A historic act that has never been seen by the public before was aired today as part of the Queen's funeral. The Breaking of the Wand of Office takes place when the reign passes from one monarch to the next, and will have happened during the funeral of Queen Elizabeth's father, King George VI.
But as his funeral was in 1952 it wasn't televised, so very few people alive today had ever seen the Breaking of the Wand of Office. That is, until now - as at around 16.45, during the committal service of Her Majesty's funeral, the staff was broken as Wales Live reports. The wand belongs to Lord Chamberlain, in this case former MI5 chief Lord Parker of Minsmere, and the breaking of the wand signifies the end of his service to the Queen as sovereign.
