As the world said a final goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II, the royal family said their final goodbye to a mother, a grandmother and a great-grandmother.
Despite the pomp and ceremony of the event, the Queen's loved ones added a number of personal touches to ensure it was a day that celebrated her as a person as well as the longest-reigning monarch. From an emotional note from King Charles on her coffin to one of her much-loved headscarfs being placed on her favourite horse Emma as she welcomed her late owner back to Windsor, many of the subtle touches were missed at first glance.
The Queen was heavily involved in planning her funeral and made many of the big decisions herself, but the last minute gestures from her four children, eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren ensured the Monarch's wish not to have a "boring" send off was granted.
We look through some of the personal tributes the Royal Family added for their 'Gan Gan'.
Licence plate
A famous number plate made a reappearance yesterday when three claret Range Rover's followed the state hearse to Windsor for the committal service.
The lead vehicle bore the registration MYT1 followed by MYT2 and MYT3. It has long been rumoured that MYT1 was ordered by the Duke of Edinburgh in humour and “tongue in cheek”, although there has never been an official clarification of its significance, reported The Telegraph.
The most common explanation for the plate is that it plays on the late Queen's official title: Most High, Most Mighty, and Most Excellent Monarch, Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, and Sovereign of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.
One royal spotted the vehicle on social media, tweeting: "Only just twigged the number plate of the Range Rover following the #queensfuneral hearse. MYT1 (mighty one)!" The number plate was first seen on a 1961 Vauxhall Cresta PA estate, and the Queen was photographed driving in it in 1986.
Head scarf
Not only did the Queen's favourite fell pony Emma pay her last respects to the late monarch, it was also adorned with a personal touch.
Her Majesty famously would ride her horse without a riding helmet and instead would opt to wear a beautiful head scarf. And yesterday as Emma was brought to say goodbye to her rider - the Queen's riding head scarf could be seen sweetly draped across the horse's saddle.
Note on the flowers
The wreath on the Queen's coffin featured flowers requested by the King - and a personal note to his mother.
The foliage and blooms were cut from the estates of Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Highgrove House. They included rosemary, for remembrance, and myrtle cut from a plant that was grown from a sprig of myrtle from the Queen’s wedding bouquet in 1947 - a sweet tribute to her long marriage with the Duke of Edinburgh.
It also featured a mix of gold, pink and burgundy pelargoniums, garden roses, autumnal hydrangea, sedum, dahlias and scabious, to reflect the Royal Standard.
Following a request from King Charles, the wreath was made in a sustainable way without floral foam, and used English moss and oak branches instead.
On top of the wreath was a handwritten note from the King, that said: "In loving and devoted memory. Charles R".
Loyal staff
As the Queen’s coffin travelled through London after her state funeral on Monday, dozens of royal staff lined the gates of Buckingham Palace to bid their last farewell to the beloved monarch. Palace employees solemnly lined up in a row to watch the Queen’s final journey, with some dressed in black and others in uniform. When the funeral procession reached Buckingham Palace, the Queen’s staff bowed and curtsied.
Meanwhile, other staff took part in the procession alongside the Royal Family to honour Her Majesty. Notable members included Paul Whybrew, her loyal page, who moved to Windsor alongside the Queen where her mobility faltered. He spent the summer at Balmoral with the monarch, where he spent time watching her favourite sports and completing jigsaw puzzles with the monarch.
Piper's final duty
The Queen's piper who woke the late monarch every morning with the sound of his bagpipes carried out his final duty by playing her beautiful goodbye.
Pipe Major Paul Burns of The Royal Regiment of Scotland played a moving lament - A Salute to the Royal Fendersmith- in St George's Chapel in Windsor as the Queen's coffin was lowered into the Royal Vault as her funeral drew to a close today.
It was one of the most poignant moments of the day, and he was the lone musician at the committal service.
As he played the pipes, he walked between the chapel and the Dean's Cloister so that the music during the ceremony slowly faded away.
The piper also brought the ceremony at Westminster Abbey earlier today to a close with another lament called Sleep Dearie Sleep before the Queen 's coffin was brought to Windsor for the final time.
Royal women's jewellery choices
While all royal attendees paid their respects to the late Queen by dressing in mourning black, their jewellery choices spoke volumes as many senior royals wore symbolic pieces that extended their personal tributes to the beloved monarch.
The Princess of Wales celebrated the Queen and Prince Philip ’s love with her necklace choice, as she donned a Four Row Japanese pearl choker that the late monarch commissioned herself. Kate originally borrowed the piece from Queen Elizabeth to wear for the Queen and Prince Phillips’ 70th wedding anniversary dinner in 2017.
Kate’s daughter, Princess Charlotte, also wore her first ever piece of symbolic jewellery in the form of a tiny diamond encrusted pin in the shape of a horseshoe. The piece was gifted to the young princess by Queen Elizabeth herself, and was a fitting ode to the late monarch’s love for horses.
Meanwhile, Queen Consort Camilla wore Queen Victoria's statement Hesse Diamond Jubilee brooch for the occasion, as well as a blue Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet adorned with a four-leaf clover motif, which appeared to be a subtle nod of good luck to her husband as he embarks on his new reign as sovereign.
Meghan Markle also wore diamond earrings that were gifted to her by the late Queen ahead of their only solo royal engagement a few years ago. The Duchess of Sussex went to Cheshire with the late monarch in 2018, where they were pictured giggling together during the special visit.
Nod to Prince Philip
The Queen's funeral service at Westminster Abbey had a sweet link to her wedding to Prince Philip, which also was held at the same location, 75 years prior.
The second hymn sung during the service on Monday, September 19 was The Lord is My Shepherd, which was also played during the Queen's wedding ceremony. The then Princess Elizabeth was just 21 years old when she married Prince Philip on November 20th, 1947, four months after the pair announced their engagement. They were married for 73 years, before the Duke of Edinburgh's death in 2021.
Her Majesty is said to have been particularly fond of the song which is based on the words of Psalm 23 from the Bible. The hymn was even listed as being among her 10 favourite pieces of music during the BBC Radio 2 show Our Queen: 90 Musical Years, which was commissioned to mark her 90th birthday celebrations.
King Charles takes his mother's seat
In one poignant moment during the funeral, King Charles chose to sit in the exact seat that the Queen sat alone in during her beloved husband Prince Philip's funeral just over one year ago.
Due to Covid restrictions at the time, the late monarch was to grieve without her family close by her side.
As is tradition, the seat in front of Charles remained free as to give him an unobstructed view in St George's Chapel during the committal service.
The seat is said to be of historical importance with every monarch using it since Henry VIII 500 years ago.
Everyday heroes
Almost 200 'everyday heroes' were invited to the service in Westminster, after they were recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours this year in June. Guests included a nurse, lawyer who delivered hundreds of meals during the pandemic and a lifeboat volunteer, alongside the world leaders, royal family, celebrities and politicians. Others special guests included an 88-year-old woman who records talking books for the blind and a knife crime campaigner, the Cabinet Office said.
