Royals, World Leaders, Mammoth Crowd Bid Queen Elizabeth Farewell in Funeral Grandeur

•Osinbajo to King Charles III: I wish and pray you do better than your mother

Deji Elumoye in Abuja and Bayo Akinloye in Lagos

Amid pomp and glory, British and European royals, world leaders, and a massive crowd paid their last respects to Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch the United Kingdom has ever known, as a funeral service was held for her at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, 40 kilometres from Central London, yesterday. Two thousand guests and dignitaries were seated in the breath-taking chapel.

After 70 remarkable years on the throne, the queen breathed her last on September 8 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

As the world’s most famous monarch, Queen Elizabeth II spent 70 years of her life in public service and glare, an epitome of stateliness and immense royalty. She was 96.

The mourner-in-chief, Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest son and successor, King Charles III, led other royals across Europe, and world leaders from Australia to Asia, Africa and the Middle East, at the funeral. Nigeria’s Professor Yemi Osinbajo joined other world leaders at the event, including United States President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

European royalty and Commonwealth leaders were among the 500 foreign dignitaries at the state funeral in London on Monday. Hundreds of people lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the queen’s coffin as millions worldwide held their breath to watch her stately funeral in the majesty and grandeur of St. George’s Chapel.

Across the globe, Queen Elizabeth II was one British monarch known to most people.

When the queen acceded to the throne at 25, her “life changed overnight from that of a young naval wife and mother to a busy head of state. She was to become known for her sense of duty and devotion to a life of service,” a titular leader for the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. Until her death, Queen Elizabeth II ruled her kingdom and domains with majestic, momentous grace unique only to her.

As her coffin was lowered into the royal vault, a palpable note of grief coloured the countenance of King Charles in a final rite of passage that climaxed in the private burial that followed the public spectacle of the funeral service beamed across the world. The final burial was a private affair attended by the queen’s family members.

At 6:30 am yesterday, the lying-in-state ended for the queen, and at 10:44 am, her coffin was carried in procession on the state gun carriage of the Royal Navy from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey for the funeral. Immediately following the coffin was King Charles III, members of the royal family and members of the king’s household. The dean of Westminster conducted the funeral service. Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, gave the sermon and the commendation.

The last post sounded to mark the end of the service and was followed by two minutes’ silence observed in the Abbey and throughout the UK. The national anthem drew the service to a close. At the end of the service, the monarch’s coffin was taken to Wellington Arch through the Mall on the gun carriage, such as not seen before on the streets of London since the funeral of ex-UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1965. When the coffin reached Windsor, the state hearse slowed down and joined a procession to be formed up on Albert Road to travel via the Long Walk to St George’s Chapel, with minute guns fired on the East Lawn, Windsor Castle by the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, and Sebastopol Bell as the Curfew Tower Bell tolled throughout the procession.

The committal service began at 4pm, with prayers offered by the rector of Sandringham, the minister of Crathie Kirk, and the chaplain of Windsor Great Park. After that, the choir of St George’s Chapel sang during the service. Before the final hymn, the Imperial State Crown, the Orb and the Sceptre was removed from the queen’s coffin and placed on the altar.

Following the final hymn, the king placed the queen’s company camp colour of the Grenadier Guards on the coffin and Lord Chamberlain broke his wand of office and placed it on the coffin.

The dean of Windsor said a psalm and the commendation before the Garter King of Arms pronounced the queen’s styles and titles as the coffin was lowered into the royal vault. Then, the sovereign’s piper played a “Lament”, the archbishop of Canterbury pronounced the “blessing”, and the national anthem was sung after the service.

A private burial took place at the King George VI Memorial Chapel on Monday evening, with the queen buried with the Duke of Edinburgh at King George VI Memorial Chapel.

Osinbajo to King Charles III: I Wish and Pray You Do Better Than Your Mother

Osinbajo yesterday wished King Charles III of England well and prayed for him to have a more successful tenure than his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

Osinbajo, who represented Nigeria at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London, also stressed that the huge presence of world leaders at the burial of the queen showed the level of cooperation among nations of the world.

Speaking with newsmen after attending the state funeral for the late British monarch at Westminster Abbey in London, the vice president stated, “One wishes King Charles very well, indeed, and I think we are all anxious that he succeeds.

 “And that he, perhaps, does even better than his mother, which is the hope of his mum. I am sure that the queen will really hope that all her successors and in this case King Charles, will do better than she did.”

According to Osinbajo, “We are all looking forward to a wonderful reign, a reign that will bring prosperity, peace, not just to England, but to the Commonwealth and to all of us.”

He stressed that the coming together of leaders from different parts of the globe to celebrate the life of the late queen was a significant show of solidarity and goodwill, adding that it is also a testament to the brotherhood of nations.

According to the vice president, “For countries like ours, for Nigeria and for the Commonwealth, this has been very ennobling, very strengthening.

“I am sure that King Charles felt not just the honour of having so many people come by, but also the reassurance that there is a brotherhood across the world and that the Commonwealth remains strong, a Commonwealth of free nations who willingly subscribe to coming together, to work together to achieve sometimes disparate political objectives but clear economic objectives.”

Commenting on the significance of the event, Osinbajo said, “It is a historic event and one that is unlikely to happen, perhaps, in another lifetime, just the sheer enormity of all that has happened and the gathering of leaders from everywhere, the goodwill, the good wishes, and all of that from practically everywhere around the world.

“So, I think that this has truly been a testament to the sort of person the queen was – in life and death, she brought people together and, perhaps, even more so in death.”

Speaking further about the late British monarch, whom he earlier described as a monarch for all seasons, Osinbajo said in the 70 years that she was Queen, it was obvious that through practically every cycle – war, peace, economic decline, apartheid, all the various cycles, where truly major events happened – she held her own and was always able to bring a certain degree of understanding.

 The vice president stated, “And just the gravity of someone who doesn’t hold political office is so well respected and well regarded. In so many ways, she was a factor in practically all of the various cycles that we have experienced, not just in the Commonwealth, but in the world itself.

 “I think she was a stabilising force, that was why I thought the description (borrowed from “the man for all seasons”) that she was the Queen for all seasons.”

After the funeral service at Westminster Abbey, the vice president and all the foreign dignitaries – about 500 – were hosted to a reception by the UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Mr James Cleverly.

The Queen’s funeral procession then proceeded to Windsor Castle, where she was laid to rest, passing through selected streets in London.