The royal family returned to
St. George’s Chapel in Windsor less than three hours after her Committal
Service, which was attended by 800 guests, for a more intimate gathering in the
King George VI memorial chapel.
Among those attending were the
Queen’s children – King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince
Edward – and their partners, the Queen Consort, Vice Admiral Timothy
Laurence and the Countess of Wessex.
The Prince and Princess
of Wales also attended, along with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex,
and the Queen’s other grandchildren, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Zara
Tindall and Peter Phillips, and Lady Louise Windsor and
James, Viscount Severn.
The service was led by the
Dean of Windsor, the right reverend David Connor, who also led the committal
service on Monday afternoon.
During the private gathering,
the Queen was reunited with her late husband, Prince Philip, who was moved
from the Royal Vault of St George’s Chapel to the memorial chapel, where they
were laid side-by-side.
“The Queen was buried
together with the Duke of Edinburgh, at The King George VI Memorial
Chapel,” a statement shared on the official royal family website
said.
The King George VI memorial
chapel is an annex to the main chapel and was added to the north side, behind
the North Quire Aisle in 1969. It is generally open to the public, and three
services per day take place there.
Queen Elizabeth II’s father,
King George VI, and her mother Queen Elizabeth are buried in the memorial
chapel – hence the name. Her Majesty’s sister Princess Margaret’s ashes
are in the chapel too. Prior to being buried in the memorial chapel, Queen
Elizabeth’s father, who died in 1952, was buried in a vault in the chapel.
A black stone slab is set into
the floor of the private chapel and features the names of Queen Elizabeth II’s
parents, George VI and Elizabeth, in gold lettering, accompanied by the couple’s
years of birth and death. The slate is left blank below their names, with room
for Queen Elizabeth II’s name to be added.
