King Charles III and the Royal Family were joined by world leaders and foreign royalty in the Westminster Abbey congregation.

A formal funeral and military parade were held as part of the nation’s final farewell to Queen Elizabeth II.

As the coffin was carried to Windsor, where the queen was laid to rest, hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets. The Dean of Westminster praised the Queen’s “lifelong sense of responsibility” during the funeral. The Very Reverend David Hoyle praised her undying devotion to a great calling over so many years as Queen and Head of the Commonwealth.

The day started with the people waiting in line to pay their last respects to the Queen as she lay in state in Westminster Hall. Then her coffin was carried in a mournful procession to Westminster Abbey on the State Gun Carriage of the Royal Navy, drawn by 142 sailors.

Princess Anne and Princes Andrew and Edward walked alongside King Charles III. The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex walked beside their father along a route lined with military representatives from all divisions.

As her coffin was carried up the aisle to be placed on a catafalque draped in the royal standard with the Imperial State Crown, orb, and scepter on top, world leaders, politicians, and foreign royalty stood up.

The Queen’s great-grandchildren Prince George and Princess Charlotte, aged nine and seven, sat with their parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales, at the Abbey.

Prime Minister Liz Truss and her husband Hugh O’Leary were seated in the abbey’s quire, together with cabinet ministers and all of the UK’s surviving former prime ministers.

Along with United States President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, there were French President Emmanuel Macron, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, and Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan among the 2,000-strong congregation at the abbey.

The royal families of Europe were well represented, with kings and queens from Denmark, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, and the Netherlands among those present. Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II, Europe’s longest-reigning monarch, sat near the coffin, opposite King Charles.

The Emperor and Empress of Japan were also present, as were Malaysia’s King and Queen, as well as Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Queen Rania.

During the religious service, church leaders emphasized the affection that many people have for the Queen. Westminster Abbey is intertwined with the Queen’s personal history because it is where she was married and where she was coronated. Psalm 23 – The Lord Is My Shepherd, which was sung at her wedding, was played at her funeral.

As the abbey service neared its conclusion, the Last Post was played – by the same musicians who played it at the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral at Windsor last year – before the nation went silent for two minutes. The Queen’s piper then played a traditional lament before the national anthem was sung, and the King stood silently.

Numerous people were moved to tears as they lined the streets and congregated in parks throughout the city to listen to the event. The Queen’s coffin was carried by gun carriage to Wellington Arch following the funeral before making its final stop at Windsor Castle for a committal service.

Thousands of mourners lined up along the road to say their heartfelt goodbyes.

Published by HOLR Magazine.