Funeral of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother

Updated on Jan 30, 2024

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Participants British Royal Family		Start date April 9, 2002

Location Westminster Abbey, London, United Kingdom Similar George VI, Elizabeth II, George V

Queen Mother's coffin moved to chapel

The public funeral of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother occurred on Tuesday, 9 April 2002 in Westminster Abbey in London, following her death on 30 March 2002 at the age of 101.

At Funeral of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, at the back 1st row, from left, a man is serious standing looking at his right, wearing a white polo with black necktie a black coat with white handkerchief at his right chest, at the right, a man is serious, standing wearing lack military uniform cap and black military coat with yellow treads and medals, 2nd row from left, Prince William is serious, standing, looking up, has brown hair wearing a white polo with black necktie, under a black vest and black coat, at the right, The Prince of Wales Charles III is serious, standing, hand over his mouth, has white hair, wearing black and white military uniform cap white gloves, black military coat with yellow treads, gold medals and blue sash. In front, Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth Alexandra is serious, standing looking down on her right, has white hair, wearing black hat with black feathers, pearl earrings, pearl necklace, and a black dress with white brooch.

Background

At Funeral of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, At the back from left, a man is serious, standing, looking down, has brown bald hair, wearing a white polo with black necktie, under a black vest and black coat, 2nd from left, the Princess Royal Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise is serious, standing, right hand over his forehead saluting left hand down holding a Curtana, has brown, wearing black and white military uniform cap white gloves, black military coat with yellow treads, at the right a man is serious, standing, right hand over his forehead saluting has black hair, wearing black and white military uniform cap white gloves, black military coat with white polo and black necktie medals, 2nd row from left, Prince William is serious, standing, looking down, has brown hair, wearing a white polo with black necktie, under a black vest and black coat, 2nd from left Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, standing looking down, has brown bald hair wearing a white polo with black necktie, under a black vest and black coat, 3rd from left, a man, standing, right hand over his forehead saluting left hand down holding a Curtana, has black hair, wearing black and white military uniform cap white gloves, black military coat with yellow treads, gold medals, gold belts and blue sash, 4th from left a woman is serious, standing, looking down, wearing a black hat with feathers a black coat and black skirt, at the right a man is serious, standing, looking down, has brown hair, wearing a white polo with black necktie, under a black vest and black coat, In front from left, Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth Alexandra is serious, standing looking down on her right holding a black bag, and a white paper on her right arm, has white hair, wearing black hat with black feathers, black gloves, pearl earrings, pearl necklace, and a black dress with white brooch. In the middle,The Prince of Wales Charles III is serious, standing, right hand over his forehead saluting left hand down holding a Curtana, has white hair, wearing black and white military uniform cap white gloves, black military coat with yellow treads, gold medals, gold belts and blue sash. At the right, The Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, is serious, standing, right hand over his forehead saluting left hand down holding a Curtana, has bald hair, wearing black and white military uniform cap white gloves, black military coat with yellow treads, gold medals, gold belts and blue sash.

the Queen Mother had been suffering from a persistent cold which she caught during Christmas 2001. She was bedridden at Sandringham after her final public engagement on 22 November 2001, when she attended the recommissioning of HMS Ark Royal. However, despite missing many other scheduled events—such as the 100th birthday celebrations of Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, on 12 December 2001; the annual luncheon of the Women's Institutes, of which she was President, on 23 January 2002, and traditional church services at Sandringham—she was determined to attend the funeral of her younger daughter Princess Margaret. On 13 February she slipped in her sitting room at Sandringham, causing considerable concern amongst her daughter, The Queen, and the rest of the royal family), but she travelled to Windsor by helicopter the following day. She attended the funeral on 15 February in a people carrier with blacked–out windows,(which had recently been used by Margaret) shielded from the press according to her wishes so that no photographs of her in a wheelchair could be taken. She then returned to Royal Lodge. On 5 March 2002 she attended lunch at the annual lawn party of the Eton Beagles, and watched the Cheltenham races on television; but her health rapidly deteriorated during her last weeks after retreating to the Lodge for the final time. She weakened further throughout March 2002, and died on 30 March (Easter Saturday) with her surviving daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, at her bedside.

