QUEEN'S FUNERAL - END OF AN ERA

It has been a long day.  Officially today (Monday) is a holiday for the funeral of The Queen. I watched it on television throughout the day. Lots of excellent camera work, commentary with historical information explaining significant sections of it.  There also was a conscious decision to avoid talking a lot over the action e.g. pointing out who was who as they entered the Abbey. "You can go to the website..." - quite a good idea.

In the early morning the long queue to Westminster Hall finished at 6:30 am.  It had been televised non-stop for 4 days - quite an undertaking!  It included lots of stories of why people came to pay their respects, the 'adventure' of it all and how many reported feeling unexpectedly emotional. As often as not it was due to having lost someone themselves, particularly during Covid when they did not have a chance to say goodbye.

Ishbel joined me for the morning.  She made scones and we peered at the iPad  from time to time as it sat propped on the kitchen table. We were fascinated by the crown, orb and sceptre placed on top of the coffin trying hard to see how they were kept in place thinking that they might roll off when the coffin was moved about.

I was particularly struck by the massed band of pipers which started everything off!   I just love a parade and the more colour and pageantry the better!

Seeing the Royal Canadian Mounted Police brought back memories of going to the Musical Ride which came to Vernon (or maybe it was Kelowna?) in the 1950s.  I loved the whole thing - the music, the riding displays, the colour, the flags!

 

Apparently these 4 horses in the photos are resident in one of the Queen's stables.  They were a gift (there had been 8 horses gifted in all over a period) from Canada. So the Mounties who came from Canada for the funeral did not need to bring their horses.

At the end of the service in the Abbey a long piper played a lament high up in one of the galleria. Along with many people I found it quite poignant. He ended by turning around and departing slowly letting the sound slowly fade away.

The people in the Abbey were in good voice when at the end of the service they sang 'God Save the King'.  This is the music I happen to have which is from a Scottish Hymn book that has Iseabail's name in it.  It must be from the 1930s when George VI was on the throne.

As with many funerals, the service included 'The Lord's My Shepherd' sung to the tune Crimond. Here it is from the same hymnbook.

The end of a long day....