Details of the Queen's coffin: Royal funeral director reveals it is made from rare English oak, lined with lead - and has been ready for more than 30 years.
The royal coffin is also lined with lead — a tradition in the family — for it is believed that it will preserve the corpse of a person for a longer period of time after it is placed in the crypt. While lead will make the coffin airtight, it will also make it heavier.
The Queen's coffin was made for her more than 30 years ago, by the same firm that made the casket in which the Duke of Edinburgh lies buried.
Made of English oak--which is increasingly rare these days with most wooden caskets now made from American oak, as The Times reported--it is lined with lead, a royal tradition to help preserve the corpse for longer after its burial in a crypt.
The Queen's coffin was slowly lowered into the royal vault in St George's Chapel, in the grounds of Windsor Castle, ahead of her burial later in a private family service. The service was the last of the public events before she is laid to rest next to her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.
The Royal Company of Archers are the sovereign's official guards in Scotland. While the Queen was lying at rest in Scotland she was guarded by the Royal Company of Archers. How long do the guards stand watch? The continuous 24-hour vigil will be broken into four six-hour shifts.
Royal Navy sailors have the honour of pulling the State Ceremonial Gun Carriage bearing the Queen's coffin for two miles through the streets of London – a duty they have performed since the funeral of Queen Victoria in 1901.
Unlike caskets, coffins have six sides to them instead of four. Plus, the top of the coffin is wider than its bottom. Coffins get tapered to conform to the shape of a human form. A coffin also has a removable lid while caskets have lids with hinges.
However, Her Majesty will be buried in her beloved Windsor, in the King George VI memorial chapel. The chapel is set on the grounds of Windsor Castle, the estate the Queen moved to permanently for the last few years of her life. It is named after the Queen's father, who died from a coronary thrombosis in 1952, aged 56.
Once the Royal Vault lift reaches the bottom of the shaft, the coffin is moved down a corridor and into the vault itself. The coffin is then interred in the vault, placed either on one of the shelves or on a plinth inside.
Lead-lined coffins slow the body's decomposition by keeping moisture out of the casket. Lead does not decay and so remains airtight, preventing decomposition, but also any smells and gases from being released; not something you want if multiple Royals are sharing a vault or may be moved in the future.
The use of lead makes the coffin very heavy. According to The Times, eight military bearers will be needed to carry the Queen's coffin on the day of the state funeral.
Due to the lead lining of the coffin, the casket would be very heavy. It has been estimated that it would weigh between 250kg and 317kg.
After the funeral service at Westminster Abbey, the Queen's coffin will travel to Windsor Castle for a private burial service. She will travel through west London and past Heathrow Airport to reach her final resting place.
The public will be able to file past the coffin 24 hours a day from 5pm on Wednesday 14 September until 6.30am on the day of the funeral - Monday 19 September. Those wishing to attend will be required to queue for many hours, possibly overnight.
According to a report in The Guardian, it can take 10-15 years for a body to breakdown to a skeleton if buried in soil. Instead, the remains of royals stay in the lead lined coffin, with their decomposition slowed by the heavy material in the coffin and the air-sealed vaults they are held in.
Why was Princess Margaret cremated? In the aftermath of her death, “royal watchers” told The New York Times that Princess Margaret had opted to be cremated so that her remains could fit alongside her father King George VI's grave in a vault that was made especially to hold him specifically.
You can now visit the Queen's grave for £26.50 - or £28.50 on Saturdays.
An ancient practice of burying dead people six feet underground may have helped mask the odor of decay from predators. Similarly, random disturbances, such as plowing, would be unable to reach a person buried six feet underneath. Preventing the Spread of Disease was another major reason.
The most common reasons to cover a person's legs in a casket are to keep focus on their face and to follow cultural, regional, or religious traditions. Half-couch caskets have split lids that shield the lower half of the body and are common choices for loved ones planning an open-casket service.
Almost all caskets decompose eventually. Wicker and Plywood caskets will decompose within 5 years, while wooden caskets will decompose within several decades. Metal and fiberglass caskets can take hundreds or even thousands of years to fully decompose.
The favouring of sailors over horses during state funeral processions was entrenched in tradition after Queen Victoria's funeral in 1901 when chilly weather spooked the horses that were due to pull the gun carriage.
King Charles and other members of the Royal Family will walk behind the Queen's coffin before and after the funeral service at Westminster Abbey.
As for who those pallbearers are, the group is made up of eight 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, some of whom were flown back from their placement in Iraq to carry out the duty. The Grenadier Guard – whose company commander was the Queen – is the most senior, regular Army regiment and dates back to 1656.
Queen Elizabeth II will be buried in the King George VI memorial chapel, in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.