Category Archives: British Royals

The State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Credit – The Royal Family Facebook page

The State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom took place on Monday, September 19, 2022, at 11:00 AM British Time at Westminster Abbey in London, England. In the United Kingdom, a state funeral is usually reserved for the monarch or a very distinguished person with the approval of the monarch and Parliament such as Sir Winston Churchill‘s funeral in 1965. The arrangements for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral were planned over many years, with The Queen’s involvement. After The Queen’s death, King Charles III may have made some changes and then signed off on the funeral plans.

Note: All article links for family members who participated in events and services are in the Guests section at the end of this article.

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The last photo of Queen Elizabeth II – Taken at Balmoral Castle two days before her death when she had a meeting with the new Prime Minister Liz Truss

Before the Funeral

Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022, at 3:10 PM British time, at Balmoral Castle, her home in Scotland. Her death was announced three hours later at 6:30 PM British time by Huw Edwards, the BBC’s chief presenter.  The death certificate which was made public on September 29, 2022, stated the cause of death as “old age”.

The Ballroom at Balmoral Castle where the coffin of Queen Elizabeth rested for three days; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin was made over thirty years before the funeral. It was made of English oak and lined with lead, a long-time royal tradition, to protect from moisture damage. Due to the weight, eight pallbearers were required for carrying rather than the usual six. The Queen’s coffin, draped with the Scottish version of the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom, rested in the ballroom at Balmoral Castle until September 11, 2022. On that day, the coffin traveled by hearse to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Upon arrival at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the coffin rested in the palace’s Throne Room.

The Throne Room at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

On September 12, 2022, Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin traveled by hearse from the Palace of Holyroodhouse, up the Royal Mile to St. Giles Cathedral accompanied by King Charles III and members of the Royal Family on foot. The coffin lay in rest at St. Giles Cathedral and the people of Scotland visited the cathedral to pay their respects. In the evening of September 12, 2022, King Charles III and his three siblings stood vigil at their mother’s coffin at St. Giles Cathedral.

Queen Elizabeth’s coffin arrives at St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland

The coffin was taken from St. Giles Cathedral to Edinburgh Airport on September 13, 2022, at 5:00 PM British time. Accompanied by The Queen’s only daughter Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, the coffin traveled by plane to RAF Northolt, a Royal Air Force base near London. The coffin then traveled by hearse to Buckingham Palace in London where it was met by King Charles III, Queen Consort Camilla, and other members of the Royal Family. The coffin rested in the Bow Room, which overlooks the gardens. A rotating group of chaplains watched over the coffin.

Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin made its way along The Mall from Buckingham Palace, as it traveled to Westminster Hall. Members of the Royal Family followed on foot.

On September 14, 2022, Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin was moved from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, at the Palace of Westminster, also called the Houses of Parliament, where the Queen lay in state for four days. King Charles III, his sons The Prince of Wales and The Duke of Sussex, and The King’s siblings The Princess Royal, The Duke of York, and the Earl of Wessex walked behind the coffin. Also walking behind the coffin were Princess Anne’s husband Sir Timothy Laurence, Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips, The Queen’s nephew David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon, and The Queen’s first cousin Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester. The Queen Consort, The Princess of Wales, The Duchess of Sussex, and the Countess of Wessex traveled by car. Members of the public were able to pay their respects to The Queen’s coffin in Westminster Hall, 24 hours a day until 6:30 AM British Time on Monday, September 19, 2022, the day of the funeral.

The four children of Queen ELizabeth II stand vigil around her coffin

On the evening of September 16, 2022, The Queen’s four children, King Charles III, The Princess Royal, The Duke of York, and The Earl of Wessex, held a vigil around the coffin of The Queen. On the evening of September 17, 2022, Queen Elizabeth II’s eight grandchildren, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Sussex, Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor, and Viscount Severn, held a vigil around the coffin of their grandmother.

Queen Elizabeth II’s eight grandchildren stand vigil around her coffin

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The Funeral Service

The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II is carried down the aisle of Westminster Abbey 

At 10:44 AM British Time, on Monday, September 19, 2022, the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II traveled in procession on the State Gun Carriage of the Royal Navy pulled by 142 Royal Navy sailors the short distance from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey for the State Funeral. King Charles III, members of the Royal Family, and members of The King’s Household followed the coffin.

The State Funeral Service was conducted by David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster. The Sermon was given by Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, who also gave the Commendation.
Music: The Choir of Westminster Abbey and the Choir of the Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace, (Joseph McHardy, Director of Music) under the direction of James O’Donnell, Organist and Master of the Choristers, Westminster Abbey. The organ was played by Peter Holder, Sub-Organist, Westminster Abbey

For more detailed information including texts of prayers and hymns, see Westminster Abbey: Order of Service The State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Members of the Royal Family follow the coffin down the aisle of Westminster Abbey

The coffin was carried down the aisle of Westminster Abbey followed by a procession that included King Charles III, Queen Consort Camilla, The Princess Royal, her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, The Duke of York, The Earl of Wessex, The Countess of Wessex, The Prince of Wales, The Princess of Wales, Prince George of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales, The Duke of Sussex, The Duchess of Sussex, Peter Phillips, The Earl of Snowdon, The Duke of Gloucester, The Duke of Kent, and Prince Michael of Kent.

During the Procession of the Coffin, the choir sang The Sentences – five lines of scripture set to music by William Croft (1678 – 1727) and Henry Purcell (1659 – 1695).

David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, gave The Bidding, giving thanks for The Queen’s “life-long sense of duty and dedication.”

The choir and the congregation sang the hymn The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended written by Reverend John Ellerton (1826 – 1893).

Patricia Janet Scotland, Baroness Scotland of Asthal, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations read The First Lesson: 1 Corinthians 15: 20–26, 53–end

The choir sang Psalm 42: 1–7 Like as the Hart, with music composed specially for this service by Judith Weir (born 1954) who holds the title of Master of the King’s Music, a role within the royal household in which she composes music at the monarch’s request.

Prime Minister Liz Truss read the Second Lesson: John 14: 1–9a

The choir and the congregation sang the hymn The Lord’s My Shepherd by Jessie Seymour Irvine (1836- 1887), the daughter of a Church of Scotland parish minister. This hymn was sung at The Queen’s wedding to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in 1947.

Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, in the pulpit on the left, gave the sermon.

The choir sang The Anthem My soul, there is a country from Songs of Farewell by Hubert Parry (1848 – 1918).

The Prayers were said by Iain Greenshields, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland; Shermara Fletcher, Principal Officer for Pentecostal and Charismatic Relations, Churches Together in England; Dame Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London and Dean of His Majesty’s Chapels Royal; Helen Cameron, Moderator of the Free Churches Group; Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster; and Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York.

The choir sang Psalm 34: 8 – Taste and see how gracious the Lord is composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 – 1958) for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

The congregations said The Lord’s Prayer.

The choir and the congregation sang the hymn Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, words by Charles Wesley (1707 – 1788), melody Blaenwern by William Penfro Rowlands (1860 – 1937). This hymn was sung at the 2005 Service of Prayer and Dedication following the marriage of King Charles III and Camilla Parker-Bowles and the 2011 wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury said The Commendation, in which the deceased person is commended to God.

The Choir sang The Anthem Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? composed specially for this service by Sir James MacMillan (born 1959).

David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster pronounced The Blessing.

Four trumpeters from the British Army’s Household Cavalry sounded The Last Post, a short military fanfare, traditionally played in the United Kingdom at military funerals, on Remembrance Day, and at ceremonies commemorating those who have lost their lives in war.

Two Minutes of Silence was observed at Westminster Abbey and throughout the United Kingdom.

