From the moment she inherited the crown, Queen Elizabeth II knew she was pre-destined to lie in state on the exact same spot as her father, her grandfather and great-grandfather before her. Such is the rhythm of royal life.
That destiny was fulfilled when her coffin, draped in the royal standard and with the glittering Imperial State Crown atop, was borne into the ancient splendour of Westminster Hall; the place where palace meets parliament, and a monument to the life of the nation since the 11th century.
