Her late Majesty's coffin arrived at Buckingham Palace this evening.
In the image below, you can see the Duke and Duchess of Sussex behind the King inside BP.
It was an evening filled with incredibly poignant and moving scenes, marking the final occasion the late monarch will return to her official residence.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex travelled from Frogmore Cottage.
Harry and Meghan arriving at BP pic.twitter.com/f0ZtMUAzBx
— Sussexes❤️👑🐼🌸 (@Sussex98) September 13, 2022
It was very much a family occasion with the King, Queen Consort, the Queen's children, grandchildren and their spouses present, including the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and Princess Margaret's children, Her late Majesty's niece and nephew, Lady Sarah Chatto and Earl Snowdon, assembling at Buckingham Palace for the solemn occasion. It is the the last opportunity the family will have to be with the Queen's coffin in private.
— The Gold Standard™ #DontBelieveTheType (@InvictusbyPepp) September 13, 2022
As you may have heard, it has been decided non-working royals will wear morning suits while working royals wear their uniforms, however Prince Andrew has been granted a special exception for tomorrow's vigil. Even the most vocal critics of the Sussexes have criticized the move, suggesting it is a "petty" decision. To dispel the commentary, Harry released a brief statement today: "Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex will wear a morning suit throughout events honouring his grandmother. His decade of military service is not determined by the uniform he wears and we respectfully ask that focus remain on the life and legacy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II."
Her late Majesty was brought to the Palace today in the Claret State Hearse, which will be used for the funeral on Monday. It is understood the Queen consulted on plans for the hearse's use over the years, providing input for its design by the Royal Household and Jaguar Land Rover.
An ITV commentator noted the hearse would allow the monarch to be seen in death as she was in life.
The scene as the coffin passed the Queen Victoria Memorial.
Her late Majesty was accompanied on her final journeys by her daughter the Princess Royal. There could be no more fitting final duty Anne could complete for her beloved mother than to travel by her side from Balmoral, to Edinburgh, and back to Buckingham Palace. It's undoubtedly been enormously emotional and taxing, but is very evidently something she is deeply proud to do.
In a very moving statement released tonight, Princess Anne confirmed she spent the Queen's final hours with her: "I was fortunate to share the last 24 hours of my dearest Mother’s life. It has been an honour and a privilege to accompany her on her final journeys. Witnessing the love and respect shown by so many on these journeys has been both humbling and uplifting. We will all share unique memories. I offer my thanks to each and every one who shares our sense of loss.
"We may have been reminded how much of her presence and contribution to our national identity we took for granted. I am also so grateful for the support and understanding offered to my dear brother Charles as he accepts the added responsibilities of The Monarch. To my mother, The Queen, thank you."
The Princess' husband, Sir Timothy Laurence, has been by his wife's side throughout the journey today.
Earlier this evening, the coffin was transferred by the Royal hearse from the RAF transport aircraft, a C-17 Globemaster from 99 squadron, after landing at RAF Northolt.
The Queen's Colour Squadron.
'The coffin, draped in the Royal Standard flag, arrived at RAF Northolt in northwest London shortly before 7pm after receiving a guard of honour as it was placed on an aircraft in Edinburgh.
On the route into central London, mourners gathered on both sides of the road to watch as the procession went past.
Some threw flowers towards the black hearse as a mark of respect to the Queen, whose coffin was illuminated within.
Three police motorbikes in tight formation led the way for the cortege, their blue lights flashing.'
Crowds lined the streets in their thousands.
The Telegraph reports:
'Janie Feree had been waiting in the rain since 2pm to wave her Union Jack flag as the hearse drove by, but she found herself just “gutted” as she watched, reports India McTaggart.
As the coffin passed, illuminated in the back of the car, Ms Feree told the Telegraph she felt the “massive loss” of the late Queen who “has been with us all our lives”.
“I’m emotionally drained, pretty flat, and just gutted,” she said.'
Passing Wellington Arch.
Her late Majesty's coffin will rest in the Bow Room where her loved ones will cherish moments of privacy. Below, Her late Majesty meeting players from the New Zealand Rugby League Team, the All Golds, inside the Bow Room at Buckingham Palace in 2007.
It was a rainy September evening.
The Queen's coffin comes home.
The Queen's coffin arrives at Buckingham Palace to the sound of applause from the crowd who have gathered to watchhttps://t.co/Orxz65sc6I pic.twitter.com/kAhLgYtUrh
— ITV News (@itvnews) September 13, 2022
As Her late Majesty departed Scotland this afternoon for the final time, Buckingham Palace shared her words which so succinctly convey the depth of her feelings about the country: “It is often said that it is the people that make a place and there are few places where this is truer than it is in Scotland."
I was deeply moved to hear the Queen's former Scottish press secretary Louise Tait described her feelings, watching Her late Majesty depart Edinburgh for the final time: "I wanted to say, no, don't leave." A tearful Louise added: "Scotland is very proud."
Since yesterday, over 33,000 people took the opportunity to file past the Queen's coffin at St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh. The BBC reports: "The Scottish government said people across the country had paid their respects, attended remembrance events and reflected on a life of service. This has been a very special part of history for Scotland." The Queen's coffin leaving Scotland.
