The Duke of Edinburgh had a solid marriage of over 73 years with the queen. (Photo: Instagram/@theroyalfamily)The death of Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, at the age of 96 is being grieved by many people in the UK and around the world. She passed away at her Balmoral residence in Scotland on September 8, leading her son Charles to take the throne and become King Charles III. Amid all the cheering for the new monarch, people are also taking a moment to cherish the sweet details of the queen’s life, by closely following her funeral procession.
Queen Elizabeth‘s coffin began its final journey after it left Balmoral — her Scottish summer home — yesterday, September 11. It appeared to be draped in the Scottish royal standard, and a wreath made of dahlias, sweet peas, phlox, white heather, and pine fir was placed on top of the coffin as it was loaded onto a hearse.
View this post on Instagram
The queen’s daughter Princess Anne and her husband Sir Timothy Laurence accompanied the late monarch’s body on the drive to her official Scottish residence, the Palace of Holyroodhouse. According to reports, the coffin will lie in the Throne Room before it is taken to St Giles Cathedral on Monday, September 12, from where it will travel to London by air, where it will be placed in Westminster Hall until the funeral on September 19.
It is believed that the flowers used to make the wreath were sourced from the Balmoral estate, especially sweet peas, which used to be the queen’s favourite. According to Hello! magazine, this gesture is an instant reminder of the love between her and her husband Prince Philip, who passed away last year at the age of 99, two months before his centenarian birthday.
View this post on Instagram
The publication reports that when Philip was laid to rest during his funeral in Windsor last year, the wreath placed on top of his coffin comprised flowers chosen by the queen herself, and it included sweet peas.
View this post on Instagram
The reason these flowers are particularly chosen, is that they are “associated with the ideas of departures and goodbyes”, states the Hello! report. It seems fitting then that they also featured in the wreath for the queen’s funeral procession.
The Duke of Edinburgh had a solid marriage of over 73 years with the queen.
📣 For more lifestyle news, follow us on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook and don’t miss out on the latest updates!