Queen’s funeral: What was written on the card, who wore her jewellery, and why Harry didn’t salute – all the key moments

The world has said goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II on a historic day marked by moments of emotion and celebration.

Tens of thousands of people travelled to London and Windsor for the state funeral and burial service, and you can watch our continuous coverage on Sky News and follow all the events on our website and apps.

Here are the key moments from the day so far.

The King’s goodbye message

Adorning the Queen’s coffin for the service was the Imperial State Crown along with an array of flowers in different shades of pink, as requested by King Charles.

The flowers and foliage were chosen for their symbolism and cut from the gardens of Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Highgrove House.

A card in remembrance featured the King’s goodbye message to his mother: “In loving and devoted memory.”

The flowers include rosemary, for remembrance, and myrtle – an ancient symbol of a happy marriage – cut from a plant grown from a sprig from the Queen’s own wedding bouquet.

English oak symbolises the strength of love, while pelargoniums, garden roses, autumnal hydrangea, sedum, dahlias and scabious are also included in shades of gold, pink and deep burgundy, with touches of white, to reflect the Royal Standard.

Prince Andrew’s emotion as he walked behind coffin

Walking alongside King Charles and his other siblings Anne and Edward, Prince Andrew at one point seemed to struggle to contain his emotions before the service.

He was seen fighting back tears and biting his lip as they followed the Queen’s coffin to the abbey. Andrew, like Prince Harry, wore a morning suit in line with the fact he is no longer a working royal.

During the ceremony, Prince Edward also became emotional and was seen wiping his eyes before his wife, Sophie, the Contess of Wessex, handed him some tissues.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte observed the occasion

Second and third in line to the throne, nine-year-old Prince George and seven-year-old Princess Charlotte joined their parents in the procession and for the service.

The children, who called their great-grandmother Gan-Gan, could be seen quietly watching next to Prince William and Kate, the Princess of Wales.

George, a future king like his father, was comforted by his mother during the service. Beforehand, Kate was also seen holding Princess Charlotte’s hand, reassuring her with a touch on the shoulder.

Their younger brother, Louis, was not in attendance, likely considered too young to be there.

After taking their seats, the children could be seen studying their order of service at various points, with George seen singing The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Is Ended as he stood between his parents.

The youngsters departed the service with their mother and Queen Consort Camilla, while their father and grandfather took part in the funeral procession to Wellington Arch.

Black Rod’s tears

Black Rod Sarah Clarke and other members of parliamentary staff were the final people to pay their respects to the monarch after the last members of the queue had been through Westminster Hall ahead of the ceremony.

The House of Lords senior member appeared to wipe away a tear as she became the last person to walk past the Queen’s coffin.

Ms Clarke paid her respects after Chrissy Heerey, a member of the RAF from near High Wycombe, the last member of the public to see the Queen lying in state before the hall was closed to the public before the funeral.

Biden’s (slightly delayed) arrival

The only world leader not to arrive by coach, US President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, travelled in his armoured limousine, nicknamed “The Beast”.

Despite his status, Mr Biden was not exempt from the problems of London traffic on a Monday morning and was slightly held up near Marble Arch.

Mr Biden is the only world leader who was able to travel to the Westminster Abbey under his own steam, arriving in a “scaled down” motorcade of six cars. The rest of the world’s leaders arrived via coach.

Read more:
Key moments in the 10 days since the Queen’s death
Elizabeth II’s final journey as service takes place at Westminster Abbey
Biden, Macron and Naruhito among world leaders attending Queen’s funeral

Bear Grylls and other guests you might not have expected

Among the guests at the service was Chief Scout Bear Grylls. The Queen was a patron of the organisation and awarded the TV star an OBE in 2019.

Sophie Winkleman, known for her role as Big Suze in the comedy series Peep Show, was also in attendance as a member of the Royal Family.

The 42-year-old actress – the paternal half-sister of TV presenter Claudia Winkleman, who has also appeared in shows including Waking The Dead, Two And A Half Men and Death In Paradise – is married to Lord Frederick Windsor, the son of the Queen’s cousin Prince Michael of Kent.

Other famous faces in attendance included Killing Eve actress Sandra Oh, who made up part of the Canadian delegation as a member of the Order of Canada.

Buckingham Palace staff say their final goodbye

From chefs to police officers, Buckingham Palace staff members lined up in front of the building to say their final farewell to the monarch they served.

The funeral procession passed by the Queen’s main residence before its journey from London to Windsor.