The trumpeters sounded The Reveille to signal the end of the Two Minutes of Silence.

The choir and the congregation sang God Save The King, the National Anthem.

The Queen’s Piper, Warrant Officer Class 1 (Pipe Major) Paul Burns, played a traditional bagpipe lament, Sleep, Dearie, Sleep. Paul Burns was the personal piper of Queen Elizabeth II. He woke The Queen every morning with the sound of his bagpipes outside her window.

The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II was carried up the aisle of Westminster Abbey in a procession that included King Charles III, Queen Consort Camilla, The Princess Royal, her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Lawrence, The Duke of York, The Earl of Wessex, The Countess of Wessex, The Prince of Wales, The Princess of Wales, Prince George of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales, The Duke of Sussex, The Duchess of Sussex, Mr. Peter Phillips, The Earl of Snowdon, The Duke of Gloucester, The Duke of Kent, and Prince Michael of Kent.

The Duchess of Sussex, The Queen Consort, Prince George of Wales, The Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales, and the Countess of Wessex watch as the coffin is put on the gun carriage after the funeral

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Procession to Wellington Arch and then to Windsor

Royal Navy sailors pull the gun carriage bearing the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II through Wellington Arch

After the funeral service, Queen Elizabeth’s coffin was placed on the State Gun Carriage of the Royal Navy and pulled by 142 Royal Navy sailors in a procession led by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch near Hyde Park. Walking behind the coffin were King Charles II, The Princess Royal, The Duke of York, The Earl of Wessex, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Sussex, Peter Phillips, The Earl of Snowdon, The Duke of Gloucester, and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Following behind in cars were Queen Consort Camilla, The Princess of Wales, Prince George of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales, The Countess of Wessex, The Duchess of Sussex, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, and The Duchess of Gloucester. At Wellington Arch, the coffin was transferred to a hearse for the trip to Windsor where the Committal Service would take place at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle

The hearse leaves Wellington Arch on its way to Windsor

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The Committal Service

The Committal Service at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle

A committal service commits the deceased person to their final resting place. The Committal Service for Queen Elizabeth II was held at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor, England on Monday, September 19, 2022, at 4:00 PM British Time. 800 guests attended the committal service. Among those who attended were members of the British Royal Family, foreign royalty, past and present members of The Queen’s Household, including from the private estates and Governors-General and Realm Prime Ministers. Some people only attended the committal service as noted on the guest list at the end of this article.

For more detailed information including texts of prayers and hymns, see St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle: The Committal of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

The Committal Service was led by David Conner, Dean of Windsor. The Blessing was pronounced by Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury. Music was provided by the Choir of St George’s Chapel conducted by James Vivian, Director of Music. The organ was played by Luke Bond, Assistant Director of Music.

At 4:00 PM British Time, the coffin was carried into St. George’s Chapel in a procession that included King Charles III, Queen Consort Camilla, The Princess Royal, her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Lawrence, The Duke of York, The Earl of Wessex, The Countess of Wessex, The Prince of Wales, The Princess of Wales, The Duke of Sussex, The Duchess of Sussex, Mr. Peter Phillips, The Earl of Snowdon, The Duke of Gloucester, The Duke of Kent, and Prince Michael of Kent. As the coffin proceeded down the aisle, the choir sang Psalm 121 – I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills: from whence cometh my help with music by Sir Henry Walford Davies (1869 – 1941).

The choir sang The Russian Kontakion of the Departed, music from a Kyiv melody, words translated by William J. Birkbeck (1869 – 1916). This was also sung at the funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh as an homage to his Eastern Orthodox religious background. His paternal grandfather was King George I of Greece and his paternal grandmother Queen Olga of Greece  was born Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia, a granddaughter of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia.

David Conner, Dean of Windsor gave The Bidding.

The choir and congregation sang the hymn All My Hope on God Is Founded, originally a German Hymn “Meine Hoffnung stehet feste” written around 1680 by Joachim Neander , words translated into English by Robert Bridges (1844 – 1930), music by Herbert Howells (1892 – 1983)

The Reading, Revelation 21.1–7, was read by David Conner, Dean of Windsor.

The Prayers were read by Paul Williams, Rector of St. Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham, Kenneth Mackenzie, Minister of Crathie Kirk, and Martin Poll, Chaplain of the Royal Chapel, Windsor Great Park

The Congregation said The Lord’s Prayer.

The Choir sang The Motet, Bring Us, O Lord God, At Our Last Awakening, music composed by Sir William Henry Harris (1883 – 1973), words by the poet John Donne (1572 – 1631).

The Imperial State Crown, The Orb and The Sceptre being carried to The Dean of Windsor

The congregation stood in silence while the Imperial State Crown, The Orb, and The Sceptre were removed from The Queen’s coffin by the Crown Jeweler Mark Appleby (on the left in above photo). He then gave the regalia to Chris Livett, The Queen’s Bargemaster, (in the middle i and a Serjeant of Arms. They were then given to David Conner, Dean of Windsor who placed them on the High Altar.

David Conner, Dean of Windsor places the Imperial State Crown on the High Altar

The choir and congregation sang the hymn Christ is Made the Sure Foundation, adapted from the final section of Henry Purcell‘s anthem O God, thou art my God; words from a 6th or 7th-century Latin monastic hymn Urbs beata Jerusalem, translated by John M. Neale (1818 – 1866). This hymn was sung during the weddings of Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1960, and Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, and was the opening hymn of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee service in St. Paul’s Cathedral on June 3, 2022

King Charles III places The Queen’s Company Camp Colour of the Grenadier Guards on the coffin

At the end of the hymn, The Queen’s Company Camp Colour of the Grenadier Guards was placed on the coffin by King Charles III having received it from the Regimental Lieutenant Colonel Grenadier Guards. The monarch’s Company Colour is crimson. Queen Elizabeth II held the position of Company Commander of the Grenadier Guards’ Queen’s Company. Only one flag is presented across a monarch’s reign. That crimson flag was retired following the funeral and went with The Queen’s coffin when she was interred.

Andrew Parker, Baron Parker of Minsmere, The Lord Chamberlain breaks his wand of service

Andrew Parker, Baron Parker of Minsmere, The Lord Chamberlain, the most senior official in Queen Elizabeth III’s Royal Household, stood in front of the coffin, broke his wand of office, and laid the two pieces on the coffin. This was a symbolic gesture marking the death of the sovereign he served.

As the coffin was lowered into the Royal Vault under St. George’s Chapel, David Conner, Dean of Windsor said Psalm 103. 13–17, Like as a father pitieth his own children: even so is the Lord merciful unto them that fear him.

David Conner, Dean of Windsor then said the prayer:

Go forth upon thy journey from this world,
O Christian soul;
In the name of God the Father Almighty who created thee;
In the name of Jesus Christ who suffered for thee;
In the name of the Holy Spirit who strengtheneth thee.
In communion with the blessèd saints,
and aided by Angels and Archangels,
and all the armies of the heavenly host,
may thy portion this day be in peace,
and thy dwelling in the heavenly Jerusalem.
Amen.

David Vines White, The Garter King of Arms proclaimed The Styles and Titles of Queen Elizabeth II:

Thus it hath pleased Almighty God to take out of this transitory life unto His Divine Mercy the late Most High, Most Mighty, and Most Excellent Monarch, Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, and Sovereign of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.

The Queen’s Piper, Warrant Officer Class 1 (Pipe Major) Paul Burns played a lament, A Salute to the Royal Fendersmith, from the North Quire Aisle.

