Thank you and goodbye, Your Majesty: Nation says farewell to Queen for final time as she's reunited with Philip

20 September 2022, 00:02 | Updated: 20 September 2022, 00:07

The Queen has been laid to rest at Windsor
The Queen has been laid to rest at Windsor. Picture: Alamy

By Will Taylor

The Queen has been reunited with her beloved late husband Prince Philip after being buried in a private ceremony at Windsor Castle.

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She was buried alongside the Duke of Edinburgh in a private ceremony with the royal family. It was not broadcast after the public funeral services preceding it on Monday.

A statement from the palace said: "The Queen was buried together with the Duke of Edinburgh, at The King George VI Memorial Chapel."

Philip had been placed in the Royal Vault ahead of his expected move to the memorial chapel upon the Queen's death.

Royals released a new photo of the Queen after the ceremony. It showed her walking on moorland wearing sunglasses and walking with a stick - with the monarch famous for loving her outdoor treks.

She especially enjoyed the country around her Balmoral estate in Scotland, where she died aged 96.

The caption tweeted with the image read: "'May flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest.'

"In loving memory of Her Majesty The Queen. 1926 - 2022."

Queen's coffin during St George's Chapel service in Windsor
Queen's coffin during St George's Chapel service in Windsor. Picture: Alamy

It followed a ceremony at Westminster Abbey, for which hundreds of foreign dignitaries including US president Joe Biden flew in to see.

The Queen's coffin, having been viewed by thousands as as she lay-in-state in Parliament after being flown down from Balmoral, was then taken to Windsor Castle.

Britain’s longest reigning monarch was carried into St George's Chapel followed by King Charles III, her children and grandchildren including Princes William and Harry.

The King, who appeared emotional during the proceedings, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York, the Earl of Wessex, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex met her coffin as it arrived at the castle after a procession along Windsor's Long Walk, in front of a packed crowd of tens of thousands of mourners.

Read more: 'In loving memory': New photo of Queen Elizabeth II released after royals say final goodbye in private Windsor ceremony

The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II lies at St George's Chapel in Windsor
The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II lies at St George's Chapel in Windsor. Picture: Alamy
Royals listen to the service in Windsor
Royals listen to the service in Windsor. Picture: Alamy

As the hearse approached Windsor, the Long Walk to the castle was lined with members of the armed forces on either side, stood in front of a huge crowd of members of the public, standing at least 10 deep at the barriers.

At the Committal Service, the Dean of Windsor, the Rev David Conner, said: "We have come together to commit into the hands of God the soul of his servant Queen Elizabeth.

"Here, in St George's Chapel, where she so often worshipped, we are bound to call to mind someone whose uncomplicated yet profound Christian Faith bore so much fruit.

Read more: Sweet moment Princess Charlotte tells Prince George to bow as Queen's coffin passes by

"Fruit, in a life of unstinting service to the Nation, the Commonwealth and the wider world, but also (and especially to be remembered in this place) in kindness, concern and reassuring care for her family and friends and neighbours."

Referring to a "rapidly changing and frequently troubled world", the Dean praised the late Queen's "calm and dignified presence".

He said the monarch's disposition "has given us confidence to face the future, as she did, with courage and with hope".

King Charles III, Anne, Princess Royal, Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex arrive at St. George's Chapel
King Charles III, Anne, Princess Royal, Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex arrive at St. George's Chapel. Picture: Getty

"As, with grateful hearts, we reflect on these and all the many other ways in which her long life has been a blessing to us, we pray that God will give us grace to honour her memory by following her example, and that, with our sister Elizabeth, at the last, we shall know the joys of life eternal."

Her final journey from London to Windsor was met with a cascade of floral tributes from thousands of mourners who lined the streets to say farewell.

Many flowers, thrown by well-wishers along the route, remained on its bonnet and roof as it arrived in Windsor.

Read more: A son grieves for his mother: King Charles sheds a tear as world mourns the Queen

The Queen's coffin was showered with flowers as it left London before its journey down the Long Walk
The Queen's coffin was showered with flowers as it left London before its journey down the Long Walk. Picture: Alamy

The Queen's final journey through the streets of London ended at Wellington Arch where her coffin was carried into the waiting hearse before being driven to Windsor Castle.

Her grief-stricken family were by her side for the procession as thousands of mourners lined the route.

A huge crowd gathered in Windsor to see the Queen's coffin
A huge crowd gathered in Windsor to see the Queen's coffin. Picture: Getty

As the hearse left Wellington Arch, the national anthem was sung while the vehicle was given the royal salute by members of the military parade.

The King, the Queen Consort and members of the royal family followed the hearse to Windsor by car, ahead of the procession to St George's Chapel where a committal ceremony will take place from 4pm.

The procession route for the Queen's coffin was lined by the armed forces, from Westminster Abbey to the top of Constitution Hill at the Commonwealth Memorial Gates.

King and siblings follow Queen's coffin in procession

The King and other Royals led the procession of the Queen's coffin
The King and other Royals led the procession of the Queen's coffin. Picture: Getty

Mounties of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police led the procession, followed immediately by representatives of the George Cross foundations from Malta, the former Royal Ulster Constabulary, and four representatives from the NHS.

Thousands of people lined South Carriage Drive to watch the hearse carrying the Queen's coffin.

It is the first road the hearse was driven down on its way to Windsor following the funeral procession.

In some places the crowds were 30 people deep. Mourners were seen waving flags and carrying flowers.

Tens of thousands of people lined the streets to see the Queen's coffin
Tens of thousands of people lined the streets to see the Queen's coffin. Picture: Getty
The Queen's coffin makes its way down the Mall for the final time
The Queen's coffin makes its way down the Mall for the final time. Picture: Getty

Ex-Service Association standard bearers, mustered by the Royal British Legion, flanked the Cenotaph on Whitehall and saluted as the Queen's coffin moved past.

The London funeral procession for Queen Elizabeth II begins

Every head in the crowd turned as one, as the Queen's coffin was carried through Whitehall and the historic surroundings, past the Cabinet War Rooms, past the Cenotaph and past Downing Street.

Scottish bagpipes played during Queen Elizabeth II funeral

A sea of smartphones greeted the funeral procession as it arrived in Whitehall, with the crowd descending into silence as the coffin came.

As the Queen's funeral procession moved past the Cenotaph in London, the King, the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex saluted the memorial to Britain and the Commonwealth soldiers killed in the First and Second World Wars.

As the procession left Westminster Abbey for Wellington Arch, members of the royal family watched on.

The Queen Consort, the Duchess of Sussex, the Princess of Wales and the Countess of Wessex were seen looking sombre as the King and his siblings marched off.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte stood in front of their mother, with George looking directly at the coffin as it passed.

The gun salutes being fired every minute from Hyde Park continue to punctuate a silent atmosphere at nearby Wellington Arch, as Big Ben tolled throughout the duration the procession.

A handful of military figures are waiting by the monument for the arrival of the Queen's funeral procession.

Mourners lining the barriers on Constitution Hill waved red and white roses as the Queen's coffin passed them.

The King, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex appeared solemn as they walked behind.

Princess Charlotte looked out at the crowds of people lining the street as she rode past in a car with the Queen Consort, the Princess of Wales and her brother Prince George.

The Duchess of Sussex and the Countess of Wessex both appeared sombre in a vehicle directly behind.

Following them, Princess Eugenie and and Princess Beatrice waved and smiled at mourners from a third car.