At Funeral of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, from left, Daniel Chatto serious, standing, looking to his right, has black hair, wearing a white polo with black necktie, under a black vest and black coat, 2nd from left a man is serious, standing, looking to his right, has black hair, wearing a white polo with black necktie, under a black vest and black coat, 3rd from left, Prince William is serious, standing, has brown hair, wearing a white polo with black necktie, under a black vest and black coat,4th from left, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, standing, has brown bald hair wearing a white polo with black necktie, under a black vest and black coat, At the right, a man is serious, standing, has white hair wearing a white zucchetto, In front, The Prince of Wales Charles III is serious, standing, hands at the back has white hair, wearing black and white military uniform cap white gloves, black military coat with yellow treads, gold medals, gold belts and blue sash.At the right is the coffin of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, as the funeral procession with a purple pillow with black and white crown on top, and a white printed cloth underneath.

The Queen Mother's body lay at the altar of the Royal Chapel of All Saints near Royal Lodge before being taken to London for her lying in state and funeral.

At Funeral of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, At the back from left a man is serious, standing has black hair, wearing a black with red military cap and black coat military uniform, 2nd from left, Prince William is serious, standing, has brown hair, wearing a white polo with black necktie, under a black vest and black coat,3rd from left, a man is serious, standing, has black hair, wearing a black with yellow military cap and blue coat military uniform with medals, 4th from left, Prince Harry is serious, standing, has brown hair, wearing a white polo with black necktie, under a black vest and black coat, 5th from left, Prince Michael of Kent the is serious, standing, has whtie beard, wearing black and white military uniform cap white gloves, black military coat,At the right, the Princess Royal Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise is serious, standing, has brown, wearing black and white military uniform cap white gloves, black military coat.2nd row from left, The Prince of Wales Charles III is serious, standing, hands at the back has white hair, wearing black and white military uniform cap white gloves, black military coat with yellow treads, gold medals, gold belts and blue sash,At his left is the coffin of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, as the funeral procession with a purple pillow with black and white crown on top, and a white printed cloth underneath. In front, at the right bottom from three royal guards are serious, sitting on a black horse wearing a black royal guard hat with white and a red feather, a black with yellow striped coat, at the right, a man is serious, sitting on a black horse wearing a black royal guard hat with white feather, a black with yellow striped coat,

The published order of service included as a preface the verse beginning "You can shed tears that she is gone" (attributed to an anonymous author) selected by the Queen. The verse became widely popular after the funeral, and was later revealed to be based on a poem written some 20 years earlier by David Harkins, an aspiring artist from Carlisle.

The funeral

At Funeral of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, At the back from left, a woman is serious, standing wearing a black hat and black dress, 2nd from left, the Princess Royal Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise is serious, standing, has brown, wearing black and white military uniform cap white gloves, black military coat.3rd from left, Peter Phillips is serious, standing, has black bald short hair, wearing a white polo with black necktie and a black coat,4th from left, a woman is serious, standing has black hair wearing a black hat and black dress, 5th from left, a woman is serious, standing has black hair wearing a ablack hat and a black dress,6th from left, a man is serious, standing has black hair, wearing white polo with black necktie and coat,7th from left a man is serious, standing has black hair wearing a white polo with black necktie and a black coat, At the right, a man is serious, standing, looking to his right, has brown hair wearing a white polo with black necktie and a black coat,2nd row from left, Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth Alexandra is serious, standing looking at her right holding a black bag, has white hair, wearing black hat with black feathers, black gloves, pearl earrings, pearl necklace, and a black dress with white brooch. 2nd from left, a woman is serious, standing has brown hair wearing black hat and black dress,3rd from left, the Duke of York Prince Andrew is serious standing looking down, has brown hair wearing black military uniform with medals, 4th from left, Prince William is serious, has brown hair wearing a white polo with black necktie under a black coat,5th from left, is Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, has bald brown hair, wearing white polo with black necktie under black coat, 6th from left, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is serious, standing, has gray hair, At the right, Prince Harry, standing looking down, has brown hair wearing a white polo with black necktie under a black coat.In front is the coffin of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, as the funeral procession with a purple pillow with black and white crown on top along with white bouquet of roses, and a white with blue Scotland rampant lion flag and orange with red Scotland rampant lion flag, a four yellow tall candles at corners, below is crowd of people paying respect for the funeral.

