The Queen returned to Windsor today to be welcomed home by her pet corgis and her beloved horse Emma.
After the pageantry and solemn ceremony came the simple, touching scene of the monarch’s fell pony waiting for her.
The Queen enjoyed riding horses well into her 90s, and loved the wide open spaces of Windsor Great Park, where hundreds of thousands witnessed her final journey.
Emma stood loyally by the side of the Long Walk as the funeral cortege came through Windsor Castle’s Cambridge Gate.
The Queen’s corgis, Muick and Sandy, were also seen inside the grounds of the castle shortly before our longest serving monarch was laid to rest in St George’s Chapel.
A sea of flowers had been placed along the last 643m-long approach to the Castle. Many were left by schoolchildren, and laid out overnight by royal staff, a fitting tribute to the nation’s favourite grandmother.
Scores of young ones were hoisted onto shoulders as the procession approached Her Majesty’s iconic Windsor residence.
The huge throng of people - at points 20 people deep - fell silent as the coffin passed by with the muffled sound of cannons ringing out.
The RAF and Royal Marines bowed their heads in silent solemnity as the Queen was carried through the gates of the Castle.
Michael Kay, 71, and wife Nancy, 72, a retired project manager, travelled to Windsor from Cheshire.
They had slept in their cars to secure a spot on the Long Walk. Michael served in the Coldstream Guards between 1965 and 1980 and was deployed across Europe in Germany, Cyprus, Turkey and Northern Ireland.
The couple married in 1972 after meeting when Nancy joined the NAAFI.
They moved to Germany together, where they went on intelligence gathering missions to East Berlin.
Grandad-of-two Michael said: “I’ve done Trooping The Colour, I’ve been a guard at St James’ Palace and I’ve been inspected by the Queen. She was my commander in chief and I owe her a great deal.
“As the coffin went past I had a tear in my eye. I’m a royalist through and through.” Nancy added: “The Queen was someone who empowered women from all walks of life.”
Occupational therapist Clare Waggett, 54, wore her British Empire Medal as she watched the Queen’s coffin pass by. She was awarded the honour after dedicating more than 40 years of service to Scouting in Bristol.
She was with her husband, NHS manager Steven, 55, who met the Queen in 1987 when he was awarded the Queen’s Scout Award when he was just 18.
Clare, from Bristol, said: “It was just amazing. I’ve got such deep respect for the Queen.” Terry Mossford, 51, from Cheshire, brought his four-year-old, Corgi, named Prince.
He paid his respects after the death of his father, Alan, three years ago at the age of 83, who spent his entire life as a director of music in the RAF.
Risk manager Terry, who travelled with his wife, Jennifer, 49, and daughter, Annie, 14, said: “My dad was in the RAF so I’ve always been a fan of the Royal family. We’ve got a Corgi - the Queen had at least one for the past 85 years and she inspired us to get one.”
They came in their droves to Windsor, arriving before first light to take their place in history.
From war veterans and nurses to accountants and estate agents, each had their own reasons for saying goodbye to the only Queen they have ever known and loved.
A group of nurses from Wexham Park Hospital, Slough and King Edward in Windsor arrived at 8am to make sure of a prime spot at the front to watch the State Hearse go past.
Malou Dechavez, 48, senior sister at Wexham Park Hospital said: “We are from the Philippines.
‘We came to say thank you to Her Majesty for allowing us to come to the UK in 1999. We were devastated when she passed and we wanted to come to show what she means to us.
“She gave 70 years of devoted service. We felt we had to be here for her as she has been for us.” Peter John Wailes, 63, a former gunner with RAF Regiment travelled from Cirencester, Wiltshire said farewell to his former Commander in Chief.
Resplendent in beret, polished shoes, his medals proudly adorning his chest, Gulf War veteran Peter served for 25 years. He recalled shaking hands with the Queen but forgetting to let go. He recalled: “I was supposed to let go after two shakes but carried on going.”
Royal fan Stuart Smith, 31, left his home in Doncaster at 11pm on Sunday night. “She is the nation’s grandma and the only Queen I have ever known - how could I not come?,” he said.
Christy Molloy, from nearby Maidenhead, was in a group who set up camp on the Long Walk late on Sunday. He wanted to watch the Queen “come home for the last time.”
His cousin, Billie Molloy, added: “What a lovely thing to say you slept in the Queen’s garden.” Grace Gothard brought a life-size cutout of the Queen to feel close to her.
Originally from Ghana, Grace, of Mitcham, Surrey said: “It is like losing our mother.” The royal fan who was third in the queue to file past the Queen’s coffin in Westminster Hall added: “ I wanted to say my final goodbye.”
Psychologist Laura Preedy-Maher was putting the finishing touches on an intricate knitted tea party scene made in honour of the Queen’s love of high tea.
As she cast the final stitches, Laura, 37, of Verwood, Dorset said: “I hope she has many eternal teas.”
During large parts of the journey, the crowds were so silent in deference you could have heard a pin drop.
At other points mourners broke out into spontaneous applause. Among the huge crowd was Laxmi Psdlimbo (c), 47, who served 25 years in the Queen’s Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment.
He stood alongside fellow soldiers Mani Limbu, who served in the same regiment, and Akash Sunuwar, who served in the Queen’s Own Gurkha Signals Regiment.
Laxmi, who travelled from Aldershot, said: “This was our last day to be able to say goodbye to her. It’s a moment in history.”
Sharon Biron and husband James O’Gorman travelled from their home in Vermont, USA. Sharon considered it her “duty” to attend and felt she “had to see her coffin come home”.
As the procession entered the grounds, and the gold tipped iron gates closed, Windsor resident Fiona Lloyd said: “Welcome home Your Majesty.”
Fiona, 50, added: “ She can now rest forever.” Her daughter Romilly, 12,
stood in line at nearby Upton House primary as the Queen was taken to Royal Ascot. She recalled: “She always waved back at us.
“I feel really lucky to have seen her around Windsor and I feel like she is home now.”
Roy Bailey, 86, who served with the Bucks and Oxfordshire Light Infantry in the 1950s, witnessed the funeral of King George VI as a child in Windsor in 1952.
“The horses paused for a moment, and I had a wonderful view of the Queen,
her mother and grandmother,” he recalled. “So I wanted to be here today. It has closed a chapter in history.
“It is the end of an era.”
