Thousands of people queued on Wednesday to say a final farewell to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother after she was laid to rest alongside her beloved husband, King George VI, in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. The Royal Family gave permission for the doors of the chapel to be thrown open to the public, with the usual £11.50 castle admission fee waived for those wishing to pay their last respects to the late royal matriarch.
The body of the Queen Mother was interred in the chapel in a private committal on Tuesday evening, following a grandiose funeral service at Westminster Abbey. Marking the grave is a black marble ledger inscribed with her name and that of her husband, who died in 1952. The ashes of her younger daughter Princess Margaret were placed in the tomb beside her.
Less than 24 hours after the interment, the queue to file past the royal couple's gravestone was averaging 500 people an hour, and outside, it snaked right through the precincts of the castle. Four wreaths from senior members of the royal family were laid next to an altar near the tomb. One, from the Queen Mother’s great-grandsons Princes William and Harry, was of white roses. A card next to it bore the message: “Dear Gran Gran, with much love and affection forever. Wills and Harry.”
Princess Margaret’s children, Lady Sarah Chatto and Viscount Linley, left wreaths of pink and red carnations. “Darling Granny, with all our fondest love,” said the message. Lord Linley had also remembered his mother. “Darling Mummy,” read the card. Almost hidden from the public gaze was a wreath of flowers picked from Prince Charles’ garden at his Highgrove estate. Behind the altar in a vase was a selection of the Queen Mother’s favourite flowers, including pink orchids and white camellias, which had been picked from her garden at the nearby Royal Lodge.
Entry to the St George’s Chapel will remain free until the end of the official period of mourning on April 19 – the same day as the memorial service for Princess Margaret in Westminster Abbey. The opening hours are 10am to 4pm.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
The Queen Mother was laid to rest in the St George's Chapel alongside her husband - her "beloved Bertie" - in a private committal on Tuesday evening. Less than 24 hours later, the queue of people wishing to pay their last respects snaked right the way through the precincts of Windsor Castle
Photo: © Alphapress.com
The black marble ledger marking the grave is inscribed with names of the Queen Mother and her husband, King George VI. The ashes of the royal couple's younger daughter, Princess Margaret - who died eight weeks ago - was placed in the tomb beside her parents
Photo: © Alphapress.com
On Tuesday, as the procession carrying the coffin to its final resting place made its way to Windsor, more than one million members of the public came out to say farewell
