…………………I did not get up at 4am to watch the proceedings, but once I turned the TV on I was hooked…………..The pomp and circumstance was unbelievable……steeped in Royal splendor, an historic even that shouldn’t be missed.. I firmly believe we will never see the likes of this again….ever. There are many reasons for this. Firstly it is very very unlikely that there will ever be a British monarch that will reign as long as Elizabeth 11. A queen who rivaled all of her predecessors…….I doubt the money spent on this entire ceremony will ever be spent again. It has already been reported that King Charles has said his funeral will be much smaller…………All that said….this was an historical occasion…….I really did not think I would get emotional watching the proceedings……but…..there were moments that I was completely caught off guard…..Four that immediately come to mind were at the very end when the lone bagpiper, with his back to the camera, marched up the empty hallway and out of site……his music drifting off…I found this very poignant, and it brought tears to my eyes. I later learned this was requested by the Queen herself, and the bagpiper woke her every morning with this special song….When one of her long time most senior advisors, the Lord Chamberlain, stood at the foot of the casket and broke the rod in two signalizing his duty, and her staffs duty had ended……it was so sad symbolizing an era over…..I wasn’t expecting to see the casket being lowered into the vault inside the Cathedral…..it was so final…so sad…The other was seeing Charles’ face when, at the very end, they played “God Save the King”. It was apparent that there were tears in his eyes…….He gave the expression, “a stiff upper lip” a knew meaning…..I took these pictures at the moment they were occurring so I would have these images so I would never forget what I saw and how I felt. Her reign is now a part of history.
I set my alarm to watch all of it on BBC. Great coverage. Queen Elizabeth was a constant, steadfast, and in control of her public image. I have watched all seasons of The Crown over and over again. Netflix has a nice collection of Royal documentaries. Regarding her funeral, I took particular note of the fashion, especially the uniforms. Spectacular. The tailoring is exquisite. Precise. I wonder what the massive black fur looking hats are made of. And, the precision of the military was impressive. She deserved it all. If only Prince Phillip could have been honored publicly for his loyalty, contribution, and support and love of the queen. He also deserved it.
Your comments were beautifully stated, The Queen has been Britain’s monarch my whole life, I watched every minute of her funeral etc. No country does pageantry like the British. I felt genuinely sorry when she passed. Based on the longevity of her mother, I always thought we had at least 6 more years with Elizabeth II. God Bless Queen Elizabeth II – longest serving Monarch in British History.
Beautifully said Louis ❤️
From the first aerial images of the coffin being driven through the Scottish countryside until the Committal at Windsor, it was beautiful and meaningful. Your artist’s eyes must have been able to appreciate it even more than most. The coming together of people in the United Kingdom has also been heartening to witness (the Queue and other gatherings). By the way, if you missed any of the events, there are separate videos without commentary on the Buckingham Palace YouTube channel called Royal Family.
It was indeed the most moving and historic event I have ever witnessed. Another poignant moment for me was the groom standing with her horse, Emma. He said he placed a headscarf on the saddle as she never wore a riding helmet. He said he could have placed her riding crop and gloves but he felt this was a more fitting tribute. It was a Hermes scarf with horses and carriages, her favorite, he said. There were many moments and small tributes that I would have missed had I not watched it on the BBC. The barristers from London with the white mourning cuffs attached to their robes in case they needed to wipe tears. Over 200 barristers from London who prosecuted and defended case in the name of the Crown.