David Vines White, The Garter King of Arms said:

Let us humbly beseech Almighty God to bless with long life, health and honour, and all worldly happiness the Most High, Most Mighty and Most Excellent Monarch, our Sovereign Lord, now, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His other Realms and Territories King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, and Sovereign of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. GOD SAVE THE KING.

Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury pronounced The Blessing.

The choir and the congregation sang God Save The King, the National Anthem.

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The Burial

King George VI Memorial Chapel; Credit – Connie Nissinger, www.findagrave.com

In a private, family service conducted by David Conner, Dean of Windsor at 7:30 PM British Time, on the day of the funeral, Queen Elizabeth II was interred in the crypt of the King George VI Memorial Chapel which is located on a side aisle of St. George’s Chapel. At the same time, the coffin of her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who died in 2021, was moved from its temporary place in the Royal Vault beneath St. George’s Chapel and interred in the crypt of the King George VI Memorial Chapel. The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II now rests with the coffins of her husband, her father King George VI, her mother Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the ashes of her sister Princess Margaret.

King George VI Memorial Chapel; Credit – The Royal Family Facebook page

After the interment of Queen Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh, a replacement ledger stone with a metal star of the Order of the Garter between the couples’ names was put into the floor of the King George Memorial Chapel. A memorial headstone with a slanted top for Princess Margaret, which had been placed by her children, leans against the wall.

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Guests

Around 2,000 invited guests attended the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. In addition to foreign dignitaries and The Queen’s family and friends, guests included United Kingdom former prime ministers, cabinet ministers, government leaders, and political party leaders. In addition, there were religious representatives, courtiers and employees, recipients of orders and decorations, and volunteers who supported charities important to The Queen. All 2,000 guests are not listed below. A more inclusive, but not complete list can be seen at Wikipedia: List of dignitaries at the state funeral of Elizabeth II.

Below is a list of members of the British Royal Family, members of reigning royal houses, members of non-reigning royal houses, and close non-royal family members who attended the funeral. For many, the relationship with Queen Elizabeth II is noted.

British Royal Family

Some members of the British Royal Family (Front Row) King Charles III; Queen Consort Camilla; The Princess Royal; Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence; The Duke of York; The Earl of Wessex; The Countess of Wessex; The Prince of Wales; Prince George of Wales; The Princess of Wales; Princess Charlotte of Wales; Peter Phillips; Zara Tindall; Mike Tindall; (Second Row) The Duke of Sussex; The Duchess of Sussex; Princess Beatrice; Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi; Lady Louise Windsor; Viscount Severn; Jack Brooksbank; Princess Eugenie; Sarah, Duchess of York; The Earl of Snowdon; Viscount Linley; Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones (Third Row) Samuel Chatto; Arthur Chatto; Lady Sarah Chatto; Daniel Chatto; The Duke of Gloucester; The Duke of Kent; Earl and Countess of St Andrews; Edward Windsor Lord Downpatrick; Lady Amelia Windsor; Lady Marina Windsor

Descendants of Queen Elizabeth II

Descendants of King George VI

  • David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon, The Queen’s nephew, son of the late Princess Margaret
  • Charles Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley, The Queen’s great-nephew, son of The Earl of Snowdon
  • Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones, The Queen’s great-niece, daughter of The Earl of Snowdon
  • Lady Sarah Chatto, The Queen’s niece, daughter of the late Princess Margaret, and her husband Daniel Chatto
  • Samuel Chatto, The Queen’s great-nephew, son of Lady Sarah Chatto
  • Arthur Chatto, The Queen’s great-nephew, son of Lady Sarah Chatto

Descendants of King George V – Extended British Royal Family

  • Prince Richard, The Duke of Gloucester, The Queen’s first cousin, and his wife Birgitte, The Duchess of Gloucester
  • Alexander Earl of Ulster, The Queen’s first cousin once removed, son of The Duke of Gloucester
  • Xan Windsor, Lord Culloden, The Queen’s first cousin twice removed, son of Earl of Ulster
  • Lady Cosima Windsor, The Queen’s first cousin twice removed, daughter of Earl of Ulster
  • Lady Davina Windsor, The Queen’s first cousin once removed, daughter of The Duke of Gloucester
  • Senna Lewis, The Queen’s first cousin twice removed, daughter of Lady Davina Windsor
  • Lady Rose Gilman, The Queen’s first cousin once removed, daughter of The Duke of Gloucester, and her husband George Gilman
  • Lyla Gilman, The Queen’s first cousin twice removed, daughter of Lady Rose Gilman
  • Prince Edward, The Duke of Kent, The Queen’s first cousin
  • George Windsor, Earl of St. Andrews, The Queen’s first cousin once removed, son of The
  • Duke of Kent, and his wife Countess of St Andrews
  • Edward Windsor, Lord Downpatrick, The Queen’s first cousin twice removed, son of Earl of St. Andrews
  • Lady Marina Windsor, The Queen’s first cousin twice removed, daughter of Earl of St. Andrews
  • Lady Amelia Windsor, The Queen’s first cousin twice removed, daughter of Earl of St. Andrews
  • Lady Helen Taylor, The Queen’s first cousin once removed, daughter of The Duke of Kent, and her husband Timothy Taylor
  • Columbus Taylor, The Queen’s first cousin twice removed, son of Lady Helen Taylor
  • Cassius Taylor, The Queen’s first cousin twice removed, son of Lady Helen Taylor
  • Eloise Taylor, The Queen’s first cousin twice removed, daughter of Lady Helen Taylor
  • Estella Taylor, The Queen’s first cousin twice removed, daughter of Lady Helen Taylor
  • Lord Nicholas Windsor, The Queen’s first cousin once removed, son of The Duke of Kent
  • Albert Windsor, The Queen’s first cousin twice removed, son of Lord Nicholas Windsor
  • Leopold Windsor, The Queen’s first cousin twice removed, son of Lord Nicholas Windsor
  • Princess Alexandra, The Honorable Lady Ogilvy, The Queen’s first cousin
  • James Ogilvy, The Queen’s first cousin once removed, son of Princess Alexandra, and his wife Julia Ogilvy,
  • Flora Vesterberg, The Queen’s first cousin twice removed, daughter of James Ogilvy, and her husband Timothy Vesterberg
  • Alexander Ogilvy, The Queen’s first cousin twice removed, son of James Ogilvy
  • Marina Ogilvy, The Queen’s first cousin once removed, daughter of Princess Alexandra
  • Zenouska Mowatt, The Queen’s first cousin twice removed, daughter of Marina Ogilvy
  • Christian Mowatt, The Queen’s first cousin twice removed, daughter of Marina Ogilvy
  • Prince Michael of Kent, The Queen’s first cousin, and his wife Princess Michael of Kent
  • Lord Frederick Windsor, The Queen’s first cousin once removed, son of Prince Michael of Kent, and his wife Lady Frederick Windsor
  • Lady Gabriella Kingston, The Queen’s first cousin once removed, daughter of Prince Michael of Kent, and her husband Thomas Kingston

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Non-Royal Family Members

Descendants of King Edward VII

The Fife family are descendants of Princess Louise, The Princess Royal, the eldest daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Princess Alexandra of Denmark, and her husband Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife.

  • David Carnegie, 4th Duke of Fife, The Queen’s second cousin once removed, son of James Carnegie, 3rd Duke of Fife, and his wife Caroline Carnegie, Duchess of Fife (present only at the committal service)
  • Lady Alexandra Etherington, The Queen’s second cousin once removed, daughter of James Carnegie, 3rd Duke of Fife, and her husband Mark Etherington

Descendants of Queen Victoria

While the following people are related to The Queen, they are members of the Mountbatten family and are more closely related to the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The Mountbatten family and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh are descendants of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha through their daughter Princess Alice of the United Kingdom and her husband Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine.

