The world said a final goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-serving monarch, on Monday (September 19). The historic state funeral and the public mourning ended Queen’s coffin was lowered into the Royal Vault.
World leaders and royals from across the globe arrived in London for the final farewell to the Queen. Huge crowds also gathered in London to watch the Queen’s flag-draped coffin.
The funeral procession concluded with the Imperial State Crown, orb and sceptre—symbols of the monarch’s power and governance—being removed from the coffin and placed on the altar.
After that, Lord Chamberlain, who is the most senior official in the royal household, broke his ‘Wand of Office’ and placed it on the casket. It signified the end of his service to the sovereign.
‘Queen of the world’
Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan said that Queen Elizabeth II was “symbolically queen of the world”. While speaking outside Buckingham Palace, Queen Rania told CNN that Queen Elizabeth was “public service personified”.
Queen Rania said, “She is a woman who pledged her life to the service of her people, and for 70 years never once fell short of that promise. She was the queen of England, but she’s also symbolically the queen of the world. She means something to all of us.”
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Goodbye to a monarch, a mother and a matriarch
Queen Elizabeth emerged as one of the strongest pillars of the British Royal Family. She steered the monarchy through many turbulent times.
She stood strong during the decades of social change and remained a symbol of national stability in a shifting world. As a monarch, she kept the monarchy relevant through the decades, even during the chants of “abolish monarchy”. But now the door swings shut on the Elizabethan Era.
As a mother, Queen Elizabeth has seen several ups and downs. She was often portrayed as a standoffish mother, who would give more time to the throne than her family. As per reports, she mainly saw her children during breakfast and teatime because of her busy schedule. Most of the time, she stayed away to perform royal duties and nannies took care of the kids. Just like a normal mother, maintaining a work-life balance was rather challenging.
Martin Charteris, a former senior adviser to Queen Elizabeth II, explained in Prince Charles’ biography, “Somehow even those contacts were lacking in warmth. The Queen is not good at showing affection.”
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According to Lord Mountbatten, Prince Philip’s uncle, Queen Elizabeth II’s favourite night of the week was “Mabel’s night off”. This was apparently the night when Charles and Anne’s nanny took a break.
He was quoted as saying, “When nanny Mabel was off duty, Elizabeth could kneel beside the bath, bathe her babies, read to them and put them to bed herself.”
From King Charles III’s divorce from Diana to Prince Andrew’s sex assault case, Queen Elizabeth stood strong during testing times and didn’t let the difficult circumstances affect the royal family.
Queen Elizabeth was born on April 21, 1926, and she was just 27 years old when she was crowned Queen of Britain. She wouldn’t have thought that she will become one of the most prominent global figures in decades to come when she was just a kid. The eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of York, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, would have expected to play just a supporting role in the monarchy. But destiny had something else in store.
Now, the world has said goodbye to a prominent female leader in a world dominated by men.
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