The death of Queen Elizabeth was shocking, and it brought the world together in grief. Her followers came together to comfort each other in these troubled days. And there was a general hope that Elizabeth’s funeral would offer the closure that many were still looking for.
While the Queen’s funeral may have offered some closure, it also tore our hearts open again and again. The funeral was filled with moments of sadness and tension we’ll be talking about for years. Which moments are we talking about? Keep reading to find out!
An emotional King Charles
The reigning monarch of England is typically the embodiment of the British “stiff upper lip.” And as we all remember, the Queen rarely gave herself to any emotional displays.
However, King Charles was overcome with emotions during the funeral. Us Weekly reports that Charles was openly wiping away tears during the service. This was shortly after the national two minutes of silence. Charles cried again as “God Save the Queen” played.
Perhaps because the King himself was crying, other royals got very emotional on this day as well.
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A troubled Prince Harry
In the past couple of years, Harry has had a troubled and complex relationship with his family Still, he was apparently on good terms with Queen Elizabeth. And that might explain why Harry is taking her death so hard.
According to the News, Harry looked very emotional as he walked alongside Prince William and King Charles. This was while they all walked behind the Queen’s casket as it proceeded toward Westminster Abbey.
It’s possible Harry was still dealing with residual trauma from not making it in time to see the Queen before she died. However, his ongoing tension with his brother, Prince William, probably didn’t help.
Drama between Harry and William?
The tension between Harry and William has been an open secret for many years. Their rift allegedly began with William’s objections to Harry marrying Meghan, and the rift grew larger after Harry and Meghan stepped back from most royal responsibilities and left the country altogether.
Because of this, many were wondering if the two would mend their relationship at all during the funeral. However, things looked all business as Harry and William hashed out who should walk in first.
Harry might have been expressing quite a bit without saying it, though. Judi James is a body language expert, and she told the U.S. Sun, “During the [funeral] service [Harry] was dabbing tears as well as tending to look around a lot, and there were at least two occasions when his gaze that was more of a stare appeared directed at William.”
She continued, saying that “His expression suggested sadness and possible regret.” Most interestingly, she said Harry gave a truly “emotional display” when William and Kate didn’t look back at him. “His face seemed to pucker into a more intense signal of grief, and his lips sucked in again.”
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Meghan Markle’s tears
The one person at the funeral that likely had more mixed feelings than Harry was Meghan Markle. She historically faced many difficulties trying to integrate into royal life, including William allegedly objecting to Harry marrying her. And after “Megxit,” Meghan didn’t hesitate to spill tea about the Royal Family, including allegations of racism.
However, the Queen seemingly approved of Meghan, and it wasn’t that long ago that Meghan was showing Elizabeth her latest great-granddaughter. Maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise, then, that People reports Meghan was wiping away tears after the ceremony.
A distraught Prince George
Not even the very young were immune to the emotional moments of the Queen’s funeral. And if you need proof, look no further than Prince George. While George often makes headlines for making funny faces, he was completely somber during the funeral.
Elle reports that, as the choir sang, George had to wipe away tears. His father, Prince William, didn’t seem very emotional. But considering that King Charles himself was crying, it’s safe to say that George was in very good company and could safely share his grief.
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The piper’s final song
One of the saddest moments during Queen Elizabeth’s funeral was also one of the most unexpected. It all started with a man playing the bagpipes.
According to Firstpost, this man served as Queen Elizabeth’s personal alarm system. His job was to play the bagpipes beneath her window for 15 minutes each morning to wake her up. He went where the Queen went to help wake her up, and he occasionally performed at state services.
During the funeral service, though, he played one last song for her as Elizabeth’s coffin was lowered into the Royal Vault. For this royal piper, this was the only way he could truly say goodbye to his Queen.
The Queen’s special coffin
Some who are less familiar with the royal protocol were surprised that the Queen didn’t have an open casket funeral. However, this would have been impossible due to her special coffin.
As Mental Floss reports, her coffin will be lead-lined to help keep moisture out and slow down how quickly her body decomposes. In addition to that, the coffin is made with special English oak. Andrew Leverton, who works for the casket design firm Henry Smith, told The Times, “It is made from English oak, which is very difficult to get hold of … It is not something you can just make in a day.”
Between the oak and the lead, though, the casket could weigh as much as 700 pounds. That’s why it required eight pallbearers who had a heavy burden in every sense of the term!
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Lip reader reveals what William and Harry said at the Queen’s funeral
One of the biggest questions on everyone’s minds is, will Prince William and Prince Harry reconcile their relationship? Many were hoping that their reunion after the Queen’s death would help mend the broken bond between these two once-close brothers.
In fact, William and Harry were seen speaking to one another at the Queen’s committal service at St George’s Chapel, sparking hopes that the brothers were back on friendlier terms.
However, a lip reader soon shattered any hopes of a meaningful conversation between the two at the funeral, revealing what the brothers said via the Daily Mail.
As Prince William stood at the entrance to the first pew with Kate, Prince Harry asked him, “Shall we go through first?”, meaning him and Meghan.
William nodded yes, then told Kate, “Let them go through first,’ to which she responded, “Okay.”
It’s not the brotherly conversation royal fans were hoping for, but at least the two princes are on speaking terms.