The funeral was held in London. It started at 9:48 am on 9 April 2002, when the tenor bell of Westminster Abbey sounded 101 times, each chime representing a year that the Queen Mother had lived. At 11:18 am the coffin was carried from the palace on a gun carriage, from Westminster Hall where the Queen Mother's coffin - draped in her personal standard and with her crown resting on a cushion - had been lying in state on a six-foot (1.8 m) catafalque. The coffin was then taken to the Abbey, about 300 metres away, accompanied by a massed pipe band of 128 musicians drawn from 13 British and Commonwealth regiments. The following members of the Royal Family followed the procession: The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, Prince William, Prince Harry, Viscount Linley, Peter Phillips, Daniel Chatto, The Duke of Gloucester, The Duke of Kent, Prince Michael of Kent and Timothy Laurence. Also accompanying the royal family were members of the Bowes-Lyon family and some of her senior household staff. During the funeral the Union Flag flew at half mast over Buckingham Palace, and her own personal royal standard at Clarence House (the Queen Mother's official London residence since 1952). After the funeral, the banner was lowered for the final time.

The doors of Westminster Abbey were first opened at 9:45 am, and the first of the 2,100 guests arrived; most of the guests were in their seats by 10:30 am. Five minutes later, VIPs and Heads of State began arriving via the Great West Door. At 10:40 am, the bearer party of the Irish Guards arrived at Westminster Hall, positioning themselves outside the North Door. A guard of honour was mounted by the Nijmegen Company of the Grenadier Guards, and the members of the Royal Family walking in the funeral procession arrived from Buckingham Palace and St. James's Palace. Royalty who were not in the procession arrived at the Grand Entrance of Buckingham Palace. All this took part at 10:50 am.

The procession lasted from 11:00 am until 11:16 am. Members of the Royal Family were chauffeured to the Abbey's Great West Door at 11:05 am to be received by the Dean of Westminster (Wesley Carr) and Chapter, and conducted to St. George's Chapel. Two minutes later, the visiting clergy participating in the service, such as the then Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, processed along the centre aisle of the Abbey. The Queen left Buckingham Palace in the royal Rolls Royce at 11:12 am, arriving with her entourage at the Great West Door four minutes later. She and others, including Lady Sarah and Daniel Chatto, Zara Phillips, Timothy Laurence, Viscountess Linely, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie then walked down the Centre Aisle to their seats in the Lantern. The funeral service began at 11:30 am, lasting about 50 minutes.

The funeral started with the choir singing the Funeral Sentences, composed by William Croft and Henry Purcell. The first lesson from Ecclesiastes, chapter 12, verses 1-7, was read by Dr David Hope, the Archbishop of York, and the second lesson, from the Book of Revelation, chapter 7, verses 9-17, was read by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the Archbishop of Westminster. The sermon was given by Dr George Carey, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and a reading from The Pilgrim's Progress was given by the Reverend Anthony Burnham, the Moderator of The Free Churches Group. The Psalm was Psalm 121, sung to a setting by William McKie. The hymns were Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise; words by Walter Chalmers Smith to the traditional Welsh tune St Denio, and Guide me, O thou great Redeemer, by William Williams to the tune Cwm Rhondda by John Hughes. The anthems were How lovely are they dwellings fair by Johannes Brahms and Holy is the true light by William Henry Harris. The service finished with the Last Post, the proclamation of the Queen Mother's styles and titles by the Garter King at Arms Peter Gwynn-Jones, Reveille and the National Anthem. The voluntary was the Prelude and Fugue in E flat, BWV552 by Johann Sebastian Bach, and the Abbey bells rang half-muffled to a peal of Stedman Caters of 5101 changes.

At 12:25 pm, the bearer party lifted the coffin from the catafalque in the Abbey to the hearse outside the West Gate. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh observed the departure of the coffin by road for Windsor, along with other members of the Royal Family. The car procession began at 12:35 pm, via Broad Sanctuary, the west side of Parliament Square, Whitehall, Horse Guards, Horse Guards Arch, The Mall, the south and west sides of Victoria Memorial, Constitution Hill, Wellington Arch, Hyde Park Corner, Queen Elizabeth Gate, South Carriage Drive, Queen's Gate, Great West Road and Datchet. The journey took around 75 minutes.

