This Monday, the coffin of Elizabeth II will be taken to Westminster Abbey for a state funeral, the first since the death of Winston Churchill in 1965, in front of 2,000 guests, foreign heads of state, members of world high society, anonymous decorated for their involvement in the community. .
Millions of people are expected in London for the funeral of the century, painstakingly prepared over 20 years, a huge logistical and security challenge. The UK will be closed for these holidays. But before hosting the Queen’s funeral, Westminster hosted great moments in her life.
• 1934: Princess Maid of Honor
At age 8, Princess Elizabeth is a bridesmaid at her uncle Prince George’s wedding to Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark. It was the first royal wedding broadcast on the radio.
• 1937: the coronation of the father
King George VI is crowned on May 12, five months after the abdication of his brother, King Edward VIII. “I thought it was really beautiful,” the 11-year-old princess will say in a handwritten message, “in the end the service got pretty boring, there were just prayers.”
• 1947: Isabel says yes to Felipe
On November 20, the wedding cheers up the post-war period. Relinquishing his Greek and Danish titles, Philip becomes Duke of Edinburgh. Felipe’s three sisters, married to German princes, cannot be present. Princess Elizabeth needs ration tickets to buy the satin for her gown from designer Norman Hartnell.
• 1953: coronation of Elizabeth II
On June 2, Queen Elizabeth takes a sacred vow of lifelong service, which she kept throughout her reign. Her coronation was the first broadcast on television, in front of 27 million Britons out of 36 million inhabitants. The ceremony lasted almost three hours, with the presence of 8,251 guests gathered in the stands, and 129 nations and territories were officially represented. In 2018, she called the carriage ride “horrible” due to her discomfort.
• 1960: Margaret marries
Elizabeth’s sister, Princess Margaret, married photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones on May 6. The couple divorced in 1978.
• 1973: Anne’s wedding
Princess Anne was the first of Queen Elizabeth’s children to marry, marrying an army lieutenant, Mark Philips, on November 14. Contrary to custom, this Olympic gold medalist jockey did not win any titles. The couple divorced in 1992.
• 1986: Andrew and Fergie
After Charles and Diana were married at St. Paul’s Cathedral in 1981, Elizabeth’s second son married Sarah Ferguson on July 23 with much fanfare. Andrew and “Fergie”, who have two daughters (Beatrice and Eugenie), divorced in 1996 but remain close.
• 1997: Diana’s funeral
The queen is blamed for her apparent estrangement after Diana’s death in a car accident in Paris. Almost a million people gather and some 2.5 billion behind their televisions to watch the ceremony on September 6. As the procession passes Buckingham Palace, the Queen bows her head. In praise of him, Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, rebukes the royal family, who vow to modernize.
• 2002: the funeral of the Queen Mother
The funeral of Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, on April 9 marks the end of an era. At 101 years old, she is the last empress of India. More than 200,000 people follow one another in front of her coffin to pay tribute to her. Two months after Margaret’s death, her disappearance triggers an outpouring of condolences and sympathy for the Queen, after years of mistrust following Diana’s death.
• 2011: William and Kate
On April 29, the biggest royal wedding in a generation is watched by up to two billion viewers worldwide and breathes new life into the British monarchy after years of crisis. The Queen allows Prince William to break up the original guest list to put in more friends and fewer dignitaries.
• 2013: the anniversary of the coronation
The ceremony on June 4, for the 60th anniversary of her coronation, is the last major event in which the Queen participates in Westminster Abbey. In the center is placed the solid gold crown and the sacred oil with which it is anointed.
Source: BFM TV
