THE FINAL FAREWELLS

Ahead of the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, Marion McMullen looks back at how Britain has mourned over the years

52 3 When the Queen Mother died The funeral aged 101 in 2002, Queen of 36-yearold Elizabeth spoke to the nation Princess on the eve of her Diana in 1997 funeral to thank the was watched by country for their 2.5 billion people. support and the Some 2,000 “love and honour” people attended shown to her mother. the funeral at She said: “I count Westminster Abbey including Sir myself fortunate Elton John, Sting, George Michael, that my mother was Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Steven blessed with a long and happy life. Spielberg and Tom Hanks. Diana She had an infectious zest for was laid to rest on an island at her living and this remained with her ancestral home, Althorp House, in until the very end.” Northamptonshire. 8 9 British scientist, The Duke of astronomer and Wellington, below, mathematician passed away at the Sir Isaac Newton was age of 93 in 1852 and give a state funeral in 200,000 came to pay their 1727 after he passed respects when he lay in away in his sleep at the state at Chelsea Hospital, age of 84. His body including Queen lay in state before his Victoria. The war burial at Westminster hero, who defeated Abbey and the Napoleon at Latin inscription on the Battle his memorial stone of Waterloo, translates as “Here was buried lies that which was in St Paul’s mortal of Isaac Cathedral.

Newton”.

Prince Philip’s ceremonial royal funeral in the gothic 15thcentury St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, on Saturday has to meet Covid restrictions with only

30 people attending. Originally 800 would have been due to gather to pay their respects to the longest-serving consort in history. 7 Admiral Horatio Nelson’s remains were placed in a barrel of brandy when he died aboard his ship the HMS Victory after being shot by a French sniper during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The alcohol preserved his body so that he could be returned home to Britain for a state funeral. His coffin was made from the mast of French ship L’Orient, which Nelson, right, defeated at the

Battle of the Nile.

6 At 9.45am on January 30, King Richard 1965, Big Ben rang out as III, right, was Sir Winston Churchill’s finally given coffin left Westminster Hall. a state funeral and A million mourners lined the reinterment in streets for the 90-year-old’s 2015 after his state funeral, which was remains were attended by 3,000 guests, found under a car from 111 nations, including park in Leicester. The five monarchs. 32-year-old was the last British king to die in battle on home soil. The ceremony at Leicester Cathedral lasted six days and took place nearly 530 years after the monarch was killed on August 22, 1485, at the Battle Of Bosworth Field. 4

Queen Victoria went into mourning for the rest of her life following the death of her beloved husband Prince Albert in 1861 at the age of 42. She went on to live until she was 81 and left precise instructions for her own funeral in 1901. Her son King Edward VII led the funeral procession, riding a horse. 10

The state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II’s father, King George VI, took place in 1952. He was 56. More than 300,000 people paid their respects as his coffin lay in state at Westminster Hall. It was later taken by train to Windsor for the funeral at St George’s Chapel and monarchs from around the world attended the service.