The message read: “In loving and devoted memory. Charles R.” The “R” in King Charles’ title refers to “Rex”, which is Latin for king. The service at Westminster Abbey — attended by around 2,000 visitors — included Bible readings and traditional hymns, as well as a sermon by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. King Charles was joined by his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, his siblings, children and grandchildren as Britain bid farewell to the Commonwealth’s longest-serving monarch. The Queen died on September 8 at the age of 96. The coffin was draped in the Royal Standard and the Instruments of State — the Imperial State Crown and regalia — were placed on top along with a wreath of flowers. Buckingham Palace said the wreath contained flowers and foliage cut from the gardens of Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Highgrove House at the request of King Charles III. She sat in a nest of English moss and oak branches. The foliage was chosen for its symbolism — rosemary (for remembrance), myrtle (an ancient symbol of a happy marriage) and English oak (symbol of the power of love), the palace said. The myrtle was cut from a plant grown from a sprig of myrtle that featured in the Queen’s wedding bouquet when she married Prince Philip in 1947. Before the funeral, King Charles thanked the nation for the support and warmth his family had received. The new monarch said in an emotional statement that he and Camilla were “overwhelmed by all who took the trouble to come and pay their respects to the lifelong service of my beloved mother, the late Queen”. Queen Elizabeth II will be buried at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, where her parents, her sister Princess Margaret and her husband Prince Philip are also buried.