A fitting poem, 'Floral Tribute', in memory of Her late Majesty The Queen from Poet Laureate Simon Armitage. The poem spells the Queen's name, Elizabeth, acrostically.
“The country loaded its whole self into your slender hands,
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 13, 2022
Hands that can rest, now, relieved of a century’s weight.”
𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐞
A poem in memory of Her Majesty The Queen from the Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage: pic.twitter.com/XvleC9vsus
'Armitage described the acrostic form as a “problem to which the poem becomes a solution”, which in this case helped him to work creatively under time pressure. While there is no official job description for the poet laureate, he or she is generally expected to mark national occasions. “If you were thinking of writing a poem about the Queen, you wouldn’t automatically reach for the word ‘zeal’,” he said.
As well as helping him to “stretch [his] imagination”, the form was also a way to “encode” Queen Elizabeth’s name, Armitage said. “I was probably thinking a little bit about the first Elizabethan age”, the poet explained, when poetry was often “full of little signs and signals”.'
I would like to share the poem in its entirety with a selection of images of floral tributes and an image of the Queen, only three years old, amidst lilies.
Evening will come, however determined the late afternoon,
Limes and oaks in their last green flush, pearled in September mist.
I have conjured a lily to light these hours, a token of thanks,
Zones and auras of soft glare framing the brilliant globes.
A promise made and kept for life – that was your gift –
Because of which, here is a gift in return, glovewort to some,
Each shining bonnet guarded by stern lance-like leaves.
The country loaded its whole self into your slender hands,
Hands that can rest, now, relieved of a century’s weight.
Evening has come. Rain on the black lochs and dark Munros.
Lily of the Valley, a namesake almost, a favourite flower
Interlaced with your famous bouquets, the restrained
Zeal and forceful grace of its lanterns, each inflorescence
A silent bell disguising a singular voice. A blurred new day
Breaks uncrowned on remote peaks and public parks, and
Everything turns on these luminous petals and deep roots,
This lily that thrives between spire and tree, whose brightness
Holds and glows beyond the life and border of its bloom.
Tomorrow promises to be another emotional day as the Queen's family walk in procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, departing at 2.22 pm. It will take family members forty minutes to walk behind the coffin.
Tonight, Buckingham Palace confirms: "The Queen’s coffin will leave Buckingham Palace for the final time tomorrow and travel to Westminster Hall for the Lying-in-State. A procession will include the King, Duke of York, Princess Royal, Earl of Wessex, Prince of Wales and Duke of Sussex. The Queen Consort, the Princess of Wales, the Countess of Wessex and the Duchess of Sussex will travel by car. A short service will be held at Westminster Hall led by the Archbishop of Canterbury and accompanied by the Dean of Westminster. Lying-in-State will begin at 5pm".
A thought just crossed my mind - I imagine Meghan must miss her children so much... :(
ReplyDeleteThe poem and images are very beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI find it confusing where being a working royal vs. nonworking vs. where you are in the hierarchy counts at various events -- not a criticism, just an observation. I hope all family members get a respite between Wednesday and Monday -- you can't continually grieve without some of the enjoyments of life. It's very stressful. And I hope Harry's children are where they need to be.
Even though I may have soured on the way Harry and Meghan handled their disengagement from Royal duties, it strikes me as unfair that the decision has made to allow Andrew an exception to the uniform, while enforcing it for Harry, especially knowing how dearly Harry held those associations.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the Queen made that decision, and Charles doesn’t want to override her wishes on this subject. Or maybe I hope that’s the case, because it doesn’t seem like Charles would take this opportunity to inflict a wound on his son (and I don’t think Charles is such a big fan of Andrew’s that it would be he that allow for this disparity in favor of his brother.
In any event, I commend Harry for making the statement that he doesn’t wish for discussions about his clothing options to overshadow the life and legacy of his grandmother. On this score, he’s got it right: what he (or anyone) is wearing is just not that important. I hope the media puts this whole thing to rest and Harry truly has moved on from any hurt this situation is causing him.
Yet another beautiful but heartbreaking post dear Charlotte. I am very sad seeing these images. I have deep sadness in my heart. I think it is wrong that Harry has not been granted the same special exemption that Prince Andrew is getting for the final vigil as Harry served his country faithfully and has never been accused of such things as Andrew. It is a shame. I know the funeral will be beautiful and I will shed many tears.
ReplyDeleteThanks Charlotte. It will be a great moment today.
ReplyDeleteTo return to this deplorable history of uniforms,
when I think about it, I am convinced that this refusal must come from Harry himself, he is a boy endowed with pride and a pride well placed here: I already found it lamentable to take off his uniforms because a military honor remains a lifetime honor whose service was rendered to rescue victims (who will be grateful to you for life), so that the crown took away those honors from him is lamentable, it's like blackmail, you can take anything away to someone but not his freedom and honors. Fleeing a toxic place is also another form of quest for peace and it does not justify taking away your merits...
In short, it reinforces my admiration for Harry, accepting to wear his uniforms only to be stripped of them again... It's better that way; it is an "Invictus Harry" who tomorrow will pay homage to his grandmother.