The Queen's funeral celebrates her "lifelong sense of duty"

At the state funeral for the Queen at Westminster Abbey, people talked about her "lifelong sense of duty."

The Dean of Westminster, who was in charge of the service, thanked the 2,000 people there, who included world leaders and royalty. From Westminster Hall to the abbey, King Charles III led a sad procession behind the coffin of his mother.

At the moment, about 800 people are at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle for a small wedding ceremony.
When the Queen's carriage arrived in Windsor from London, guns were fired and bells rung. During the final procession, King Charles, Princess Anne, Princes Andrew and Edward, and Princes William and Harry all walked behind the hearse. At a private family service on Monday evening, the Queen and her husband of more than 70 years will be laid to rest.

Earlier, the Dean, the Very Rev. David Hoyle, started the morning service at the Abbey by talking about the Queen's "unwavering commitment to a high calling for so many years as Queen and Head of the Commonwealth." "Her lifelong sense of duty and commitment to her people made us admire her," he said.
The congregation sang "The Lord's My Shepherd," a hymn that was also sung at the abbey when the Queen married the late Duke of Edinburgh.

The Most Reverend Justin Welby, who is the Archbishop of Canterbury, said that the Queen "touched a lot of lives," and he quoted the singer Dame Vera Lynn when he said, "We will meet again." At the start of the COVID pandemic, the Queen gave a rare speech to the whole country. She used this phrase. The archbishop said, "The sorrow of this day, which is felt not only by the late Queen's family but by the whole nation, Commonwealth, and world, comes from her full life and loving service, which we will miss now that she is gone."

As the abbey service was coming to an end, the same musicians who played the Last Post at the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral played it again. The whole country then stopped for two minutes of silence. Then, a piper played a traditional lament, and the King stood still while the national anthem was played. A handwritten message from the King was put on top of the coffin in a wreath of flowers from the gardens of Buckingham Palace, Highgrove House, and Clarence House at his request. It said : "In loving and sincere remembrance." "Charles R. B."

Before the service, the Queen's coffin was taken from Westminster Hall, where she had been lying in state since Wednesday, in the first of three processions that would take place that day. The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex followed their father, the King, side by side. The King walked with his siblings, who were also children of the Queen. Prince William's oldest two children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, followed the procession into the abbey.

Approximately 2,000 people attended the Queen's state funeral.Presidents, prime ministers, and royal families from other countries were among the guests. Some of the people who went to the UK to pay their respects were US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron. There were members of many European royal families there, as well as six former British prime ministers and about 200 ordinary people who were given honours for the Queen's birthday.

Millions of people from across the country and around the world were expected to attend. There are big screens in cities across the UK for people who weren't invited, and some cinemas, pubs, and other places are also showing the once-in-a-generation event. Many people were moved to tears as they watched the service in the streets and parks of the capital. It was the largest ceremony since World War II. It was the first state funeral since Sir Winston Churchill's in 1965.

As the coffin moved toward Hyde Park Corner, gun salutes were fired every minute and people watched from places set up along the route. The parade went through Horse Guards Parade, where the Queen has led many Trooping the Colour ceremonies, and down the Mall, where people cheered and applauded.
As the Queen's coffin passed through Buckingham Palace for the last time, the staff stood outside to say their last goodbyes.

The Dean of Windsor, David Conner, will lead the service at St. George's Chapel, and the Archbishop of Canterbury will bless the service. Later, the Queen and her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, will be buried together at the King George VI memorial chapel inside St. George's Chapel during a private family service.