The Spencer Family

The Parker Bowles and Shand Family

  • Tom Parker Bowles, son of Queen Consort Camilla, godson of King Charles III
  • Lola Parker Bowles, granddaughter of Queen Consort Camilla, daughter of Tom Parker Bowles
  • Frederick Parker Bowles, grandson of Queen Consort Camilla, son of Tom Parker Bowles
  • Laura Lopes, daughter of Queen Consort Camilla, and her husband Harry Lopes
  • Eliza Lopes, granddaughter of Queen Consort Camilla, daughter of Laura Lopes
  • Gus Lopes, grandson of Queen Consort Camilla, son of Laura Lopes
  • Louis Lopes, grandson of Queen Consort Camilla, son of Laura Lopes
  • Annabel Elliot, sister of Queen Consort Camilla, and her husband Simon Elliot

The Middleton Family

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Members of Reigning Royal Houses

Some foreign royalty: (Front Row) Princess Beatrix, Queen Máxima and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands; Queen Silvia and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden; Crown Prince Frederik and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark (Second Row) King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway; Queen Sofia and King Juan Carlos of Spain; Queen Letizia and King Felipe VI of Spain (Third Row) Prince Albert II of Monaco, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg (Fourth Row) Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania, Crown Princess Marie-Chantal, Crown Prince Pavlos and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece.

Queen Elizabeth II is related to all the current reigning European sovereigns. She is most closely related to King Harald V of Norway. They are both great-grandchildren of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Princess Alexandra of Denmark. Most European royals are related via their descent from Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and/or King Christian IX of Denmark and his wife Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel.

Note: The Kingdoms of Cambodia, Eswatini, and Thailand did not send royal representatives. Instead, those kingdoms were represented by:

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Members of Non-Reigning Royal Houses

Queen Elizabeth II is also related to many members of non-reigning royal houses.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

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Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_and_state_funeral_of_Elizabeth_II> [Accessed 28 September 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. List of dignitaries at the state funeral of Elizabeth II – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dignitaries_at_the_state_funeral_of_Elizabeth_II> [Accessed 28 September 2022].
  • McQuillan, Laura, 2022. All the music from Queen Elizabeth’s funeral service at Westminster Abbey | CBC News. [online] CBC. Available at: <https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/music-queen-elizabeth-funeral-1.6587717> [Accessed 28 September 2022].
  • The Royal Family. 2022. St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle: The Committal of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. [online] Available at: <https://www.royal.uk/sites/default/files/media/committal_of_her_majesty_queen_elizabeth_ii_-_order_of_service.pdf> [Accessed 28 September 2022].
  • Westminster-abbey.org. 2022. Order of Service The State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. [online] Available at: <https://www.westminster-abbey.org/media/15467/order-of-service-the-state-funeral-of-her-majesty-queen-elizabeth-ii.pdf> [Accessed 28 September 2022].

Marie of Blois, Countess of Boulogne

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Marie’s coat of arms as Countess of Boulogne; Credit – Wikipedia

A daughter of King Stephen of England, Marie of Blois was Countess of Boulogne in her own right after the deaths of her mother Matilda I, Countess of Boulogne in her own right and her two surviving brothers Eustace and Willliam who were both Count of Boulogne but had childless marriages. As a young girl, Marie entered a convent and became a nun. Shortly after Marie became Countess of Boulogne, she was abducted from her convent by a young nobleman and forced into marriage with the nobleman who then claimed the title of Count of Boulogne jure uxoris (by right of his wife).

Marie’s father King Stephen of England; Credit – Wikipedia

Born in 1136, Marie was the fourth of the five children and the second but the only surviving daughter of Stephen I, King of England (born Stephen of Blois) and Matilda I, Countess of Boulogne in her own right. Boulogne was a county within the Kingdom of France from 896 – 1501, centered on the city of Boulogne-sur-Mer, a coastal city in Northern France. Marie’s paternal grandparents were Stephen II, Count of Blois and Adela of Normandy and England, a daughter of William I, King of England (the Conqueror). His maternal grandparents were Eustace III, Count of Boulogne and Mary of Scotland, daughter of King Malcolm III of Scotland and Saint Margaret of Scotland, born an Anglo-Saxon princess.

Marie had four siblings but only two brothers survived childhood:

The sinking of the White Ship; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1120, a terrible tragedy caused a succession crisis in England. The White Ship, carrying King Henry I of England’s only legitimate son William Ætheling, sank as it left France to sail to England, and William Ætheling was among the estimated 300 passengers who drowned. Empress Matilda was then King Henry I’s only legitimate child and on Christmas Day in 1126, Henry I had his barons swear to recognize his only surviving legitimate child Empress Matilda and any future legitimate heirs she might have as his successors.

On December 1, 1135, King Henry I of England died. His nephew, Marie’s father Stephen of Blois, quickly crossed over the English Channel from the County of Boulogne, now in France, to England, accompanied by his military household. With the help of his brother Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester, Stephen seized power in England and was crowned King of England on December 22, 1135. However, Empress Matilda did not give up her claim to England and Normandy, leading to the long civil war known as The Anarchy between 1135 and 1153. After eighteen long years of war, Stephen and Henry FitzEmpress, the son of Empress Matilda and the future Henry II, King of England reached a formal agreement known as the Treaty of Wallingford. The treaty allowed King Stephen to keep the English throne until his death but forced him to recognize Empress Matilda’s son Henry FitzEmpress as his heir. Marie’s father King Stephen only survived until the next year, dying on October 25, 1154. A line of fourteen Plantagenet kings who ruled England until 1485 started, with Henry FitzEmpress, now King Henry II of England.

The original church built for the Priory of Lillechurch (now Higham; Credit – By St. Mary’s Church, Lower Higham by Roger Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=106871590

As a young girl, Marie was placed in a convent in Stratford, Middlesex, England. Marie’s parents established a new convent for her, the Priory of Lillechurch (now Higham) in Kent, England, which Marie entered as a novice. She later transferred to Romsey Abbey in Romsey, Hampshire, England which had been rebuilt by her paternal uncle Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester. Marie took her vows as a nun at Romsey Abbey and was elected Abbess of Romsey in 1155. Four years later, on October 11, 1159, her brother William died. As his marriage to Isabel de Warenne, 4th Countess of Surrey in her own right had been childless, Marie, his only surviving sibling, succeeded as Countess of Boulogne in her own right.

Matthew of Alsace was the second son of Thierry, Count of Flanders and Sibylla of Anjou, the paternal aunt of King Henry II of England. As his elder brother would succeed their father as Count of Flanders, the ambitious Matthew decided to get himself a title and the land that came with the title. In 1160, Matthew abducted Marie from Romsey Abbey and forced her to marry him despite her religious vows. Via the marriage, Mattew became jure uxoris (by right of his wife) Count of Boulogne, and her co-ruler.

The church reacted immediately. Pope Alexander III wrote to Henri of France, Archbishop of Reims (son of King Louis VI of France), and Matthew and Maria were excommunicated. In 1162, their excommunication was renewed and all the priests who supported the couple were also excommunicated. Finally, in 1168, an interdict was imposed on the people of the County of Boulogne, a punishment forbidding certain sacraments and prohibiting participation in certain religious rites. Only then did Marie and Matthew submit to the will of the church and separate.

