₦airaland Forum

The state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II is taking place in the United Kingdom. It is an emotional day for the British public as they bid a final farewell to their beloved monarch, who died on Sept. 8 at the age of 96. The country has come to a standstill, with businesses and schools closed.

By Monday evening, the queen’s coffin was lowered into the vault beneath St. George’s Chapel—just moments after the Imperial State Crown, Orb and Scepter were removed from on top of the coffin.

Earlier on, the funeral service was held at Westminster Abbey—the Gothic church in central London where the Queen was crowned in 1953. Her coffin then made its way through Central London in a funeral procession more than a mile long that involved thousands of members of the U.K.’s military.

On top of the coffin was a simple note from King Charles III that read, “in loving and devoted memory—Charles R.”

Many other royals—from Europe and further afield—are prominent among the more than 2,000 people attending the Westminster Abbey service. They include Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde and King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands’ are in attendance, alongside Denmark’s Queen Margarethe II and King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway.

Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako are attending, as are Jordan’s King Abdullah, Malaysia’s Yang di-Pertuan Agong (the Sultan Abdullah of Pahang), and Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk.

Among political leaders at the funeral are the current and several former British prime ministers. The U.S. is being represented by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. China’s Vice President Wang Qishan is attending, as is Indian President Droupadi Murmu.

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol is attending, as are Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, among others.

Invitations were reportedly not extended to the leaders of Russia and Belarus, on account of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine. The junta in Myanmar, which seized power in a 2021 coup, has also not been invited to send a representative.

Below are some of the pictures from the burial ceremony of Queen Elizabeth II as sourced for by Mr. Odewale Adesoye (A. K. A. Green Man).