The Rector of Sandringham said prayers at St George’s Chapel for the Queen’s Committal service.
A carpet of flowers greeted mourners as the royal family will bid farewell to their beloved matriarch in the gothic chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle in the service attended by around 800 people.
Members of the congregation included the late monarch’s nearest and dearest, foreign royal families and members from her household staff past and present, including those from her Norfolk estate.
Members of the royal family attend services when in residence at Sandringham, which normally includes Christmas.
said prayers together with Minister of Crathie Kirk and the Chaplain of Windsor Great Park and the Dean of Windsor.
The prayers are said by the Queen’s three domestic chaplains from the locations that most mattered to her - the rector of Sandringham, Reverend Canon Paul Williams, the minister of Crathie Kirk - the church by Balmoral Castle - and the chaplain of the Royal Chapel in Windsor Great Park.
The first prayer begins: "Remember, O Lord, thy servant Elizabeth who has gone before us with the sign of faith, and now rests in sleep."
The congregation then says the Lord's prayer together.
The reading given by the Dean of Windsor, Revelation 21, verses 1-7, was also read at the funerals of the Queen’s grandparents, King George V in 1936 and Queen Mary in 1953, and of her father King George VI in 1952.
Flowers of all kinds cover the area around the chapel, from bouquets of red roses to pink lilies to potted plants to wreaths from foreign royals.
Among the flowers in the chapel were lilies, dahlias, roses, and greenery including Eucalyptus and other greenery picked from Home Park.
A wreath from Number 10, signed by prime minister Liz Truss, said: “For a lifetime of devotion and duty we offer our deep and sincere gratitude.”
The service, with a strong thread of tradition running throughout, was discussed with the Queen over a number of years and all the prayers and hymns were chosen by her – apart from one.
The Queen left one hymn to be chosen at the time, and after a discussion between the King and the Dean of Windsor David Conner, the hymn chosen was Westminster Abbey adapted from the Alleluyas in Purcell’s O God, Thou art my God.
Prior to the final hymn, the Imperial State Crown, the Orb and the Sceptre were removed from the coffin by the Crown Jeweller and passed to the Dean who placed them on the altar.
The removal of the crown from the coffin to the altar is poignant, because in 1953 the crown was taken from the altar in Westminster Abbey and placed on the Queen’s head, marking the start of a 70-year reign.
The coffin, placed on a catafalque draped in purple velvet, was slowly lowered down into the royal vault as the Dean of Windsor says: “Go forth upon thy journey from this world, O Christian soul.”
During the service, the King sat in the seat which was occupied by the Queen when she came to the chapel, positioned closest to the altar.
Much of the music at the service was composed by Sir William Harris, who served as the organist at St George’s Chapel between 1933 and 1961, taking in much of the Queen’s childhood.
The young Princess Elizabeth would often visit the organ loft to watch Sir William play, and it is believed he taught her to play the piano.
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