The symbolic end of Elizabeth II’s reign arrived at 4.57pm on Monday when the head of her household ceremoniously snapped his wand of office, a thin yellow staff, and placed it on the late Queen’s coffin.
The lord chamberlain, Lord Parker of Minsmere, a former director general of MI5, broke the stick (originally designed to provide discipline to courtiers) in two, marking the conclusion of both his and the Queen’s service.