Ida of Flanders, Countess of Boulogne, Marie and Matthew’s elder daughter; Credit – Wikipedia

However, Marie and Matthew had two daughters:

In 1169, the marriage of Marie and Matthew was annulled but Pope Alexander III legitimized their two daughters. Matthew remained in the County of Boulogne and retained the title Count of Boulogne until his death when he was succeeded by his elder daughter Ida as Countess of Boulogne in her own right. In 1171, Matthew married Eleanor, Countess of Vermandois in her own right. They had one short-lived daughter. Matthew, a supporter of Henry the Young King, the eldest surviving son of King Henry II of England, died in 1173, aged about 36, from a crossbow wound fighting at the Siege of Driencourt during the 1173 – 1174 revolt of King Henry II’s sons.

Marie returned to religious life as a nun at the Abbey of St. Austrebert near Montreuil-sur-Mer, County of Boulogne, where she died on July 25, 1182, at the age of about 46. She was buried at the Abbey of St. Austrebert.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Marie I, Countess of Boulogne – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_I,_Countess_of_Boulogne> [Accessed 22 July 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2016. King Stephen of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-stephen-of-england/> [Accessed 22 July 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2014. Matilda of Boulogne, Queen of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/may-3-1152-death-of-matilda-of-boulogne-wife-of-king-stephen-of-england/> [Accessed 22 July 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2015. The Sinking of the White Ship and How It Affected the English Succession. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/november-25-1120-the-sinking-of-the-white-ship-and-how-it-affected-the-english-succession/> [Accessed 22 July 2022].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2022. Marie de Boulogne — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_de_Boulogne> [Accessed 22 July 2022].
  • Williamson, David, 1996. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell.

William of Blois, Count of Boulogne

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Coat of Arms of William I, Count of Boulogne; Credit – By Own work + elements from Sodacan, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=95285554

Born circa 1137, William of Blois, Count of Boulogne was the youngest of the five children and the third but the second surviving of the three sons of Stephen I, King of England (born Stephen of Blois) and Matilda I, Countess of Boulogne in her own right. Boulogne was a county within the Kingdom of France from 896 – 1501, centered on the city of Boulogne-sur-Mer, a coastal city in Northern France.

William’s paternal grandparents were Stephen II, Count of Blois and Adela of Normandy and England, a daughter of William I, King of England (the Conqueror). His maternal grandparents were Eustace III, Count of Boulogne and Mary of Scotland, daughter of King Malcolm III of Scotland and Saint Margaret of Scotland, born an Anglo-Saxon princess.

William had four elder siblings:

Circa 1148 – 1149, William married Isabel de Warenne, 4th Countess of Surrey in her own right. Isabel was the only child of William de Warenne, 3rd Earl of Surrey and Adela of Ponthieu. Isabel’s father had died in 1148 at the Battle of Mount Cadmus during the Second Crusade and she inherited his earldom of Surrey. Upon his marriage, William became Earl of Warenne jure uxoris (by right of his wife. As a result of his marriage, William became one of the richest barons in England. This marriage was also strategic because it allowed King Stephen to increase his control in England since the Warenne lands included more than 200 manors in Sussex Norfolk, Yorkshire, and many other English counties. William and Isabel did not have children.

The sinking of the White Ship; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1120, a terrible tragedy caused a succession crisis in England. The White Ship, carrying King Henry I of England’s only legitimate son William Ætheling, sank as it left France to sail to England, and William Ætheling was among the estimated 300 passengers who drowned. Empress Matilda was then King Henry I’s only legitimate child. On Christmas Day in 1126, Henry I had his barons swear to recognize his only surviving legitimate child Empress Matilda, and any future legitimate heirs she might have as his successors.

Stephen of Blois and his wife Matilda of Boulogne stayed close to his maternal uncle King Henry I and spent much time in England realizing that Stephen was very close to the throne. Stephen’s mother Adela of Normandy and England was the daughter of William I, King of England (the Conqueror). Henry I’s daughter Empress Matilda had left England as a child to marry Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich V. The marriage was childless and Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich V died in 1125. After her husband’s death, Empress Matilda went to the royal court in the Duchy of Normandy (Kings of England were also Dukes of Normandy). Eventually, King Henry I made arrangements for his daughter to marry Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou in 1128. Empress Matilda and Geoffrey did not get along and their marriage was stormy with frequent, long separations but they did produce three sons, including Henry FitzEmpress, the future Henry II, King of England.

William’s father King Stephen of England; Credit – Wikipedia

On December 1, 1135, King Henry I of England died. His nephew Stephen of Blois quickly crossed over the English Channel from the County of Boulogne, now in France, to England, accompanied by his military household. With the help of his brother Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester, Stephen seized power in England and was crowned King of England on December 22, 1135. However, Empress Matilda did not give up her claim to England and Normandy, leading to the long civil war known as The Anarchy between 1135 and 1153.

Empress Matilda; Credit – Wikipedia

Geoffrey of Anjou, Empress Matilda’s husband, began a systematic conquest of the Duchy of Normandy. By 1143, Geoffrey secured all of Normandy west and south of the Seine River and he then assumed the title of Duke of Normandy. Geoffrey held the duchy until 1149 when he and Empress Matilda ceded it to their son Henry FitzEmpress.  In 1151, William’s brother Eustace and King Louis VII of France launched an invasion of the Duchy of Normandy. However, they were defeated by the troops of Henry FitzEmpress.

At a council held in London on April 6, 1152, King Stephen asked the barons to recognize his eldest son Eustace as their next king and to pay him homage. He wanted to follow the French practice of ensuring the succession by declaring his heir Eustace the junior king. The barons refused. By the early 1150s, after years of civil war, the barons and church leaders wanted long-term peace. Theobald of Bec, Archbishop of Canterbury refused to grant Stephen’s request to crown Eustace and Pope Eugene III refused to recognize Eustace as Stephen’s successor.

William’s mother Matilda I, Countess of Boulogne in her own right died on May 3, 1152, and her eldest son succeeded her as Eustace IV, Count of Boulogne. On August 17, 1153, Eustace, aged about twenty-three, died suddenly and William became Count of Boulogne. William was also the heir to the English throne for a short time. Shortly after Eustace’s death, on December 25, 1153, William’s father King Stephen and Henry FitzEmpress reached a formal agreement known as the Treaty of Wallingford. The treaty allowed King Stephen to keep the English throne until his death but forced him to recognize Empress Matilda’s son Henry FitzEmpress as his heir. Henry FitzEmpress guaranteed that William, Count of Boulogne would retain his possessions in England and Normandy, the lands of the House of Boulogne, and the lands of the House of Warenne.

William’s father King Stephen survived for a little more than a year after the death of Eustace, dying on October 25, 1154. A line of fourteen Plantagenet kings who ruled England until 1485 started with Henry FitzEmpress, now King Henry II of England. William did not attempt to oppose Henry II’s accession to the English throne. For the rest of his life, William remained loyal to King Henry II.

In 1159 William accompanied King Henry II on an unsuccessful invasion of the County of Toulouse, now in France. William died October 11, 1159, aged circa twenty-two, from an illness on the return trip to England, while still in the County of Toulouse. He was buried at the Abbey of Montmorel (link in French) in the Duchy of Normandy, now in France.

With William’s death, King Stephen’s male line died out. The County of Boulogne and other possessions of the Boulogne family were inherited by William’s only surviving sibling Marie of Blois who became Countess of Boulogne in her own right. In 1164, King Henry II arranged for William’s widow Isabella de Warenne to marry Hamelin of Anjou, the illegitimate son of Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou. Hamelin was, therefore, the half-brother of King Henry II and the uncle of his sons King Richard I and King John, and was prominent at their courts. Hamelin adopted the surname de Warenne, as did his descendants. Isabel and Hamelin had one son and three daughters. Isabel survived her first husband William of Blois, Count of Boulogne by forty-four years, dying on July 12, 1203, aged about sixty-six.

