RIP HM Queen Elizabeth II

[Sylvia]

By the numbers: Facts and figures about the queen's funeral

Events surrounding Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral on Monday cap 10 days of national mourning and are expected to be watched by hundreds of thousands of people packed onto the streets of London and millions around the world.

apnews.com

ETA - excerpting some of the stats below:

— 2,000: Dignitaries and guests in Westminster Abbey for the the state funeral, ranging from King Charles III and other royals to world leaders including U.S. President Joe Biden to members of the British public who helped battle the COVID-19 pandemic.

— 800: Guests at a committal service later in the day at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.

— 1,650: At least that number of military personnel will be involved in the pomp-filled procession of the queen’s coffin from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch after her funeral. A further 1,000 will line the streets along the procession route When the coffin reaches Windsor, 410 military personnel will take part in the procession, 480 will line streets, 150 will be in a guard of honor and line steps and 130 more will fulfil other ceremonial duties.

— 142: Royal Navy ratings who will pull the state gun carriage carrying the queen’s coffin on Monday when it leaves the Houses of Parliament for her funeral.

— 1 million: The number of people London transport authorities expect to visit the capital on Monday. Around 250 extra rail services will run to move people in and out of the city.

— 125: Movie theaters that will open their doors to broadcast Monday’s funeral live.

— 2,868: Diamonds, along with 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, 269 pearls, and 4 rubies, sparkle in the Imperial State Crown that rested on the queen’s coffin as it lay in state.

 

[Judy]

This is a thread about the death of someone….

Yes but the discussion of embalming etc is too much.

 

[Lacey]

Yes but the discussion of embalming etc is too much.

But the subject of embalming is a subsection of death…

 

[Amy L]

It's not known whether the Queen was embalmed. Some of the Royals don't like the practice. Didn't Elizabeth I explode in her coffin after being embalmed?

Part of the Princess Diana conspiracy circus is that she was embalmed before the autopsy, which prevented certain things being tested, like pregnancy.

And about 'exploding'

Spoiler: hidden for those who have a squick aversion

that's usually due to gut bacteria growing wild when the body's natural immune system stops working, that's normal after death. Someone who was thoroughly embalmed wouldn't explode, but I don't know anything about 16th century mortuary sciences.

 

[Judy]

I’ll leave you guys to it. I’m not into conspiracies.

 

[Amy L]

But the subject of embalming is a subsection of death…

Death happens to everyone anyway, whether we ignore it or not. Knowing what will happen in a scientific manner can help us make informed decisions about what the options are for our loved ones and ourselves.

 

[Lacey]

Death happens to everyone anyway, whether we ignore it or not. Knowing what will happen in a scientific manner can help us make informed decisions about what the options are for our loved ones and ourselves.

Yes, exactly my point, I have learned a lot herein

 

[taz'smum]

Part of the Princess Diana conspiracy circus is that she was embalmed before the autopsy, which prevented certain things being tested, like pregnancy.

And about 'exploding'

Spoiler: hidden for those who have a squick aversion

that's usually due to gut bacteria growing wild when the body's natural immune system stops working, that's normal after death. Someone who was thoroughly embalmed wouldn't explode, but I don't know anything about 16th century mortuary sciences.

Disclaimer: I am not a conspiracy theorist, these are just my observations and thoughts at the time of Diana's death.

I was awake very early on the day Diana died.
The very first radio reports said that she was pregnant.
Then later, it was never mentioned again.
I thought at the time that that made sense, as I'd noticed that she had a little pot belly in the recent bikini shots of her in the south of France.
I also remember feeling uneasy when I saw those bikini photos. I felt that she was definitely playing a dangerous game.
It seemed to me like she wanted the world to notice that she was pregnant.
I really felt that she was pushing her luck and playing with fire.
I feared for her safety.

 

[Deleted member 221]

Changing the topic slightly: I'm ready for things to go back to normal in the UK.

Hoping that HM gets the wonderful send-off she deserves tomorrow, and that everything goes safely and without a hitch. I'll be in the air during the funeral, due to land 15 minutes before Heathrow gets shut down (wish me luck) to ensure quiet over Windsor.

 

[MacMadame]

I was up late (it was 1am here) and I don't remember any mention of pregnancy. Perhaps because I was in the US?

 

[Amy L]

I was up late (it was 1am here) and I don't remember any mention of pregnancy. Perhaps because I was in the US?

I was 16 and should have been asleep because I had school the next morning, but I've been a lifelong insomniac so I saw the annoucement live on TV. I don't remember anything about pregnancy until the conspiracy-laden aftermath. (I'm also in the US)

 

[Ananas Astra]

Re: Exploding in the coffin. This is what allegedly happened.

ETA: Oh yeah, and it also happened to William the Conqueror.

 

[MacMadame]

I had never paid much attention to the Royals or to Princess Di but I became obsessed with following coverage of her death. As a result, I ended up watching Fergie's wedding. Then my interested faded as it often does...

 

[Karen-W]

I was up late (it was 1am here) and I don't remember any mention of pregnancy. Perhaps because I was in the US?

I was 16 and should have been asleep because I had school the next morning, but I've been a lifelong insomniac so I saw the annoucement live on TV. I don't remember anything about pregnancy until the conspiracy-laden aftermath. (I'm also in the US)

Yes, I remember also watching the death announcement live - CNN here on the West Coast - and I don't remember any pregnancy speculation either. I think my parents and I were flipping between both CNN and Fox News for the latest updates in different rooms and that was certainly not something reputable news networks were throwing out there. It was all questions about the accident itself, the paparazzi's role, etc.

 

[Karen-W]

Buckingham Palace has just announced that Prince George & Princess Charlotte will attend the State Funeral tomorrow. They will also take part in the procession behind her coffin as it leaves Westminster Abbey.

I think it's safe to bet that Savannah & Isla Phillips and Mia Tindall will also attend, as they did attend the Service of Remembrance for Prince Philip last spring.

 

[victorskid]

Download the order of service for the funeral here: https://www.royal.uk/sites/default/files/media/state_funeral_of_her_majesty_queen_elizabeth.pdf

 

[canbelto]

Too bad I'll be at work tomorrow. Guess I'll catch up when I get home.

 

[ballettmaus]

Buckingham Palace has just announced that Prince George & Princess Charlotte will attend the State Funeral tomorrow. They will also take part in the procession behind her coffin as it leaves Westminster Abbey.

George and Charlotte are at an age where children often want to be grown up and part of things, so I hope that they asked George and Charlotte if they want to be part of the procession and didn't make this decision for them. It would be quite a burden on such young shoulders otherwise.

 

[skatingguy]

Download the order of service for the funeral here: https://www.royal.uk/sites/default/files/media/state_funeral_of_her_majesty_queen_elizabeth.pdf

This is a funeral unlike anything we've seen before, and are likely to see again in our lifetimes.

 

[victorskid]

This is a funeral unlike anything we've seen before, and are likely to see again in our lifetimes.

Indeed.

 

[SHARPIE]

Hello from sunny Greece. Have been seeing snippets here and there. Loved David Beckham queuing up looking cool. (Not quite as cool as he did on that speedboat in 2012, but still ….)

 

[allezfred]

Hope Lily and Luca never see this.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1571767971499937793

 

[victorskid]

The official Royal Family video (the live stream) from the State Funeral: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN2vT_jpW1o

 

[victorskid]

The live stream of the Committal Service at St. George's Chapel, Windsor: https://youtu.be/G1mi7J-VtHk (The first time such a service has been broadcast)
The Order of Service: https://www.royal.uk/sites/default/...sty_queen_elizabeth_ii_-_order_of_service.pdf

 

[Parsley Sage]

The procession through Windsor is impressive.

 

[quartz]

Everything about this is impressive - the history, the tradition, the ceremony, the symbolism, all fascinating. I've been watching for 5 hours now.

 

[miffy]

I’ve been watching all day (with my dogs except when they were taken for walks) and I only felt teary when the Queen’s horse Emma was standing on the lawn as the hearse went by and raised her hoof maybe like a salute, and then the little Corgis Muick and Sandy were waiting by the door

 

[rfisher]

The picture of Kate and Charlotte did me in.

 

[DFJ]

A beautiful service at St. George's. Charles looks sad, exhausted. And little Charlotte in tears with her mom.

Difficult enough to lose someone but to have to go through that with the world watching. I can't imagine.

 

[Karen-W]

The removal of the Imperial State Crown, Sceptre and Orb, and then Charles nearly breaking down at the end were what really got me. Though the whole day has been touching at various moments.

So very beautiful in every way. The pomp, circumstance, and the choral music really show off what Britain does better than any other country in the world.