Queen Elizabeth II: Coffin lowered into Royal Vault as UK and rest of world say ‘goodbye’ for final time
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The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II has been committed to the Royal Vault inside Windsor Castle.
Queen Elizabeth II will be buried alongside her late husband, Prince Philip, younger sister, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, mother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and her father, King George VI.
Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral: full and in-depth live coverage from Westminster Abbey
Key Events
- The official funeral of Queen Elizabeth II has now ended
- Queen’s coffin arrives in Windsor Castle for special committal service
- The Queen’s state funeral has now ended
- Thousands line streets of London to say final farewell
The Queen’s committal service in Windsor Castle has begun
The Queen’s coffin has been lifted from the state hearse and carried into St George’s Chapel ahead of the committal service.
The procession was led into the chapel by members of the Queen’s royal household.
Once again the King followed behind the coffin, accompanied by the Queen Consort, with the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence behind, then the Duke of York and the Earl and Countess of Wessex.
The service has begun with the choir singing Psalm 121, set to music by Sir Henry Walford Davies, who previously served as an organist of the chapel.
Over a number of years, the Queen was involved in discussions about the order of service for her funeral, to approve the choice of prayers, hymns and other accompanying music.
Following the psalm, which includes the line “the Lord shall preserve thee from all evil”, the choristers move on to sing ‘The Russian Contakion of the Departed’, which was also performed at the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral in April last year.
Mourners gather in Windsor Castle for committal service
St George’s Chapel is already packed with mourners ahead of the committal service at 4pm.
The gothic chapel is filled with chatter as the organ plays quietly ahead of the arrival of the state hearse and royal family.
Daylight is streaming through the chapel’s West Door and many windows while bright lights rigged up along the sides of the chapel are also shining on the congregation and towards the aisle.
As the hearse approached Windsor, the Long Walk to the castle was lined with members of the armed forces on either side, stood in front of the public.
