A cowboy from California, a coffin with strange objects and Meghan Markle's new trick: how was the funeral of Elizabeth II

The state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II was held in the UK. They began on the morning of September 19 with a ceremony at Westminster Abbey attended by leaders of countries and royalty from around the world. Newspaper.ru.

Photo: IStock

Among the world leaders invited to the funeral of Elizabeth II were French President Emmanuel Macron, US President Joe Biden and his wife, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel, Presidents of Italy Sergio Mattarella, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Israeli President Isaac Herzog and South Korean leader Yun Seok Yeol. The ceremony was also attended by the wife of the President of Ukraine, Elena Zelenskaya.

Recall that the representatives of Russia and Belarus to the event not invited.

The coffin was transported on a state funeral carriage, which was accompanied by 142 sailors of the Royal Navy. The same carriage has been used in the past for the funerals of King Edward VII, King George V, King George VI, Winston Churchill and Lord Mountbatten.

On the subject: Elizabeth II corresponded with a woman from the USA for 70 years: what they talked about

The coffin itself, made for Elizabeth II more than 30 years ago, was covered with a royal standard, a handwritten note, an imperial state crown and a wreath of flowers lay on it.

What do the symbols on the coffin mean?

1. Among the flowers of the funeral wreath of the queen lay handwritten postcard by her son King Charles III, which read: "In loving and devoted memory, Charles R.", reports The Guardian.

2. At the request of King Charles wreath on the Queen's coffin was decorated with flowers and foliage from the royal estates of Buckingham Palace, from Clarence House in London and from Highgrove House in Gloucestershire. Also, at the request of the king, the wreath was fixed in a nest of English moss and oak branches.

The wreath was decorated with myrtle flowers, which, according to royal tradition, are used in the wedding bouquet of the monarch. The flowers were cut from a plant grown from a sprig of myrtle that was in the Queen's wedding bouquet in 1947. Also, white and green bouquets with Asiatic lilies, gladioli and alstroemerias were used for decoration. The wreath also contained rosemary as a symbol of remembrance and the English oak, the national symbol of strength, in deference to the Queen's constancy and unwavering duty.

3. Also, the coffin was decorated with a crown, an orb and a scepter. Crown, personifying the power of the sovereign, is decorated with 2 diamonds, 868 pearls, 269 sapphires, 17 emeralds and four rubies. It contains some of the world's most valuable gemstones. Among them are the Black Prince's Ruby, the Stuart Sapphire and the Cullinan II Diamond. The St Edward Sapphire, set in the center of the uppermost cross, is said to have been worn in a ring by St Edward the Confessor, the stone being discovered in his tomb in 11. The crown had been damaged previously - during the transport of the body of George V, the diamond-encrusted globe that crowns the crown, along with the cross and the sapphire that it supports, broke off and rolled into a ditch.

The Queen wore this crown when she left Westminster Abbey after her coronation in 1953. The monarch wears the crown at state events, including the opening of Parliament.

On the coffin also lay a golden ball, Domain, adorned with precious stones. It was created in 1661 and topped with a cross encrusted with precious stones. This is to remind monarchs that their power comes from God.

Scepter was created for the coronation of King Charles II and has been used at every coronation since 1661. In 1910, the Cullinan I Diamond was added to the scepter. Weighing 532,2 carats, it is the largest colorless diamond in the world. Cullinan I is the largest stone cut from the magnificent Cullinan Diamond. It was discovered in South Africa in 1905 and is the largest rough diamond ever found.

Royal Standard represents the sovereign and the United Kingdom. The modern incarnation of the flag has four quarters: the first and second quarters contain images of three golden “walking lions on guard” on a red background (as they are called in the heraldic tradition of England). In the second quarter there is a red lion rising on a golden field - the heraldic symbol of Scotland. In the third quarter there is a golden harp on a blue background. The same harp is present on the coat of arms of the Republic of Ireland. Scotland uses a different version of the royal standard, with the Scottish coat of arms in the first and fourth quarters and the English coat of arms in the second. Wales is not represented on the royal flag because it was annexed by England long before the flag was designed.

American cowboy at the ceremony

Also present at the ceremony was the Queen's longtime friend, Monty Roberts, a famous American horse riding trainer, reports USA Today.

“I wouldn’t want to be the only one who characterizes our friendship. The Queen owns at least 50% of that communication,” the 87-year-old coach said in an interview ahead of the Queen’s funeral in Westminster Abbey. “But if you ask me, we had a very close relationship.”

The Queen's passion for horses was rivaled only by her love for Corgis. She first heard about Roberts after reading about his soft training methods. After sending one of her horse trainers to California to observe his methods, she subsequently invited Roberts to the UK to try out his methods on the horses of the royal family.

That was over 30 years ago.

Over the past three decades, Roberts has made about half a dozen trips to the UK each year to advise the Queen on her horses.

“She called me directly on the phone several times,” Roberts said. “Although I called her most of the time.” That was the agreement. I called about 200 times. One day I heard her say in the background, “Is that Monty?” "Right after that, she picked up the phone and said that her meeting was over."

Eventually, Roberts says, he was persuaded by the Queen to write a book about his methods. The book, titled The Man Who Listens to Horses, became a bestseller.

According to him, in the early days of their budding friendship, palace staff asked him to take off his cowboy hat every time he met the Queen, but she soon decided to approve of his attire, including the hat.

"She told me, 'I call it your uniform, which means you don't have to take your hat off when you talk to me,'" Roberts says. “Most people I've asked about it say it's unusual.”

As a result, the Californian cowboy was admitted to all stages of the Queen's funeral. This honor is given only to members of royal families and heads of state.

"Talking" details

Both Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle came to say goodbye to their grandmother. The Duchess of Sussex violated protocol - her hat was without a veil, which is prohibited by the rules.

You may be interested in: top New York news, stories of our immigrants, and helpful tips about life in the Big Apple - read it all on ForumDaily New York.

Pinned to Princess Charlotte's coat was a delicate horseshoe-shaped brooch, a tribute to the Queen, her great-grandmother, who had a lifelong passion for horses.

Princess Kate, wife of Prince William, wore two pieces of jewelry that once belonged to her husband's grandmother, the Queen.

She wore Bahraini pearl earrings and a four-strand choker necklace, both from the Queen's collection. People. Archival photos show Queen Elizabeth wearing the necklace at a state banquet in Bangladesh in 1983. According to the magazine, the earrings were a gift to the Queen for her wedding in 1947.

As ForumDaily wrote earlier:

• Elizabeth II died longest-reigning and oldest monarch in British history.
• Assuming the throne of the British monarch, Prince Charles, 73, becomes King Charles III.
• On September 10, he was officially crowned: amazing facts that you did not know about the new ruler of Britain can be found in our material.
• The new monarch announced new titles: for the first time in 25 years, Britain has again princess of wales.
• It is significant that the representatives of Russia and Belarus not invited to the funeral ceremony Elizabeth II.
• King Charles (Charles) III loves pets, just like his late mother. He and his wife Camille brought with with your favorite dogs - two adorable Jack Russell Terriers, Beth and Bluebell, and Queen Elizabeth II Corgis will now be live with the Duke and Duchess of York, Andrew and Sarah.
• Surprisingly, the image of Queen Elizabeth II is still during her lifetime, preserved - from youth - to old age - in many films, serials and even cartoons.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Keanu Reeves was jokingly invited to a wedding in Britain, and he took it and came: this is not the first such trick of the star

Ten real places that look like a fairy tale

'There is worse than you think': the famous historian named the 5 main dangers of the future

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.