Sharon Kay Penman’s excellent historical fiction novel When Christ and His Saints Slept deals with The Anarchy and most of the historical figures mentioned here are characters.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Isabel de Warenne, Countess of Surrey – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabel_de_Warenne,_Countess_of_Surrey> [Accessed 19 July 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. William I, Count of Boulogne – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_I,_Count_of_Boulogne> [Accessed 19 July 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2016. King Stephen of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-stephen-of-england/> [Accessed 19 July 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2014. Matilda of Boulogne, Queen of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/may-3-1152-death-of-matilda-of-boulogne-wife-of-king-stephen-of-england/> [Accessed 19 July 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2015. The Sinking of the White Ship and How It Affected the English Succession. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/november-25-1120-the-sinking-of-the-white-ship-and-how-it-affected-the-english-succession/> [Accessed 19 July 2022].

Eustace (of Blois) IV, Count of Boulogne

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Eustace’s coat of arms as Count of  Boulogne; Credit – Wikipedia

Born circa 1129, Eustace (of Blois) IV, Count of Boulogne was the second but the eldest surviving of the five children and the second but the eldest surviving of the three sons of Stephen I, King of England (born Stephen of Blois) and Matilda I, Countess of Boulogne in her own right. Boulogne was a county within the Kingdom of France from 896 – 1501, centered on the city of Boulogne-sur-Mer, a coastal city in Northern France.

Eustace’s paternal grandparents were Stephen II, Count of Blois and Adela of Normandy and England, a daughter of William I, King of England (the Conqueror). His maternal grandparents were Eustace III, Count of Boulogne and Mary of Scotland, daughter of King Malcolm III of Scotland and Saint Margaret of Scotland.

Eustace had four siblings. After the death of his elder brother Baldwin in 1135, Eustace became the heir of his father’s and mother’s lands.

The sinking of the White Ship; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1120, a terrible tragedy caused a succession crisis in England. The White Ship, carrying King Henry I of England’s only legitimate son William Ætheling, sank as it left France to sail to England, and William Ætheling was among the estimated 300 passengers who drowned. Empress Matilda was then King Henry I’s only legitimate child. On Christmas Day in 1126, Henry I had his barons swear to recognize Empress Matilda and any future legitimate heirs she might have as his successors.

Stephen and his wife Matilda of Boulogne stayed close to his maternal uncle King Henry I and spent much time in England realizing that Stephen was very close to the throne. Stephen’s mother Adela of Normandy and England was the daughter of William I, King of England (the Conqueror). Henry I’s daughter Empress Matilda had left England as a child to marry Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich V. The marriage was childless and Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich V died in 1125. After her husband’s death, Empress Matilda went to the royal court in the Duchy of Normandy (Kings of England were also Dukes of Normandy). Eventually, King Henry I made arrangements for his daughter to marry Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou in 1128. Empress Matilda and Geoffrey did not get along and their marriage was stormy with frequent, long separations but they did produce three sons, including Henry FitzEmpress, the future Henry II, King of England.

Eustace’s father King Stephen of England; Credit – Wikipedia

On December 1, 1135, King Henry I of England died. His nephew Stephen quickly crossed over the English Channel from the County of Boulogne, now in France, to England, accompanied by his military household. With the help of his brother Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester, Stephen seized power in England and was crowned King of England on December 22, 1135. Eustace was now also the heir apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of England and the Duchy of Normandy, However, Empress Matilda did not give up her claim to England and Normandy, leading to the long civil war known as The Anarchy between 1135 and 1153.

Empress Matilda; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1137, as heir apparent to the English throne, Eustace did homage for the Duchy of Normandy to King Louis VII of France, whose sister, Constance of France, he subsequently married in 1140. Eustance and Constance had no children. However, Geoffrey of Anjou, Empress Matilda’s husband, began a systematic conquest of the Duchy of Normandy. By 1143, Geoffrey secured all of Normandy west and south of the Seine River and assumed the title of Duke of Normandy. Geoffrey held the duchy until 1149 when he and Empress Matilda ceded it to their son Henry FitzEmpress

Eustace was knighted in 1147. By this time he was sixteen or seventeen years old and he began to take a more active part in the civil war. In 1151, Eustace and King Louis VII of France launched an invasion of the Duchy of Normandy. However, they were defeated by the troops of Henry FitzEmpress.

At a council held in London on April 6, 1152, Stephen asked the barons to recognize Eustace as their next king and to pay him homage. He wanted to follow the French practice of ensuring the succession by declaring his heir Eustace the junior king. The barons refused. By the early 1150s, after years of civil war, most barons and church leaders wanted long-term peace. Theobald of Bec, Archbishop of Canterbury refused to grant Stephen’s request to crown Eustace and Pope Eugene III refused to recognize Eustace as Stephen’s successor. However, Eustace’s mother Matilda I, Countess of Boulogne died of a fever on May 3, 1152, and her eldest son succeeded her as Eustace IV, Count of Boulogne.

Finally, the armies of Henry FitzEmpress and King Stephen of England met at Wallingford in Oxfordshire, England. Pressured by the barons, Stephen called a ceasefire and agreed to a truce, over the objections of his son Eustace. Eustace flew into a rage and plundered church lands of the Abbey of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, England.

On August 17, 1153, Eustace, aged about twenty-three, died suddenly in Bury St. Edmunds.  Various chroniclers of the time attribute Eustace’s death to the wrath of God for plundering church lands, a fever, a fit of madness, or poisoning. Eustace was buried in Faversham Abbey in Faversham, Kent, England, founded by his parents who were also buried there. All three tombs were lost when Faversham Abbey was demolished during the Dissolution of the Monasteries during the reign of King Henry VIII. Their remains were reportedly thrown into the nearby Faversham Creek. Their empty tombs were unearthed in 1964 near what had been the center of the choir. At St. Mary of Charity Church, the parish church in Faversham, there is a tomb where it is said that the remains of King Stephen, his wife Matilda of Boulogne, and his son Eustace were reinterred after the destruction of Faversham Abbey.

The supposed tomb of King Stephen, his wife Matilda, and their son Eustace; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Shortly after Eustace’s death, King Stephen and Henry FitzEmpress reached a formal agreement known as the Treaty of Wallingford. The treaty allowed Stephen to keep the throne until his death but forced him to recognize Empress Matilda’s son Henry FitzEmpress, as his heir. King Stephen survived for a little more than a year after the death of Eustace, dying apparently of appendicitis at Dover Castle on October 25, 1154, and a line of fourteen Plantagenet kings who ruled England until 1485 started, with Henry FitzEmpress, now King Henry II of England. Ironically, on August 17, 1153, the day of Eustace’s death, the first child of Henry FitzEmpress, the future King Henry II, and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine was born. The child, William IX, Count of Poitiers, survived for only two years, but he was followed by seven siblings, two of whom became Kings of England, King Richard I (the Lionheart) and King John.

Sharon Kay Penman’s excellent historical fiction novel When Christ and His Saints Slept deals with The Anarchy and most of the historical figures mentioned here are characters.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Eustace IV, Count of Boulogne – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eustace_IV,_Count_of_Boulogne> [Accessed 14 July 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2016. King Stephen of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-stephen-of-england/> [Accessed 14 July 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2014. Matilda of Boulogne, Queen of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/may-3-1152-death-of-matilda-of-boulogne-wife-of-king-stephen-of-england/> [Accessed 14 July 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2015. The Sinking of the White Ship and How It Affected the English Succession. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/november-25-1120-the-sinking-of-the-white-ship-and-how-it-affected-the-english-succession/> [Accessed 14 July 2022].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2022. Eustache IV de Boulogne — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eustache_IV_de_Boulogne> [Accessed 14 July 2022].
  • Williamson, David, 1996. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell.

