At the end of the Queen’s state funeral, Charles III’s features were flushed with emotion. Sometimes during the hour-long ceremony he would close his eyes or appear lost in thought. But it was the sound of the Queen’s piper, Warrant Officer Paul Burns, playing for her at Balmoral that seemed to finally come close to overwhelming him. As the bagpipes played, his mother’s coffin rested before him, adorned with the imperial state crown and a wreath of flowers, leaves and herbs, some from his gardens at Highgrove and Clarence House. It contained his handwritten message: “With love and devoted memory, Charles R.” The King looked heartbroken. Monday’s funeral, funeral and burial marked the end of 11 intense days for the 73-year-old sovereign that included 10 days packed with public duties, 1,900 miles of travel and just one day away from the cameras. Purpose: to establish his status as the new ruler of all four nations. Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral at Westminster Abbey: highlights – video But inside he mourned. On Thursday he retired to Highgrove where he built a shrine of local stone, timber and mud bricks. It has been reported that he prayed inside a private chapel. Last week he was determined to describe the Queen as a model of public service. She was “a model to all princes who lived,” he said, quoting Shakespeare, and told parliament he was “determined to faithfully follow” her “example of selfless duty.” But he has also described his “great personal sadness”, “a deep sense of sadness” and “irreparable loss”. Finally on Monday he was able to lay his “beloved mom” to rest. Often his features seemed almost to liquefy in grief, his eyes reddened and tearful. The King is known for his endurance in public engagements, but this has been a busy day. Started for Westminster Hall at 10.30am. and was not due to bury his mother alongside his father, who died in April 2021, until a private service which began at 7.30pm. Processing the coffin from Westminster Hall, where the queen lay in state for more than four days, to the abbey, the king walked in the back of the state carriage, which was used for the funerals of the three monarchs who preceded her. Elizabeth II as well as Winston Churchill and the King’s favorite great uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten. King Charles follows the carriage carrying Queen Elizabeth’s coffin from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey. Photo: Tim Rooke/REX/Shutterstock He was flanked by his siblings in order of age: the princess royal, half a step behind the king, the duke of York, clearly moved by the loss of his ‘beloved mummy’, and the earl of Wessex, who was later seen wiping his eyes inside the abbey, next to the equally emotional Countess of Wessex. Right behind him marched his heir, the Prince of Wales, along with his brother, the Duke of Sussex, and Peter Phillips, son of the Princess Royal and the Queen’s eldest grandson. Sarah, Duchess of York, who has remained close to her ex-husband Prince Andrew, was among the mourners but not part of the procession. Huge crowds gather to watch Queen’s coffin procession at Windsor Castle – video Towards the end of the service, after the Archbishop of Canterbury commended the Queen’s soul “to the mercy of God”, the King stood with his eyes closed and reflected as a new hymn by Scottish composer Sir James MacMillan was played with words taken from Romans 8 ., which asks: “Who will separate us from the love of Christ?” 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. After the funeral, the same core group walked behind the coffin to Wellington Arch with Big Ben tolling on the minute, before the funeral party proceeded by motorcade to Windsor Castle for the ceremony and burial. Huge crowds gather to watch Queen’s coffin procession at Windsor Castle – video Inside St George’s Chapel, Charles heard the Dean of Windsor, David Conner, describe how “in the midst of our rapidly changing and often turbulent world, her calm and dignified presence gave us confidence to face the future”. The King watched intently as the crown he will one day wear was removed from the Queen’s coffin and placed on the altar. King Charles III and the Queen Consort follow the coffin into St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. Photo: Ben Birchall/AP He took the camp color of the Queen’s Company of Grenadier Guards and placed it on his mother’s coffin, to be buried with her before the coffin was slowly lowered into the royal vault. “Go forth on your journey from this world, O Christian soul,” said Conner, reading from psalm 103. The Queen’s piper played once more and walked slowly out of the chapel, the music dying away before Charles III. proclaimed as “the most high, most powerful, excellent monarch”. Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin lowered into the royal vault at Windsor: highlights – video As she left the chapel with the Queen Consort, something seemed to rise. The King smiled and laughed a little as he exchanged words with the Archbishop of Canterbury. All that was left was a private funeral with the Queen’s closest family in attendance.
