Final farewell to the Queen
THE first person to arrive at 8am when the doors of Westminster Abbey were opened on Monday (19) was Pranav Bhanot, a charity worker from Chigwell in Essex, who “helped deliver 1,200 free meals during the Covid-19 pandemic”.
Among the religious leaders invited to the Queen’s state funeral were Nemu Chandaria, a “representative of the Jain Community”; Lord Singh of Wimbledon, representing Sikhs; Rajnish Kashyap, general secretary, Hindu Council UK; and Shaykh Dr Asim Yusuf, Muslim scholar.
Britain used the unmatched pomp and ceremony of the occasion to reassert its unique position on the world stage.
There were large screens erected all over the world, one of them in Stratford-upon-Avon by the Royal Shakespeare Company, of which the Queen was the patron.
On her coffin covered with the royal standard was the Imperial State Crown, orb and sceptre, bringing to mind James Shirley’s Death the Leveller, “Death lays his icy hand on kings: Sceptre and Crown/ Must tumble down,/ And in the dust be equal made/ With the poor crooked scythe and spade.”
In some ways, the more the old order changes the more it remains the same. After the service, the congregation sang, “God save our gracious King”. But Charles III is 73. Across the aisle from him was his eldest son, William, 40, who has taken over from his father as the new Prince of Wales. He and his wife, Catherine, had brought two of their children, nineyear-old Prince George – he will become heir to the throne when William succeeds Charles – and Charlotte, seven.
Among the world leaders was Indian president Droupadi Murmu, who wore a blue sari. She had witnessed the Queen’s coffin lying in state in Westminster Hall, signed a condolence book in Lancaster House, and chatted to the King at a Buckingham Palace reception.
Although the King is known to want to acknowledge that Britain is now a multi-racial, multi-ethnic and multi-religious society, radically different from the white country when Elizabeth became Queen 70 years ago, the funeral service itself emphasised the traditions and beliefs of the Church of England.
Tribute was also paid to the Queen’s service to the Commonwealth. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, said, “Let us give thanks for Queen Elizabeth’s commitment to the Commonwealth throughout her reign, for her service and dedication to its peoples, and for the rich bonds of unity and mutual support she sustained.”
One of the readings was by the Commonwealth Secretary General, Baroness Patricia Scotland.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, ended his sermon by echoing the Queen’s words in her Covid lockdown address to the nation. “We will meet again” were words of hope, he said.
Life will seem strange without the Queen, taken for granted for so long.