LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II was laid to rest on Monday after a majestic state funeral that drew tens of millions of Britons together in a vast expression of grief and gratitude, as they bade farewell to a sovereign whose seven-decade reign had spanned their lives and defined their times.
It was the culmination of 10 days of mourning since the queen died on Sept. 8 in Scotland — a highly choreographed series of rituals that fell amid a deepening economic crisis and a fraught political transition in Britain — and yet everything about the day seemed destined to be etched into history.
Tens of thousands of people lined the route of the cortege past the landmarks of London. In Hyde Park, people watching the service on large screens joined in “The Lord’s Prayer” when it was recited at Westminster Abbey. Thousands more cheered, many strewing flowers in the path of her glass-topped hearse, as the queen’s coffin was driven to Windsor Castle, where she was buried next to her husband, Prince Philip.
“In this changing world, she was a pillar of the old world,” said Richard Roe, 36, who works in finance in Zurich and flew home for the funeral. “It’s nice to have something that’s stable and stands for good values.”
An unbroken thread of sadness ran through the day, but also an acute sense of uncertainty. The queen, who died at 96, was one of the last living links to World War II and the twilight of Britain’s imperial age. The country she embodied with such dignity has fundamentally changed. » | Mark Landler | Monday, September 19, 2022
Queen Elizabeth II Is Buried at Windsor Alongside Her Husband, Prince Philip: After a state funeral at Westminster Abbey and a procession across central London, the British monarch was interred at the King George VI Memorial Chapel. »
Prince William Moves Into the Spotlight as Heir to the Throne: Many royal watchers and historians are looking to William and his wife, Catherine, who rank high in popularity polls, as the long-term future of the British monarchy. »
The Guardian view on the Queen’s funeral: stirring emotions that transcend logic: Ministers want to reduce workers’ rights and increase bankers’ bonuses. They should be brave enough to reform the crown »
