“At the end of the final Hymn, The King will place The Queen's Company Camp Colour of the Grenadier Guards on Her Majesty's Coffin. At the same time, The Lord Chamberlain will "break" his Wand of Office and place it on the Coffin. The burial will only take place this evening, following the funeral.
The Wand of Office
This wand looks nothing like Harry Potter's, but instead is straight, and made of a light wood. Its breaking by the Lord Chamberlain, Lord Andrew Parker, symbolises the end of the Queen's sovereignty.
The Wand of Office is ceremonially broken at a monarch's funeral and it signifies the end of the Lord Chamberlain's service to the Queen as sovereign. The ceremonial gesture dates back centuries, last performed more than 70 years ago when the Earl of Clarendon broke his staff over the grave of George VI.
Hauled by the Royal Navy
Royal Navy sailors will use ropes to pull the queen's lead-lined coffin mounted on a gun carriage from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey.
Major Adrian Weale, a former British Army soldier, said: “It's their role to protect her body, both in life and in death, remaining the Queen's Company until King Charles decides otherwise. "Their duties will then be transitioned to the next monarch.”
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 coffin bearers at the Queen's funeral are from a unit of which the late monarch was Company Commander. Soldiers from the Queen's Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, were chosen to lift the coffin during the service at Westminster Abbey and Windsor Castle.
When the Queen's coffin is taken to her funeral service at Westminster Abbey it will be carried on a royal navy state gun carriage pulled along by sailors. This royal tradition has been a feature at every funeral for a monarch since Queen Victoria was laid to rest over 100 years ago.
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.
The practice has its origins in war and appears in the nineteenth century in the Queens regulations of the British Army. In the United Kingdom, in a state funeral, the Royal Navy State Funeral Gun Carriage bearing the coffin is drawn by sailors from the Royal Navy rather than horses.
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.
Like so many proceedings associated with the royal family, the coffin carrying Queen Elizabeth II holds a specific history with it: It was made decades ago with a liner of lead that makes it especially heavy. The coffin was flown to London, and moved from Buckingham Palace to the Houses of Parliament to lie in state.
Several traditional accouterments were present during Queen Elizabeth II's funeral service at Westminster Abbey in London on Monday, including the Imperial State Crown as well as the Sovereign's Sceptre and the Sovereign's Orb, which were also placed atop the late monarch's coffin.
Tradition dictates that the Lord Chamberlain breaks the white staff over the sovereign's grave – a symbolic gesture marking the death of the sovereign he serves.
While it is likely that secretaries, housekeepers, chefs, chauffeurs, gardeners etc. will be kept on, some of the queen's more personal staff may be made redundant or choose to leave the household voluntarily, such as her footmen and dressers.
Edward apologised as he met well-wishers and explained he was trying not to shake hands in order to meet more people. In comparison, his wife Sophie lagged behind as she shook hands with mourners outside the palace and accepted several bunches of flowers.
The Queen regularly rode Emma for light exercise in the grounds around Windsor Castle over the last 15 years. Following her attendance at the Queen's funeral procession, Mr Pendry, who accompanied the pony during her appearance, claimed Emma was aware on some level that she will never ride with the Queen again.
“Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II left an indelible mark on our sport and her legacy will continue to be felt, not only through the horses that will continue to run in the name of King Charles III but also those she bred who are yet to be seen on the racecourse in the years to come.
Matthew Lymn Rose, managing director of A W Lymn, The Family Funeral Service, told i: “My understanding is that the Queen and all members of the Royal Family have coffins made while alive… so there is no delay, the coffin is there”. As with the Duke of Edinburgh's casket, the Queen's coffin is lined with lead.
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.
The Queen's coffin will enter the grounds of Windsor Castle before finally arriving at St George's Chapel for the service at 4pm. The Queen will be put to rest alongside the love of her life, Prince Philip, as she is lowered into the Royal Vault, one of the burial chambers that sees monarchs rest in peace.
The King and his two sons reunited to walk behind the Queen's coffin as she left Buckingham Palace for the last time. King Charles, the Prince of Wales and Duke of Sussex accompanied the monarch on the journey to Westminster Hall for her lying in state.
The Queen will be laid to rest today wearing only two precious pieces of jewellery. Her Majesty, who will be buried next to her husband Prince Philip later today, will wear only her wedding band and a pair of pearl earrings, despite owning a collection worth millions of pounds.
The eight pallbearers who carried the Queen's coffin have been awarded the silver Royal Victoria Medal in recognition of the important role they played at her funeral.
The soldiers were named as recipients of honours under the Royal Victorian Order (RVO) in recognition of their service to the Queen. T he eight pallbearers who carried the Queen's coffin have been awarded the silver Royal Victorian Medal in recognition of the important role they played at her funeral.