Queen Elizabeth II laid to rest after state funeral

The world said a final goodbye Monday to Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch in British history.

The Queen died Sept. 8 at the age of 96.

Before the state funeral — the first in Great Britain since Winston Churchill’s funeral in 1965 — crowds packed the streets of London to pay tribute to the late monarch. A bell tolled 96 times, once for each year of her life.

Royal Navy sailors used ropes to draw the gun carriage carrying her flag-draped coffin to Westminster Abbey before pallbearers carried it inside the church.

Atop the coffin sat a handwritten note from King Charles III.

King Charles III, right, follows the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II as it leaves Westminster Abbey in central London on Sept. 19, 2022. ( James Manning/Pool Photo via AP)

“Here, where Queen Elizabeth was married and crowned, we gather from across the nation, from the Commonwealth and from the nations of the world to mourn our loss (and) to remember her long life of selfless service,” Dean of Westminster David Hoyle said during the service.

Elizabeth was Queen for more than 70 years.

There was a contingent of 15 Canadians at the funeral, including Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canada’s High Commissioner to Great Britain, Ralph Goodale.

“Her Late Majesty famously declared on her 21st birthday broadcast that her whole life would be dedicated to serving the nation and Commonwealth,” Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, told mourners. “Rarely has such a promise been so well-kept. Few leaders receive the outpouring of love that we have seen.”

For much of the past week, people waited in line for hours to view the Queen’s casket inside Westminster Hall. Thousands also left flowers in front of Buckingham Palace after the late monarch’s passing.

The funeral service included readings and hymns of significance to the Queen, including the hymn The Lord’s My Shepherd, which was sung at her wedding to Prince Philip in the same abbey in 1947.

“Now gone from us, she was joyful, present to so many, touching a multitude of lives,” Welby said. “And we pray today especially for all her family, grieving as every family at a funeral.”

After the service, Elizabeth’s coffin was taken from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch. That procession was led by members of the RCMP’s Musical Ride.

At the arch, the Queen’s coffin was put into a hearse for the trip to Windsor. Members of her family were among those who walked behind the hearse.

The Queen was laid to rest in St. George’s Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle. The chapel is the resting place of 10 former British monarchs, including King Henry VIII and her father, King George VI. The Queen’s mother and sister also are interred there.

The late monarch was laid to rest alongside Prince Philip, who died in 2021.

— With files from The Canadian Press