As the cortege entered The Mall, the area was bathed in sunshine – with the accompanying music of the military bands poignantly punctuated by the chimes of Big Ben.

Coffin carried through Wellington Arch

The Queen’s cortege passed by many of London’s historic buildings and monuments during its journey from Westminster to Hyde Park.

There, it was carried through Wellington Arch, also known as Constitution Arch. One of London’s two triumphal arches, it was built in the period following the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815, with the bronze quadriga (an ancient four-horse chariot) ridden by the Goddess Nike, sitting atop it since 1912.

Thousands lined the surrounding streets to witness the poignant and historic moment as the coffin made its way through the landmark, one of the capital’s most famous monuments.

Kate and Meghan’s jewellery from the Queen

Catherine, Princess of Wales, wore one of the Queen’s necklaces for the occasion, as well as a pair of pearl and diamond earrings previously owned by the monarch.

The necklace, consisting of four strands of pearls and a clasp, was worn regularly by the Queen in the late 1980s and 1990s.

The princess previously wore the piece of jewellery at the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral in 2021.

Meghan also honoured the Queen, wearing a pair of pearl and diamond studs that were gifted to her by the monarch.

In memory of her great-grandmother, who loved horses, Princess Charlotte wore a horseshoe brooch.

Why Harry didn’t salute

King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Prince William, all dressed in ceremonial military uniform, saluted as the Queen’s coffin was lifted off the gun carriage in front of Westminster Abbey.

Andrew and Harry, who are no longer working royals, were in morning suits, meaning they were not permitted to salute – an honour reserved for those in uniform – even though both served in conflicts in the past, in the Falklands and in Afghanistan.

Emma the horse

The Queen was a huge lover of horses and racing. If you ever wondered which horse was her favourite, now you know – this is Emma, accompanied by Terry Pendry, the monarch’s head stud, at Windsor.

Emma, the Queen’s Fell Pony, had greeted the procession, standing on grass in a gap in the floral tributes along the Long Walk, in honour of her late owner.

The VIDs

The Queen also loved her beloved dogs, too, and corgis Sandy and Muick were pictured in attendance outside at Windsor. The young dogs – one on a red lead and one on a blue lead – were brought out into the quadrangle by two pages in red tailcoats for the arrival of the coffin.

The Queen owned more than 30 corgis and dorgis – a corgi dachshund mix – during her reign and was well known for her love of the animals. Most were descended from her first corgi, Susan, who was gifted to her on her 18th birthday.

The Queen looked after her own dogs as much as possible and during weekends spent at Windsor, the corgis went too and lived in her private apartments.

Sandy and Muick were given to her during the pandemic by Prince Andrew, who will now look after them following her death.

Young choir singers go viral

During the service at Westminster, many on social media were impressed by the choir – with one young singer in particular getting attention.

A red-headed boy garnered praise for his enthusiasm, with some Twitter users saying he stole the show.

Other social media users commented on the positioning of lamps – which managed to stand in the way of one or two singers getting their moment on TV.

Police and military personnel collapse

For the thousands of police officers and military personnel guarding the funeral procession it was a long and at times gruelling day, coming after many long shifts at work in the days following the Queen’s death.

A number collapsed or needed help while on duty.

One police was photographed being carried away on a stretcher by naval personnel after collapsing near Parliament Square.

At Wellington Arch, three military personnel had to be assisted by colleagues after appearing to get into difficulty shortly before 2pm.

One appeared to fall to the ground after the Royal Family had left the area, while two others were also seen being helped away before and after the transfer of the coffin to the state hearse.

Another member of military personnel stumbled and was taken away by a colleague at Hyde Park Barracks.

Members of the public were also helped along the route. By 3.30pm, St John Ambulance and the London Ambulance Service had treated 357 patients – including 45 who were taken to hospital.

The ‘wand of office’ is broken

During the service at Windsor, the Lord Chamberlain, the most senior official in the British royal household, followed a royal tradition by breaking a rod known as the “wand of office” over the Queen’s coffin.

First, the Imperial State Crown, Orb and Sceptre, which had travelled on top of the coffin from London, were removed and placed on to the altar of St George’s Chapel by the Dean of Windsor.

As King Charles prepared to drape the Queen’s Company Camp Colour of the Grenadier Guards on the coffin, the final hymn was sung. Once in place, the colour was accompanied by the broken wand.

The job fell to Lord Chamberlain Andrew Parker, who is the former head of MI5, symbolising the end of his service to the Queen.