Westminster Abbey Church is a witness to everything royal from King George VI’s marriage to Queen’s funeral

International

oi-Madhuri Adnal

London,
Sep
17:
The
funeral
of
Queen
Elizabeth
II
will
take
place
at
Westminster
Abbey
today
starting
at
3.30
pm
IST.
Westminster
Abbey
is
the
753-year-old
church
where
royals
have
traditionally
been
married,
mourned
and
buried.
About
15
minutes
before
the
service
starts,
the
queen’s
Royal
Standard-draped
coffin
topped
with
the
Orb
and
the
Scepter
will
be
moved
by
the
State
Gun
Carriage
of
the
Royal
Navy
from
Westminster
Hall
where
it
has
been
Lying-in-State
since
Wednesday
night.
The
carriage
will
then
go
towards
Westminster
Abbey.
Incidentally,
it
is
the
same
carriage
that
carried
the
coffin
of
her
father,
King
George
VI.

That
procession,
led
by
King
Charles
III
and
his
siblings,
will
look
very
much
like
the
procession
to
take
the
coffin
from
Buckingham
Palace
to
Westminster
Hall
but
shorter.

The
royals
will
be
accompanied
by
ranks
of
uniformed
troops,
senior
palace
officials
and
even
the
queen’s
pages
as
hundreds
of
thousands
of
mourners
line
the
streets
of
central
London
to
pay
respects.

‘Moved
beyond
measure’:
King
Charles
thanks
world
for
support
and
comfort
before
Queen’s
funeral

In
the
Abbey,
about
2,000
guests
will
be
waiting
for
the
start
of
a
service
that
will
last
about
an
hour.
The
Abbey
is
the
final
resting
place
of
30
kings
and
queens,
starting
with
Edward
the
Confessor.
King
George
II
was
the
last,
in
1760.

The
historic
church
in
central
London
has
played
quite
a
significant
role
in
Britain’s
royal
family
for
nearly
a
millennium.

Take
a
look:

1923:
Queen
Elizabeth’s
parents,
prince
Albert
—
later
King
George
VI
—
and
Elizabeth
Bowes-Lyon,
wed
in
the
church.

1937:
King
George
VI,
Elizabeth
II’s
father,
was
crowned
on
May
12
in
the
church.

1947:
Queen
Elizabeth
II
married
Philip
on
November
20
in
a
ceremony
broadcast
around
the
world.

1953:
Queen
Elizabeth
II’s
coronation
took
place
on
June
2
in
the
church
in
a
service
lasting
almost
three
hours.

1997:
Princess
Diana’s
funeral
was
held
at
Westminster
Abbey
as
nearly
a
million
people
lined
the
streets.
When
the
cortege
passed
Buckingham
Palace,
Queen
Elizabeth
publicly
bowed
her
head.

2002:
The
April
9
funeral
of
Queen
Elizabeth’s
mother
was
held
at
the
church.

2011:
Prince
William
and
Kate
Middleton
married
in
Westminster
Abbey.

2022:
The
Queen
was
last
at
Westminster
Abbey
in
March
this
year
for
a
delayed
memorial
service
to
her
late
husband
Prince
Philip,
who
died
in
April
2021.