The state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II was held last evening at London’s Westminster Abbey, in the presence of royal family members and around 200 invited guests. For the event, women of the royal family wore quiet tributes to Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and honoured her with their outfits and jewellery.
Symbolic dresses, brooches, necklaces and earrings dominated the event as the family bid their final goodbye to the Queen.
Many were surprised when Prince William and Kate Middleton arrived at the Westminster Abbey with their two oldest children Prince George and Princess Charlotte to be part of their great-grandmother's funeral service.
The sibling duo were on their best behaviour at the funeral as they stuck close to their mother and father but things turned a bit blurry when Princess Charlotte could no longer hold her tears in.
The 7-year-old Princess broke down when she saw Queen Elizabeth II's coffin being moved from the Gun Carriage to a hearse for a procession that would take the coffin to its final destination, Windsor Castle. As the little one started sniffing her tears down, Charlotte's mother kate Middleton stepped in to help her grieving daughter.
While Charlotte attended the service with her 9-year-old brother Prince George, their little brother Prince Louise stayed home and did not attend given his young age of just 4 years old.
The siblings were spotted having a conversation outside Wellington Arch as they waited for the Queen’s coffin to pass by. “You need to bow,” Charlotte was seen instructing George in a widely-shared video. The young prince complied – bowing his head as the coffin passed by.
The royal family had all paid tribute to the Queen in their own ways. Queen Consort Camilla decided to honour the Queen in a subtle manner through her brooch which was affixed to her black dress. The Hessian Diamond Jubilee Brooch, which featured three sapphires set into the shape of a heart bearing the number ’60’, once belonged to Queen’s great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria.
Princess Charlotte of Wales, too, gave a sweet nod to her great-grandmother. The 7-year-old accompanied her mother in a black coat dress with a round hat – an accessory she had never been seen publicly wearing. She added a small diamond brooch to her funeral outfit which was shaped like a horseshoe that was, reportedly, gifted to the young royal by the Queen. It also encapsulated the late monarch’s love for horses.
Queen Elizabeth II, who breathed her last on September 8, 2022, was laid to rest in King George VI Memorial Chapel on Monday, beside her husband Prince Philip, sister Princess Margaret, and parents King George VI and the Queen Mother.