The Queen and Duke then left the abbey by car for Buckingham Palace at 12:40 pm, followed by others in the processions three minutes later. The Queen arrived at the Palace five minutes later, and there was a lunch for dignitaries at 1:00 pm.

Interment

Queen Elizabeth was interred in the George VI Memorial Chapel next to her husband, King George VI, who had died 50 years previously. At the same time, the ashes of the Queen Mother's daughter, Princess Margaret, who had died on 9 February 2002, were also interred in a private family service.

Immediate family

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen Mother's daughter and her husband

The Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker-Bowles, the Queen Mother's grandson and his future wife

Prince William of Wales, the Queen Mother's great-grandson

Prince Henry of Wales, the Queen Mother's great-grandson

The Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York, the Queen Mother's grandson and his ex-wife

Princess Beatrice of York, the Queen Mother's great-granddaughter

Princess Eugenie of York, the Queen Mother's great-granddaughter

The Earl and Countess of Wessex, the Queen Mother's grandson and his wife

The Princess Royal and Mr Timothy Laurence, the Queen Mother's granddaughter and her second husband

Mr Peter Phillips, the Queen Mother's great-grandson

Miss Zara Phillips, the Queen Mother's great-granddaughter

The Earl of Snowdon, ex-husband of the Queen Mother's daughter

Viscount and Viscountess Linley, the Queen Mother's grandson and his wife

Mr Charles Armstrong-Jones, the Queen Mother's great-grandson

Lady Sarah and Mr Daniel Chatto, the Queen Mother's granddaughter and her husband

Mr Samuel Chatto, the Queen Mother's great-grandson

Mr Arthur Chatto, the Queen Mother's great-grandson

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Queen Mother's nephew and his wife

Earl of Ulster, the Queen Mother's grandnephew

Lady Davina Windsor, the Queen Mother's grandniece

Lady Rose Windsor, the Queen Mother's grandniece

The Duke and Duchess of Kent, the Queen Mother's nephew and his wife

Earl and Countess of St Andrews, the Queen Mother's grandnephew and his wife

Lord Downpatrick, the Queen Mother's great-grandnephew

Lady Marina Charlotte Windsor, the Queen Mother's great-grandniece

Lady Amelia Windsor, the Queen Mother's great-grandniece

Lady Helen and Mr Timothy Taylor, the Queen Mother's grandniece and her husband

Mr Columbus Taylor, the Queen Mother's great-grandnephew

Mr Cassius Taylor, the Queen Mother's great-grandnephew

Lord Nicholas Windsor, the Queen Mother's grandnephew

Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, the Queen Mother's nephew and his wife

Lord Frederick Windsor, the Queen Mother's grandnephew

Lady Gabriella Windsor, the Queen Mother's grandniece

Princess Alexandra, Lady Ogilvy and Sir Angus Ogilvy, the Queen Mother's niece and her husband

Mr and Mrs James Ogilvy, the Queen Mother's grandnephew and his wife

Mr Alexander Ogilvy, the Queen Mother's great-grandnephew

Miss Flora Ogilvy, the Queen Mother's great-grandniece

Mrs Marina Ogilvy, the Queen Mother's grandniece

Miss Zenouska Mowatt, the Queen Mother's great-grandniece

Mr Christian Mowatt, the Queen Mother's great-grandnephew

The Earl and Countess of Harewood, the Queen Mother's nephew and his second wife

Viscount and Viscountess Lascelles, the Queen Mother's grandnephew and his second wife

