The Queen's state funeral will take place today, with Her Majesty laid to rest in the royal vault alongside her beloved husband, Prince Philip. The late Monarch's coffin is set to take the same route through the quire of St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle as the Duke of Edinburgh, who passed away just 17 months ago.
Her Majesty and Prince Philip were married for 73 years, with the Queen often describing her husband as her 'strength and stay', the Daily Star reports. The monarch was just 13 years old when she first met the Greek-born Prince, who was a officer in the Royal Navy at the time.
They celebrated their wedding in 1947, with Philip promising to stand by the Queen throughout her reign during her Coronation at Westminster Abbey six years later. Speaking at the ceremony, Prince Philip vowed: “I, Philip Duke of Edinburgh, do become your liege man of life and limb, and of earthly worship; and faith and truth will I bear unto you, to live and die, against all manner of folks. So help me God.”
Whether he was sitting by her side during windswept parades or walking one step behind, he kept this promise until his death on April 9, 2021.
The Queen's oak coffin is set to be committed to the ground today, with the tiled floor due to be removed to lower her casket into the tomb.
However, the burial chamber will not be Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip's final resting place.
Following the state funeral, there will be a private ceremony at 7.30pm for senior royals, when the couple will be laid to rest in the King George VI memorial chapel that adjoins the main building. It was Her Majesty's wish to be laid to rest alongside her father George VI, mother Elizabeth and sister Princess Margaret.
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