Funeral of Edward VII

Organisation

King Edward VII had died on 6 May, and the funeral was held two weeks later. Huge crowds gathered to watch the procession, which passed from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, where a small ceremony was conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Randall Davidson, before a small group of official mourners – the late King's widow, Queen Alexandra, his son King George V, his daughter The Princess Victoria, his brother the Duke of Connaught, and his nephew the German Emperor. The remainder of the funeral party waited outside the Hall, consisting of thousands of people. Then the whole procession proceeded via Whitehall and the Mall, from Hyde Park Corner up to the Marble Arch, and thence to Paddington Station. From there, a train conveyed the mourners to Windsor. The procession then continued on to Windsor Castle, and a full funeral ceremony was held in St George's Chapel.

The funeral directors to the Royal Household appointed to assist during this occasion were the family business of William Banting of St. James’s Street, London. The Banting family also conducted the funerals of King George III in 1820, King George IV in 1830, the Duke of Gloucester in 1834, the Duke of Wellington in 1852, Prince Albert in 1861, Prince Leopold in 1884, and Queen Victoria in 1901. The royal undertaking warrant for the Banting family ended in 1928 with the retirement of William Westport Banting.

People in the procession

The funeral was notable for the enormous number of important European and world royalty who participated in it. The funeral procession saw a horseback procession, followed by 11 carriages.

Figures on horseback included the following, along with various military figures and equerries (given roughly in the order they rode:

Those who followed behind in the carriages included: