The Queen will be buried alongside her late husband Prince Philip at a private ceremony attended by the royal family this evening. The monarch's final resting place will be St George’s Chapel inside the grounds of Windsor Castle, her much-loved Berkshire residence.
The 15th century gothic church has hosted a number of royal weddings, funerals and other royal services - including the marriages of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank in 2018. St George's was chosen as the preferred burial site for members of the royal family in the 19th century, superseding Westminster Abbey.
There are several different locations at the chapel where royals have been buried. The Royal Vault, which was constructed between 1804 and 1810 for George III, holds the most royal graves. Former Kings George IV and William IV are among those laid to rest in the Royal Vault, while Princess Alice, who was the Duke of Edinburgh's mother, was initially buried there before being moved to Jerusalem.
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The Royal Vault is also where Prince Philip was interred following his funeral in 2021. However, following the Queen's death, his coffin will be exhumed and buried alongside her in the King George VI Memorial Chapel.
The King George VI Memorial Chapel is an annex of St George’s Chapel. The tiny chapel is where the remains of the Queen’s parents - George VI and Elizabeth I, the Queen Mother - are buried.
The ashes of the Queen's sister, Princess Margaret, were also interred there following her death in 2002. She was one of very few royals to be cremated rather than buried.
Currently, St George's Chapel holds the tombs of 10 sovereigns. Five are in the two burial vaults beneath the choir and the other five are in tombs inside the chapel. St George's is the burial site of King Henry VIII and his third wife Jane Seymour, who are buried in the choir along with the beheaded Charles I.
Edward VII and George V are also all buried at the chapel. Queen Elizabeth II will be the eleventh monarch to be laid to rest at the site. Other members of the royal family are buried at the nearby Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore House.
St George's Chapel, which took around 50 years to finish and was eventually completed under Henry VIII in 1528, is often chosen as the venue for royal funerals, but it also hosts much happier events and has a special place in the royal family's hearts.
The Windsors gather there each year for Easter services and in the past for occasions such as the service to mark the Duke of Edinburgh’s 90th birthday. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall’s marriage was blessed in the gothic surrounds in 2005 while the Earl and Countess of Wessex wed there in 1999.
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