The ceremonial processions for Queen Elizabeth II pack more than 1,000 years of monarchical tradition and pageantry into a few symbolic miles.
Each object and location reflects some aspect of the royal family’s place in British life, whether military, administrative or religious. These are some of them.
Symbols of the monarchy
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Horses pulled the queen’s coffin to Westminster Hall, but on Monday, 142 sailors will tow it to Westminster Abbey on the State Gun Carriage of the Royal Navy, honoring a tradition that began in 1901 when the carriage was used in Queen Victoria’s funeral. Right before that procession, horses that were supposed to pull the vehicle became tangled and broke free, and sailors stepped in to pull it.
As the queen lies in state in Westminster Hall, her closed coffin rests on a raised platform called a catafalque. Each corner is guarded around-the-clock by an officer from one of four units that serve the royal household. King Charles III and his siblings, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, will join the guards for a 15-minute vigil on Friday.
These symbols of the monarchy rest atop the coffin while the queen lies in state:
The Imperial State Crown was made for the queen’s father, King George VI, in 1937 and was modified for her, according to the Royal Collection Trust. Among its more than 3,000 stones are some of the world’s most famous gems, including the 317.4-carat cushion-cut Cullinan II diamond and a 170-carat spinel called the Black Prince’s Ruby that was reportedly worn in battle by Henry V in 1415.
The three-foot-long Sovereign’s Scepter represents the monarch’s power in the secular world. Enameled rose, thistle and shamrock symbols that represent England, Scotland and Ireland were added to the handle in 1820. The 530-carat Cullinan I diamond, one of several pieces cut from the world’s largest diamond, was mounted on top in 1910.
The Sovereign’s Orb is an 11-inch hollow gold sphere with a cross on top representing the monarch’s power in the Christian world. Three bands of jewels represent the three continents British rulers believed existed when the orb was made.
The scepter and orb were crafted in 1661 for Charles II and are part of the Crown Jewels.
The state hearse that will carry the queen’s coffin to Windsor is finished in royal claret, the deep wine color used by members of the royal family on official duties. Jaguar Land Rover designed the hearse in consultation with the queen and royal household, and it is very different from the custom military-green Land Rover Defender that Philip helped design for his 2021 funeral.
Places along the way
Wednesday’s procession began at Buckingham Palace, the 775-room complex where the queen lived, entertained and conducted official business for most of her life. The palace has been the official London residence of the monarchy since 1837.
The queen lies in state in Westminster Hall, the oldest building in the Parliament complex, which dates to 1097. The 17,000-square-foot hall is known for its oaken roof, an engineering marvel commissioned by Richard II in 1393. The tradition of notables lying in state at the hall is relatively recent, beginning with Prime Minister William Gladstone in 1898.
Monday’s funeral will be the first for a monarch at Westminster Abbey since that of King George II in 1760. Although 17 kings and queens are buried at the royal church, the abbey, which dates to 960, is often associated with happier times. It has hosted the coronation of every monarch since 1066 and 16 royal weddings since 1100, including the queen’s in 1947 and Prince William’s to Kate Middleton in 2011.
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Afterward, the funeral procession will pass the seat of government at Parliament Square and along Whitehall, and it will then cross through the ceremonial parade ground Horse Guards Parade (below).
Members of the armed forces will line the route from the abbey to the top of Constitution Hill, including along the Mall, a grand ceremonial thoroughfare that dates to 1660. Its name was derived from a croquet-like game called “pelle melle” or “pall mall” that was played in St. James Park.
Throughout the procession, Big Ben will toll, and the sound of minute guns — cannons or artillery that fire once per minute — will boom from Hyde Park.
At Wellington Arch, the coffin will be returned to the hearse for the journey to Windsor. The arch is a grand monument to the Duke of Wellington’s 1815 defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo, topped by a bronze angel of peace descending on a chariot of war. The arch has three floors of rooms inside and once housed London’s smallest police station.
In Windsor, the queen’s hearse will follow a roughly three-mile road that ends at Windsor Castle called the Long Walk (shown below after Prince Harry’s wedding). The path was created in 1680 by King Charles II through Deer Park, which had been part of a vast royal hunting forest in the 11th century.
Queen Elizabeth II will be the 11th monarch interred in the vaults and tombs of St. George’s Chapel. The chapel, completed in 1528, held the funerals of all previous kings and queens since King George III’s in 1820. It has also hosted other royal events, including the 2018 weddings of Harry to Meghan Markle and Princess Eugenie to Jack Brooksbank.
The queen’s coffin will be placed in a small annex next to the royal vault called King George VI Memorial Chapel, along with those of her parents and the ashes of her younger sister, Princess Margaret. Philip’s coffin will be moved from the royal vault and placed beside that of his wife of 73 years.
Lauren Tierney contributed to this report.
Additional sources: Procession details provided by senior palace officials. OpenStreetMap, Google Earth.
Photos: Victoria Jones/Pool/AP; Guy Bell/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock; Paul Childs/AFP/Getty Images; Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images; Yui Mok/Pool/AP; Dominic Lipinski/WPA Pool/Getty Images.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the name of the King’s Guard and the year of Princess Eugenie’s wedding, which occurred in 2018. The article has been corrected.
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