People from all over the world are watching the Queen's funeral at Westminster Abbey today as billions of royal fans mourn the death of Britain's longest-reigning monarch. The ceremony is undoubtedly difficult for viewers everywhere, but must be especially hard for the Royal Family, whose final goodbyes to Queen Elizabeth II are witnessed on a global stage.
The funeral is expected to be the most-watched global broadcast in history with figures predicted to reach approximately 4.2 billion - and with all eyes on the royals throughout the ceremony - they may take former advice directly from Her Majesty herself. The Queen broke hearts across the globe in April 2021 as footage surfaced of her mourning the death of her husband Prince Philip alone.
Follow the latest updates of Her Majesty's funeral as the world mourns Queen Elizabeth II on our live blog .
The monarch was captured sitting alone during the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, as people across the globe had to social distance.
Following her husband's funeral, she wrote a heartfelt note to the former Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, on the hardship of grieving in the public eye.
In an interview aired on BBC's Sunday with Lauren Kuenssberg, Sentamu told how the Queen had thanked him for his support following Prince Philip's funeral and ended the letter by writing: "When you are grieving someone you deeply love, it isn't easy when you're having to do it in public."
Royal commentator Victoria Arbiter reminded everyone of the Queen's heartbreaking comment on social ahead of the funeral, tweeting: "The former Bishop of York said the Queen wrote to him following Prince Philip’s funeral saying when you lose someone you love deeply grieving in public isn’t easy.
"Today promises to be very difficult for members of the Royal Family as they share their grief on a global stage."
Whilst today will undoubtedly be sad for those watching the Queen's funeral, Her Majesty made arrangements to ensure that the historic ceremony wasn't "boring".
During his BBC interview, Sentamu also told how the Queen had confessed she didn't want a "boring" funeral and that the poignant event will be uplifting, which will warm people's hearts.
He told how the funeral would be the peak of the English language with joyous choral singing.
He explained: "The Queen does not and did not want what you call long, boring services, you're not going to find boredom, but you're going to be lifted to glory as you hear the service."
"The hearts and people's cockles will be warmed and at the same time, there will be a moment of saying this is a funeral service that is glorious in its setting."
You can now buy the historic Daily Mirror commemorating the death of the Queen here: mirror.co.uk/commemorative
