long Walk’ leading to Windsor Castle, the British Royal Family’s famous residence. The Royal Family will then join the procession to St. George’s Chapel.
Finally, at 7.30pm, the queen will be laid to rest in a private funeral service held in the presence of the king and members of the Royal Family.
According to reports, Queen Elizabeth II will be buried with her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh at George VI Memorial Chapel along with various items.
While the exact arrangements haven’t yet been made official, Lisa Levinson, head of communications at the Natural Diamond Council, claimed that there won’t be as many jewels as normal.
“Her majesty was an incredibly humble woman at heart, who is unlikely to be dressed in anything but her simple Welsh gold wedding band to rest and a pair of pearl earrings,” she told Metro newspaper.
Levinson went on to claim that Queen Elizabeth II has likely left her engagement ring for Princess Anne to take.
“The young Prince Philip was closely involved in the design of Elizabeth’s engagement ring, which is set in platinum and has 11 natural diamonds, a three-carat round solitaire diamond, and five smaller stones set on each side,” the expert added.
“Her majesty’s life has always been about the legacy of the Royal Family, in the UK and Commonwealth. Her jewels form very much part of that legacy.”
That claim was backed up by another royal expert who spoke to Metro.
“Many of the jewels she wore form part of the history of the country and will be passed to the future Monarch and the Queen Consort, for the remainder of their lives,” explained Mok O’Keeffe of GayAristo.
As for her coffin, it is expected to be draped in the Royal Standard, a flag that represents the UK.