Monday, September 19, 2022 – The Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II – What we can expect to happen?

Westminster Abbey; Credit – By Σπάρτακος (changes by Rabanus Flavus) – File:Westminster-Abbey.JPG, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76031882

This is the first time since the funeral of King George II in 1760 that the funeral of a British monarch has been held at Westminster Abbey. The funerals of British monarchs from King George III to King George VI, Queen Elizabeth II’s father, were held at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor.

  • The Lying-in-State of Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin at Westminster Hall will end at 6:30 AM British Time, 1:30 AM US Eastern Time as the final members of the public will be admitted.
  • At 10:44 AM British Time, 5:44 AM US Eastern Time, the coffin will travel in procession on the State Gun Carriage of the Royal Navy the short distance from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey for the State Funeral. King Charles III, members of the Royal Family, and members of The King’s Household will follow the coffin. The procession will arrive at Westminster Abbey eight minutes later. The coffin will be lifted from the State Gun Carriage and carried into Westminster Abbey for the State Funeral Service.
  • The State Funeral Service will be conducted by David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster. During the Service, Prime Minister Liz Truss and Secretary General of the Commonwealth Patricia Scotland, Baroness Scotland of Asthal will read Lessons. Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York; Vincent Nichols, Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster; Iain Greenshields, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland; and Helen Cameron, Free Churches Moderator will say Prayers. The Sermon will be given by Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, who will also give the Commendation. The Dean of Westminster will then pronounce the Blessing. Two Minutes Silence will be observed in Westminster Abbey and throughout the United Kingdom. The National Anthem will be sung and the State Funeral Service will end at approximately 12 noon British Time, 7:00 AM US Eastern Time.
  • After the State Funeral Service, the coffin will be carried out of Westminster Abbey and returned to the State Gun Carriage. There will be a procession to Wellington Arch, Hyde Park Corner which King Charles III and members of the Royal Family will follow. Guns will be fired every minute in Hyde Park and Big Ben will toll throughout the duration of the procession.
  • The procession will arrive at Wellington Arch at approximately 1:00 PM British Time, 8:00 AM US Eastern Time. The coffin will be transferred to a hearse for the trip to St. George’s Chapel in Windsor where the burial will take place. As the hearse departs, there will be a Royal Salute and the National Anthem will be played. King Charles III and members of the Royal Family will then travel to Windsor by car.
  • When the coffin reaches Windsor, the hearse will join a procession on Albert Road and travel along the Long Walk to St.George’s Chapel, Windsor for the Committal Service.
  • Members of the Royal Family will join the procession in the Quadrangle at Windsor Castle. Guns will be fired each minute on the East Lawn of Windsor Castle and bells will toll. The procession will end at the bottom of the West Steps of St. George’s Chapel. The coffin will be carried in procession into the chapel.
  • The Committal Service will begin at 4:00 PM British Time, 11:00 AM US Eastern Time. The congregation will include King Charles III, members of the Royal Family, past and present members of The Queen’s Household, including from the private estates, Governors-General, and Commonwealth Realm Prime Ministers. The service will be conducted by David Conner, Dean of Windsor, with prayers said by The Reverand Canon Jonathan Riviere, Rector of Sandringham; Kenneth Mackenzie, Minister of Crathie Kirk; and Martin Poll, Chaplain of Windsor Great Park.
  • Before the final hymn, the Imperial State Crown, the Orb, and the Sceptre will be removed from the coffin, and placed on the altar. After the final hymn, King Charles III will place The Queen’s Company Camp Colour of the Grenadier Guards on the coffin and Andrew Parker, Baron Parker of Minsmere, The Lord Chamberlain, the most senior officer of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, will break his Wand of Office and place it on the coffin.
  • As the coffin is lowered into the Royal Vault, the Dean of Windsor will say a Psalm and the Commendation followed by David White, Garter King of Arms pronouncing Her Majesty’s styles and titles. The Sovereign’s Piper will play a Lament and The Archbishop of Canterbury will pronounce the Blessing. The National Anthem will be sung at the conclusion of the Committal Service.
  • A private burial will take place in the King George VI Memorial Chapel at St. George’s Chapel later in the evening, conducted by the Dean of Windsor in which Queen Elizabeth II will be buried together with her husband Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh in the King George VI Memorial Chapel where The Queen’s parents King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and the ashes of her sister Princess Margaret are buried.

King George VI Memorial Chapel; Photo Credit – http://thebluerememberedhills.blogspot.com/

The Death of Queen Elizabeth II – Operation London Bridge – What we can expect to happen on Sunday, September 18, 2022

On Saturday, all eight grandchildren of Queen Elizabeth II stood vigil at her coffin – From left to right, going around the coffin: Zara Tindall, Lady Louise-Mountbatten-Windsor, Princess Beatrice, The Duke of Sussex, Princess Eugenie, Viscount Severn, Peter Phillips, and The Prince of Wales (both partially hidden)

  • Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin will lie in state for the fourth full day in Westminster Hall, where people will be able to pay their respects.
  • King Charles III will hold an audience with Prime Minister Liz Truss at Buckingham Palace.
  • King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla will also host heads of state and official overseas guests for an official state event at Buckingham Palace.
  • A one-minute silence will be held across the United Kingdom at 8:00 PM British Time, 3:00 PM US Eastern Time. People can observe the silence privately in their own homes, on the street with neighbors, or at community events and vigils.

The Death of Queen Elizabeth II – Operation London Bridge – What we can expect to happen on Saturday, September 17, 2022

All eight grandchildren of Queen Elizabeth II stood vigil at her coffin – From left to right, going around the coffin: Zara Tindall, Lady Louise-Mountbatten-Windsor, Princess Beatrice, The Duke of Sussex, Princess Eugenie, Viscount Severn, Peter Phillips, and The Prince of Wales (both partially hidden)

The Death of Queen Elizabeth II – Operation London Bridge – What we can expect to happen on Friday, September 16, 2022

King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla will visit the Senedd (the Welsh Parliament); Credit – Wikipedia

  • Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin will lie in state for the second full day in Westminster Hall, where people will be able to pay their respects.
  • King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla will travel to Wales. They will attend a service at Llandaff Cathedral in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales. After the service, Charles and Camilla will greet schoolchildren and members of the public. The King and Queen Consort will be presented with a Motion of Condolence at the Senedd (the Welsh Parliament) in Cardiff Bay and they will have a chance to read condolence messages. King Charles III will have a private audience with First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford and the Llywydd (Presiding Officer) of the Senedd Elin Jones at Cardiff Castle. The King and The Queen Consort will have a reception with guests from local organizations, charities, and members of faith communities.
  • At 7:30 PM British Time, 2:30 PM US Eastern Time, King Charles III, The Princess Royal, The Duke of York, and The Earl of Wessex will hold a vigil around the coffin of The Queen.

The Death of Queen Elizabeth II – What happened on Thursday, September 15, 2022

The lying-in-state of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall

Operation London Bridge was the codename for the detailed set of plans following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The plans had long been planned in consultation with the Government. The following is what happened on Thursday, September 15, 2022.

Thursday, September 15, 2022, is the first full day that Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin lay in state in Westminster Hall. Hundreds of thousands of mourners paid their respects until 6:30 AM on Monday, September 19, 2022, the day of the funeral.

