A state funeral, a rare event, must be explained to every generation. Its magnificence and occult tradition are always mysterious. So the news bulletins read like a grim catechism. a list of conventions designed to give identity to a nation. In 1910, after the death of Victoria’s son Edward VII, a writer for the Observer made this point when he praised Westminster Hall and St George’s Chapel in Windsor, quoting the Scottish historian Thomas Carlyle who, he thought, “ never spoke a truer word. that ‘every nation’s Bible is its own history’ and in these two buildings … are two of the most glorious pages of that Bible – not imprinted on perishable paper, but carved on noble stone.” Monday’s funeral will follow a pattern set at the end of Victoria’s reign. Elizabeth II, like her ancestors, will go to Windsor Chapel described on her grandfather’s death in 1936 by our special correspondent as “that perfect specimen of Perpendicular architecture”. A state funeral is only reserved for monarchs, but exceptionally “a highly distinguished figure” can be buried in this way. The last Briton to receive this honor was Winston Churchill in 1965, in recognition of his leadership in World War II. A plan tested, code-named Operation Hope Not, reflected the Queen’s desire for the nation “to have an opportunity to express its sorrow”. His funeral differed from that of George VI in that the coffin went from Westminster Hall to St Paul’s Cathedral and then by river to Waterloo, for a final journey by rail to Oxfordshire. The Observer’s front page for Churchill’s funeral. Photo: The Observer The Observer reported that once Big Ben sounded for the former prime minister at 9.45am, when the procession began, it remained silent. At the funerals of Edward VII, George V and George VI, Big Ben tolled from 10am with a stroke for each year of the monarch’s life. Despite the cold weather, 321,360 people queued to see Churchill’s coffin and 164 casualties were dealt with in the queues as a ‘cold gray sky produced a deadly backdrop to the morning service’ before ‘the rickety carriage carrying Queen Victoria’s coffin. , dragged by naval ratings’. State funerals require the carriage carrying the coffin to be pulled by Royal Navy sailors using ropes rather than horses. And they are also overseen by the earl marshal (Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk) a Grand Officer of State, while simple “ceremonial funerals” are arranged by the Lord Chamberlain, an officer of the royal household. In 1965, the Observer explained the role of the 17th Duke of Norfolk, then Bernard Marmaduke Fitzallan-Howard, as the “primary designer” of Churchill’s rituals: “This small, shy man with his little bulging eyes was a field marshal, and the supreme authority. in royal and state ceremony after succeeding to the dukedom at the age of nine. He was only 27 when he arranged the funeral of George V and the coronation of George VI.” Key national figures such as Diana, Princess of Wales, the Queen Mother, Margaret Thatcher and, a year ago, the Duke of Edinburgh have all had ceremonial funerals, which usually also have a hearse, a carriage procession and a military presence. Queen Victoria’s funeral included the carriage of her body from her home on the Isle of Wight. The Observer recorded the death as “the dreadful calamity which last week we hoped to avert” and published a poem by Reginald Hughes: “The queen is dead! Our Queen, the Queen of Queens;/And England sits as in a dream, and weeps,/And rich and poor, and high and low are made/Peer by sorrow’s courtesy diploma.’ In the spring of 1910 at Edward VII’s funeral, the new King George V walked “the dead king’s aisle” as his father’s chief mourner. The royal body was kept in the throne room at Buckingham Palace at the request of Queen Alexandra, “who in her great sorrow desired to remain as long as possible in the room in which the death took place.” There was, the Observer predicted, even more “human majesty” and “direct foreign representatives of royalty” than at his mother Victoria’s funeral. George V ordered the marshal “to express the hope that at the time of the burial memorial services will be held in all the great centers throughout the country,” partly because, although Monday is a holiday, this is not a fixed precedent. George VI’s funeral was also a normal working day. State funerals, this paper noted, were not uncommon at this point: “At a time when crowns have been shed like leaves in autumn, England feels at the death of her Sovereign a pang in her whole being.” Although there was no official day of mourning in 1952. The Observer reported that “there will be a general suspension of work and business in London and many cities and towns throughout the country”. “In the West End all the big shops will close and many of the smaller shops in all parts of the capital will follow suit. Two minutes silence will be observed across Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 1.30am. Silence will also be observed throughout the empire.’ Churchill’s funeral, on the steps of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Photo: Archive P.A The service at Windsor would be simple, we reported, regardless of “the scene of medieval armor and pomp”. “The only hymn will be King George’s favorite, stay with me.” Music is now an important element of royal funerals: the selections for Monday’s ceremony will be announced on Sunday. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. On Churchill’s death, the BBC’s Third Program played “a piece specially designed for the occasion and broadcast, a march of tribute in honor of a great man by Sir Arthur Bliss, master of the Queen’s music”. In February 1952, Observer writer Patrick O’Donovan described the late Queen’s father’s funeral at St George’s Chapel: ‘There were the pallbearers walking down the aisle, old gentlemen in bright coats who are nothing but treasures for the display of of the Royal Arms, men bearing titles of impossible romance.’ The crown on the coffin “glittered frostily”, he added, but the grenadiers “stumbled on the steps”. Also writing for the Observer was former Prime Minister Lord Attlee, who reportedly arrived at the funeral “stopping on a stick”. In his famous piece ‘The King I Knew’, he remarked that George VI was ‘lucky not to have been born to inherit the throne’. The newspaper’s chief said: “It is as if he has touched the collective psyche to a depth that politics, economics and diplomacy never reach.” Clothes are always important: there were rules about when to wear crepe when mourning Victoria. Before her son’s funeral in 1910, an advertisement for the Dickins & Jones store promoted two mourning clothes “for immediate use”. an elegant wrapper, the Pauline, and the cutest Hanover. In 1936 Queen Mary, the widow of George V, and Queen Maud of Norway, his sister, were shrouded in heavy veiling in a state Landau, while public mourners wore a black armband. The death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997. Photo: Kathy deWitt/Alamy The queue to see George V included “town workers in bowler hats and dark blue coats, women, rich and poor, football fans, wearing their team colours”. By 1965 fur was in fashion for those who paid respect to Churchill. “The Queen Mother appeared first, in a plain cloth coat and black fur. The Duchess of Kent “like most of the women in the cathedral” wore a fur hat, while “Princess Alexandra wore a lovely black fur”. Elizabeth II, by contrast, “wore a plain cloth coat with a half belt and a plain black beret.” The news pages often focus on the queues, with mourners at George V’s funeral flocking to Westminster Hall for the second day he remained in state. “The crowds of mourners were larger and the number who passed the flower-bedecked coffin exceeded 128,000 by 10:00 last night, bringing the two-day total to 238,000. At that time 20,000 people were still in line.” It was a foggy January, but “the pilgrimage to Westminster Hall continued throughout yesterday, and by midnight, when the doors were closed, 150,777 persons had passed through the catafalque.” The early morning queue, ‘extending for over a quarter of a mile’, was ‘joined by a number of ladies who decided to visit Westminster Hall before returning home’. At Windsor in 1952, “eight to ten thousand people turned away in disappointment expecting to see the wreaths sent for the King’s funeral.” One frustrated police officer commented: “It was just massive stupidity. We had let everyone in who was queuing, they would go in a few hours after dark.” There were no colored wrist straps. Historically, places along the procession route were sold, and in 1910 the cost seemed high: “It was quite to be expected that the prices would be higher than on the occasion of the funeral of the late Queen Victoria, inasmuch as the cortege route would be more short’, but a window on the first floor cost £50. In 1936, seat prices…
