Queen Elizabeth II made her ultimate procession by way of London on Monday after the state funeral service was held for her at Westminster Abbey. All through the method, her coffin was closely embellished in regalia, all representing varied facets of the queen's life and legacy.
Royal contributor Tina Brown advised CBS Information that the objects that draped and sat on prime of the queen's coffin added historic symbolism to this "transferring second."
"It is actually the final time we get to wrap Elizabeth within the splendor of the nation's pageantry," she mentioned. ", that is the final time. It is a thousand years of British historical past — its entire weight — on the transfer."
Listed here are the objects that embellished the queen's coffin, and what their significance to the throne is.
The Royal Normal
Queen Elizabeth's coffin was draped within the Royal Normal, a flag representing the Sovereign and the UK. The flag — whose design comprises three lions passant for England, a rampant lion for Scotland and a harp for Eire — is historically flown when the queen was in residence at considered one of her palaces and when she was on an official journey in her automobile or on her plane.
"It has a really highly effective spiritual component on this," former BBC royal correspondent Wesley Kerr advised CBS Information on Monday.
Imperial State Crown
Atop the Royal Normal, and standing out among the many different objects, is the Imperial State Crown. The crown, worn by monarchs as they go away their coronations, was made for the coronation of Elizabeth's father, King George VI, in 1937, in line with the web site for the Historic Royal Palaces. It changed one worn by Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1837 to 1901.
The crown, fabricated from gold, holds 2,868 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, 269 pearls and 4 rubies. Its gems embody the St. Edward's Sapphire, which is alleged to have been found within the tomb of St. Edward the Confessor in 1163. The pearls on the crown belonged to Queen Elizabeth I, Kerr mentioned, marking "an unimaginable hyperlink with historical past."
Sovereign's Sceptre and Orb
Sitting alongside the crown are the Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross and Soverign's Orb, "symbolizing her relationship with God and likewise energy," Kerr mentioned.
Based on Historic Royal Palaces, the sceptre has been used at each coronation since 1661. The Cullinan I diamond — the world's largest colorless minimize diamond, initially found in South Africa — was added to it in 1910 for George V. That diamond and eight others had been minimize from the unique stone, with its sibling stone, the Cullinan II, being positioned within the entrance band of the Imperial State Crown.
The orb can also be a major object that's given to monarchs for his or her coronation to symbolize their energy and duties, in line with the charity. The gold orb, Historic Royal Locations says, "reminds the monarch that their energy is derived from God."
A word from King Charles III
Whereas many of the objects on Elizabeth's coffin had been regal and historic, one stood out for its private nature — a handwritten word from the queen's eldest son, Britain's latest monarch, King Charles III.
The word was nestled atop a stupendous wreath of flowers that included a sprig from Queen Elizabeth's wedding ceremony to Prince Philip, her husband of 73 years, who died in 2021.
"In loving and devoted reminiscence. Charles R.," the word says, with R. being shorthand for "Rex," the Latin phrase for king.