Westminster Hall

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Westminster Hall from Rudolph Ackermann’s Microcosm of London, November 1801; Credit – Wikipedia

On the River Thames in London sits the Palace of Westminster, commonly known as the Houses of Parliament, the meeting place of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The building we see today was built after a fire destroyed the medieval Palace of Westminster in 1834. The first royal palace was built on the site in the 11th century and was the primary residence of the Kings of England until a fire destroyed much of the palace in 1512. After that, it served as the home of Parliament. Westminster Hall, built in 1097, survived both fires. It was saved from the fire of 1834 because of the actions of the floating fire engine on the River Thames and also because a change in the wind direction kept the flames away.

Palace of Westminster; Credit – By Terry Ott from Washington, DC Metro Area, United States of America  CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=122737498

This writer has visited Westminster Hall and can attest that it is an impressive structure even today. It was built during the reign of King William II Rufus, the son of King William I the Conqueror. At the time it was built in 1097, it was the largest hall in Europe. It measures 240 by 67 feet (73 by 20 meters) and has an area of 16,080 square feet (1,460 square meters). Originally the roof was flat, but during the reign of King Richard II, the flat roof was replaced by a spectacular hammerbeam roof created by the royal carpenter Hugh Herland. The hammerbeam roof has been called the greatest creation of medieval timber architecture.

Major Events that took place in Westminster Hall

Lying-In-State

Although Westminster Hall has existed for more than 900 years, it only became the site for lyings-in-state towards the end of the nineteenth century. The first lying-in-state to be held there was for Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone in 1898. It is thought that the lying-in-state was held in Westminster Hall rather than a religious building because of Gladstone’s long association with the Palace of Westminster, where he served as a Member of Parliament for sixty-four years. Queen Victoria did not want a lying-in-state and so her son and heir King Edward VII was the first monarch to have a lying-in-state at Westminster Hall.

Lying-in-state of William Ewart Gladstone

1898 – William Ewart Gladstone – served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom four times during the reign of Queen Victoria: 1868 – 1874, 1880 – 1885, February 1886 – July 1886, and 1892 – 1894.

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Lying-in-state of King Edward VII; Credit – Wikipedia

1910 – King Edward VII

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1914 – Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts – British Victorian era general who became one of the most successful British military commanders of his time.

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Lying-in-state of King George V

1936 – King George V

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Lying-in-state of King George VI

1952 – King George VI

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Lying-in-state of Queen Mary

1953 – Queen Mary, wife of King George V

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Lying-in-state of Sir Winston Churchill

1965 – Sir Winston Churchill – Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1940 – 1945, during the Second World War, and 1951 – 1955

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Lying-in-state of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother with her four grandsons standing guard

2002 – Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, wife of King George VI

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Lying-in-state of Queen Elizabeth II

2022 – Queen Elizabeth II

Coronation Banquets

Coronation banquet of King George IV; Credit – Wikipedia

From 1189 to 1821, Westminster Hall was the traditional venue for coronation banquets honoring newly-crowned monarchs. The earliest recorded coronation banquets at Westminster Hall were those of two sons of King Henry II:

1170 – Henry the Young King – King Henry II decided to adopt the French practice of ensuring the succession by declaring his heir the junior king and having him crowned at Westminster Abbey in 1170. His son, called Henry the Young King, was not the actual monarch, but he still had a coronation banquet at Westminster Hall. Henry the Young King never became King of England because he predeceased his father dying in 1183 at the age of twenty-eight.

1189 – King Richard II, known as the Lionheart, became the heir of his father King Henry II after the death of his elder brother Henry the Young King. He succeeded his father in 1189.

Coronation banquets continued through the reign of King George IV who had the last coronation banquet in 1821. His brother and his successor King William IV, eliminated coronation banquets because he thought they were too expensive.

Queen Consorts crowned separately from their husbands also had coronation banquets, from Eleanor of Provence, the wife of King Henry III in 1236, to Anne Boleyn, the second of the six wives of King Henry VIII in 1533.

Famous State Trials

Westminster Hall was often used for judicial purposes and was the setting for some of the most famous state trials in British history.

Statue of William Wallace at Edinburgh Castle, Scotland; Credit – By Kjetil Bjørnsrud – Own work, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=780652

1305 – State trial of William Wallace, one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered for high treason.

Sir Thomas More; Credit – Wikipedia

1535 – State trial of Sir Thomas More, English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, King Henry VIII’s Lord High Chancellor. More opposed King Henry VIII’s separation from the Catholic Church. He refused to acknowledge King Henry VIII as Supreme Head of the Church of England and refused to recognize the annulment of Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon. After refusing to take the Oath of Supremacy, More was convicted of treason and executed by beheading.

Cardinal John Fisher; Credit – Wikipedia

1535 – State trial of Cardinal John Fisher – a Catholic bishop, cardinal, and theologian. Fisher was charged with treason for denying that King Henry VIII was the Supreme Head of the Church of England. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered for high treason.

A contemporary engraving of eight of the thirteen conspirators; Credit – Wikipedia

1606 – State trial of Guy Fawkes, a member of a group of English Catholics involved in the failed Gunpowder Plot to blow up the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament while King James I was in attendance. Fawkes and seven co-conspirators were tried for high treason and executed.

Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford; Credit – Wikipedia

1641 – State trial of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, a member of Parliament and a supporter of King Charles I. King Charles I, who believed in the divine right of kings, decided to govern without Parliament, beginning eleven years of personal rule. During Charles’ personal rule, Strafford was one of Charles’ most influential advisers. When Parliament was finally summoned again in 1640, the Members of Parliament demanded the execution of Stafford. King Charles I signed the death warrant, but never forgave himself.

King Charles I; Credit – Wikipedia

1649 – State Trial of King Charles I – On January 4, 1642, King Charles I committed the unprecedented act of entering the House of Commons with an armed guard and demanding the arrest of five Members of Parliament. There was a great public outcry, Charles fled London, and Civil War appeared inevitable. On August 22, 1642, at Nottingham, Charles raised the Royal Standard and called for his loyal subjects to support him, and the Civil War between the Royalists or Cavaliers (Charles’ supporters) and the Roundheads (Parliament’s supporters) had begun. On January 20, 1649, King Charles I was tried for treason and other high crimes before a tribunal of 135 judges. He refused to enter a plea because he believed no court could try a king. He was found guilty and sentenced to death. Ten days later, King Charles I was beheaded.

James Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater; Credit – Wikipedia

1716 – State trial of Scottish lords who took part in the 1715 Jacobite uprising who were accused of high treason: James Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater (beheaded); William Maxwell, 5th Earl of Nithsdale (escaped from the Tower of London the night before his execution); Robert Dalzell, 5th Earl of Carnwath (execution was first delayed, then in 1717 remitted by the Indemnity Act); William Widdrington, 4th Baron Widdrington (condemned to death but was reprieved); William Gordon, 6th Viscount of Kenmure (beheaded); and William Murray, 2nd Lord Nairne (execution was first delayed, then in 1717 remitted by the Indemnity Act)

Execution of the Earl of Kilmarnock and Lord Balmerino; Credit – Wikipedia

1746 – State trial of Scottish lords who took part in the 1745 Jacobite uprising who were accused of high treason: William Boyd, 4th Earl of Kilmarnock (executed), Arthur Elphinstone, 6th Lord Balmerino (executed)

Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat; Credit – Wikipedia

1747 – State trial of Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat – In 1715, Lord Lovat had been a supporter of the House of Hanover, but in 1745 he changed sides and supported the Stuart claim to the British crown. His punishment of a traitor’s death by hanging, drawing, and quartering was commuted by King George II to beheading. Lord Lovat’s execution was the last execution by beheading in Great Britain.

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Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Palace of Westminster – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Westminster#Westminster_Hall> [Accessed 14 September 2022].
  • UK Parliament. 2022. Westminster Hall. [online] Available at: <https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/westminsterhall/> [Accessed 14 September 2022].