London: Britain’s longest-serving monarch Queen Elizabeth II was laid to rest with her husband Philip and parents in an intimate ceremony in London’s Windsor on Monday. The evening interment service was not open to the media, and King Charles III, Queen Consort Camilla, Prince William and Kate, Prince Harry and Meghan, and other royals were able to bid a final farewell to the late monarch in private after being in the public spotlight for days of national mourning.
Queen Elizabeth’s closest relatives were ashen-faced throughout solemn funeral rituals in London and Windsor, silently playing their parts in meticulously choreographed processions that nevertheless betrayed the high emotions of the day. The presence of William and Harry, walking side-by-side behind their grandmother’s coffin, was reminiscent of the day 25 years ago when, as boys, they took part in a similar procession to the funeral of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales.
The 12-day mourning period for late Queen Elizabeth II came to an end Monday with her state funeral that was attended by thousands of mourners at the Westminster Abbey in London.
Several world leaders gathered in London to bid farewell to the Queen. President Droupadi Murmu paid her respects on behalf of India and met with King Charles III. US President Joe Biden, France’s Emmanuel Macron, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif were among the attendees.