The body of Queen Elizabeth II was laid to rest on Monday beside that of her husband in a private ceremony in the King George VI memorial chapel at Windsor Castle. The country’s longest-serving monarch was taken on a 25-mile journey from Westminster Hall, where her body had lain in state for hundreds of thousands of people, some waiting in a queue for almost a day, to file past to pay their respects.
To those who could not get to London to witness the pageantry and pomp of the royal cortege, every major television network beamed live images for her son’s subjects – and the world – to watch. How many people felt moved by the Queen’s death, and how many were not, will likely never be known. However, her funeral confirmed that the symbolic power of the monarchy has risen even as its political power has declined.
