King Charles, members of the royal family and hundreds of world leaders, politicians and other public dignitaries joined in the funeral service for Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey this morning.
Alongside Prince William, now Prince of Wales, and his wife Catherine on the front row were their two elder children, George and Charlotte.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex sat behind King Charles and his Queen Consort Camilla.
THE QUEEN’S FUNERAL: ALL PICTURES HERE
The Abbey was full of familiar faces from the world stage. French president Emmanuel Macron was an early arrival, with US President Joe Biden and Brazilian premier Jair Bolsonaro also among the mourners.
After an introductory hymn – ‘The day thou gavest, Lord is ended’ – Commonwealth Secretary-General Baroness Scotland gave the first reading of the service, from Corinthians.
The UK’s brand new prime minister Liz Truss – whom the Queen received in her final duty just two days before her death – read from the New Testament before all joined a second hymn – ‘The Lord’s my Shepherd.’
The Archbishop of Canterbury, the nation’s most senior figure in the Church of England, then gave the sermon in which he paid tribute to the Queen’s pledge of lifetime service, one he said she had fulfilled.
Church leaders took turns to lead the congregation in prayer, before all joined in the hymn – ‘Love divine, all loves excelling.’ The Archbishop of Canterbury led those in the Abbey in the commendation of the late monarch, before offering a final blessing.
Finally, in possibly the most moving moment of all, two minutes of silence then followed, observed within the Abbey, by the crowds outside and across the UK. The congregation broke the silence to sing ‘God save the King.’
Then it was over, as the Queen’s coffin was carried out of the Abbey and onto the very final stage of her journey, across London and away to St George’s Chapel, Windsor, for her Committal and to lie among her ancestors.
