QUEEN ELIZABETH'S FUNERAL

After days of lying in state, the body of the late  Queen Elizabeth II made its final journey as part of a great state funeral.  It traveled first to Westminster Abbey for a religious service in front of a congregation of thousands and made its way to Windsor Castle for a more intimate committal service and finally a private burial. It was a day of emotion, pomp and ceremony the like of which has not been seen since the last state funeral of Winston Churchill, almost sixty years ago. The Queen made personal additions to the plans according to Buckingham Palace.  The queen's lying in state at Westminster Abbey in the heart of London, where people queued for hours to view her coffin came to an end in the early morning. A short distance away at Westminster Abbey, the doors opened for guests to start arriving ahead of the funeral service at 11.00.  Heads of state from across the world flew in to join members of the Royal  Family to remember the Queen's life and service.  Senior politicians and former Prime Ministers were also there. Members of royal families from across Europe, many of whom were blood relatives of the Queen were also in attendance. The Queen's coffin was lifted up from the catafalque at  Westminster Abbey and carried on the State Gun Carriage of the Royal Navy, drawn by 142 sailors. The carriage was last seen, in 1979. for the funeral of Prince Philip's uncle Lord Mountbatten and was also used for the Queen's father, George VI in 1955. The Queen's coffin was topped with the Royal Standard, the Imperial Crown, the Sovereign's orb and scepter and a wreath made with flowers and foliage ordered by the King from Buckingham Palace and the King's houses.