Queen leaves Buckingham Palace for last time before lying in state in Westminster Hall

The Queen has left Buckingham Palace for the final time, with the King and the royal family walking behind her coffin in solemn procession to the lying in state.
By By PA Reporters
Published 14th Sep 2022, 14:38 BST
Updated 14th Sep 2022, 14:45 BST
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Pulled on a gun carriage of The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, the coffin was draped with a Royal Standard and adorned with the priceless, glittering Imperial State Crown.

Taking the lead was the pomp and pageantry of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment and military bands.

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Thousands of mourners flocked to see the moving sight of the Queen departing the official residence where she spent so much of her working life at the heart of the nation.

The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard with the Imperial State Crown placed on top, is carried on a horse-drawn gun carriage of the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, during the ceremonial procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday. Picture date: Wednesday September 14, 2022. PA Photo. Ian West/PA WireThe coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard with the Imperial State Crown placed on top, is carried on a horse-drawn gun carriage of the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, during the ceremonial procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday. Picture date: Wednesday September 14, 2022. PA Photo. Ian West/PA Wire
The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard with the Imperial State Crown placed on top, is carried on a horse-drawn gun carriage of the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, during the ceremonial procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday. Picture date: Wednesday September 14, 2022. PA Photo. Ian West/PA Wire

The Queen had arrived at her former home on Tuesday evening in gloom and rain but for her departure from the palace the weather was bright and warm.

The King walked in line with the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex.

Behind the quartet were the Queen's grandsons in a line - Peter Phillips, the Duke of Sussex and the Prince of Wales - who were followed by the late monarch's son-in-law Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of Gloucester, the Queen's cousin, and her nephew the Earl of Snowdown.

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The Queen's coffin was transported on the George Gun Carriage, which carried King George VI's coffin from Sandringham Church to Wolferton Station in February 1952 and was used during the funeral of the Queen Mother in 2002.

The journey from the palace to the ancient Westminster Hall, where King Charles I was tried, is expected to take 38 minutes - passing landmarks the Queen knew well like Horse Guards Parade, the Cenotaph and Downing Street.

Accompanied by her family, the Queen is effectively being handed over to the the nation for her lying in state over four days ahead of the state funeral on Monday.

The bearer party who will carry the Queen's coffin into Westminster Hall and provide an escort are soldiers who were flown back from Iraq to take part in the procession, because of their unique association with the monarch.

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The Guardsmen are from the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards whose Company Commander is the Queen, and although a senior officer took day-to-day control, the former sovereign's connection with her men was strong.

Related topics:The QueenQueen