Mr Benjamim Lascelles, the Queen Mother's great-grandnephew

Mr Alexander Lascelles, the Queen Mother's great-grandnephew

Mr Edward Lascelles, the Queen Mother's great-grandnephew

Miss Emily Lascelles, the Queen Mother's great-grandniece

Mr and Mrs James Lascelles, the Queen Mother's grandnephew and his third wife

Mr and Mrs Jeremy Lascelles, the Queen Mother's grandnephew and his second wife

Mrs Gerald Lascelles, second wife and widow of the Queen Mother's nephew

Mr Henry Lascelles, the Queen Mother's grandnephew

Mr Maximilian Lascelles, the Queen Mother's great-grandnephew

Mr and Mrs Martin Lascelles, the Queen Mother's grandnephew and his wife

The Dowager Lady Elphinstone, widow of the Queen Mother's grandnephew

The Lord Elphinstone, the Queen Mother's great-grandnephew

Mrs Denys Rhodes, the Queen Mother's niece

Mr and Mrs Simon John Rhodes, the Queen Mother's grandnephew and his wife

Mr Michel Rhodes, the Queen Mother's grandnephew

Mrs and Mr Charles Cope, the Queen Mother's grandniece and her second husband

Mr Andrew Strickland-Skailes, the Queen Mother's great-grandnephew

Mrs and Mr Nicholas Deans, the Queen Mother's grandniece and her husband

The Dowager Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne, widow of the Queen Mother's nephew

The Earl and Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne, the Queen Mother's grandnephew and his first wife

Lord Glamis, the Queen Mother's great-grandnephew

Mr John Bowes-Lyon, the Queen Mother's great-grandnephew

Mr George Bowes-Lyon, the Queen Mother's great-grandnephew

Lady Elizabeth Leeming and Mr Antony Leeming, the Queen Mother's grandniece and her husband

Lady Diana Faussett and Mr Christopher Faussett, the Queen Mother's grandniece and her husband

The Dowager Countess Granville, widow of the Queen Mother's nephew

The Earl and Countess Granville, the Queen Mother's grandnephew and his wife

Lord Leveson, the Queen Mother's great-grandnephew

Lady Mary Cecília Leveson-Gower, the Queen Mother's niece

The Dowager Countess of Stair, the Queen Mother's niece

The Earl of Stair, the Queen Mother's grandnephew

Mr David Dalrymple, the Queen Mother's grandnephew

Mr Michael Dalrymple, the Queen Mother's grandnephew

Sir Simon Bowes-Lyon and Lady Bowes-Lyon, the Queen Mother's nephew and his wife

Mr John Blair, second husband and widower of the Queen Mother's niece

Mr Christopher Burra-Robinson, the Queen Mother's grandnephew

Mr Simon Burra-Robinson, the Queen Mother's grandnephew

Extended family

The Duke of Fife

Earl and Countess of Southesk

Lady Alexandra Etherington

The Lady Saltoun

Mistress of Saltoun and Capt Mark Nicolson

The Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven

The Marquess and Marchioness of Milford Haven

Earl of Medina

Lord Ivar Mountbatten

The Countess Mountbatten of Burma and The Lord Brabourne

Lord and Lady Romsey

Lady Pamela Hicks

Mr and Mrs Ashley Hicks

Mrs and Mr Jeremy Brudenell

Miss India Hicks and Mr David Flint Wood

Foreign royalty

The Sultan of Brunei

The Queen and Prince Henrik of Denmark

The King and Queen of Sweden

The King and Queen of Spain

The Queen of the Netherlands

The King and Queen of Norway

The King of the Belgians

The Duke of Brabant

The Queen Mother of Lesotho

King Michael I and Queen Anne of Romania

King Simeon II of the Bulgarians (was also the incumbent Prime Minister of Bulgaria at the time)

King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes

Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Joséphine Charlotte of Luxembourg

The Prince of Liechtenstein

Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Yugoslavia

The Hereditary Prince of Monaco

Hereditary Prince Gustav of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg

The Prince and Princess of Hanover

Princess Muna al Hussein of Jordan

The Duke of Aosta

Prime Ministers and Presidents

Tony Blair, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Jean Chrétien, Prime Minister of Canada

John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia

Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand

Sir Edward Heath, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

The Lord Callaghan of Cardiff, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

The Baroness Thatcher, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

John Major, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Mary McAleese, President of Ireland

Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, President of Iceland

Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, President of Latvia

Mauno Koivisto, former President of Finland

Baron Richard von Weizsäcker, former Federal President of Germany

Other

Laura Bush

Many members of the Queen Mother's family also attended the event.

References

Funeral of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Wikipedia

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