The procession, which will take Queen Elizabeth’s coffin to Westminster Abbey for a state funeral and then to Windsor for burial, is in keeping with the traditions of the British monarchy, AFP reported.
1. A carriage drawn by the Royal Navy
Royal Navy sailors will pull the guns carrying the casket by ropes, while others, 142 in number, will follow.
This tradition dates back to Queen Victoria’s funeral in February 1901. The horses, which were supposed to pull the two-ton carriage with guns, took off in a panic, threatening to overturn the coffin.
Prince Louis of Battenberg, a captain in the Royal Navy, offered the new king, Edward VII, to replace the soldiers.
Nine years later, after the death of Edward VII, the same arrangement was put into effect, and it has since become the new ritual for royal and state funerals.
2. Coffin bearers
Eight soldiers from the Royal Company’s 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards will have the difficult task of carrying the Queen’s coffin from Westminster Hall to the stern and then to Westminster Abbey when the procession concludes.
The regiment is one of five infantry regiments of the Sovereign National Guard and one of the oldest regiments in the British Army.
The uniform of its members, which can be recognized by the high hat made of bear hair, was borrowed from the grenadiers of Napoleon’s Imperial Guard, defeated at Waterloo.
These soldiers will be accompanied by officers of the royal service.
3. Shelves in focus
During the procession, three regiments will be specially honored, which will pass very close to the coffin of Elizabeth II.
The Yeomen of the Guard, the oldest military corps in the British Army, established in 1485, and the Gentlemen’s Honor Corps are two of the monarch’s former bodyguards, now confined to a ceremonial role.
The former still wear the red and gold uniform of the Tudor period (16th century). Among their duties, which are still significant, is the ceremonial inspection of the basements of the parliament before the opening speech delivered by the monarch every year. This ritual commemorates the Gunpowder Plot, the failed attempt on the life of King James I and Parliament in 1605.
They will be followed by members of the Royal Company of Archers, who were Queen Elizabeth II’s bodyguards when she was in Scotland.
Troops from other British and Commonwealth regiments, commanded by the Queen, will join the procession that will accompany Elizabeth II from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch.
4. The Royal House of Elizabeth II
If members of the royal family, led by the new King Charles III, will follow the coffin, the carriage will be preceded by members of Queen Elizabeth II’s royal household, such as the Director of the Royal Collection or the Queen’s private secretary.
They will be marched by bands of bagpipes and drummers from the Scottish and Irish regiments, a brigade of Gurkhas, soldiers of Nepali descent but members of the British Army and 200 musicians from the Royal Air Force.
5. 6000 soldiers
The British military will have 6,000 soldiers, sailors and airmen taking part in the procession or deployed along the route, Admiral Tony Radakin, the chief of the defense staff, told the BBC on Sunday.
They will fire a royal salute at several points along the coffin’s route, such as when it passes the Queen Victoria Memorial.
“For all of us, this is our last duty to Her Majesty the Queen and our first great duty to His Majesty King Charles,” he said.
Source: Hot News RO
Robert is an experienced journalist who has been covering the automobile industry for over a decade. He has a deep understanding of the latest technologies and trends in the industry and is known for his thorough and in-depth reporting.