How have the Armed Forces paid their respects to Her Majesty The Queen so far?
Following the passing of Her Majesty The Queen, the Armed Forces have been paying their respects across the UK and abroad. Her Majesty served for over seventy years on the throne, and had a very special bond with the Armed Forces.
Before becoming Queen, then Princess Elizabeth joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) in 1945, which was the start of a long and close relationship with the Armed Forces which never changed throughout her life.
Take a look below at how the Armed Forces have paid their respects:
8. The Procession of Her Majesty The Queen’s coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall
On Wednesday afternoon, Her Majesty The Queen’s coffin was led in procession by members of the Armed Forces, from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, where The Queen will now lie in state for five days.
Over 320 military personnel from all three services took part in the procession, including over 170 military personnel from the Household Division in the procession.
7. Her Majesty The Queen’s coffin travels from Edinburgh to Buckingham Palace
Following lying in state in Edinburgh, Her Majesty The Queen’s coffin was flown from Edinburgh to RAF Northolt in England on a C-17 aircraft. The aircraft touched down on the evening of 13 September, where it was then taken to Buckingham Palace.
Her Majesty The Queen’s coffin will then lie-in-state at Westminster Hall for five days until the day of her funeral on Monday 19 September.
6. Funeral rehearsal takes place for Her Majesty The Queen
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, members of the Armed forces came together in Central London for a full dress rehearsal of Her Majesty The Queen’s funeral.
The early morning rehearsal took place in Wellington Barracks, moved to Buckingham Palace and then proceeded round the route to Westminster.
5. Procession of the coffin from Holyroodhouse to St. Giles’ Cathedral
In the early afternoon, His Majesty The King arrived at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh. The Armed Forces then provided a guard of honour and a military band.
The hearse carrying Her Majesty was then taken from Holyroodhouse to St. Giles’ cathedral, where it laid-in-rest for twenty-four hours.
4. Arrival of the coffin at the Palace of Holyroodhouse
The coffin arrived at the Palace of Holyroodhouse yesterday afternoon, where it remained overnight. It was met by a guard of honour from The Royal Regiment of Scotland, including pall bearers from Balaklava Company, accompanied by The Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
The bearer party from The Royal Regiment of Scotland were in position on the south side of the forecourt of Holyroodhouse for the arrival of the coffin. As the hearse entered the forecourt of Holyroodhouse, the guard of honour gave a royal salute and His Majesty The King’s colour was lowered.
3. The Principal Proclamation at St James’s Palace and the City of London Proclamation at the Royal Exchange
His Majesty The King was confirmed as King by the Accession Council on 10th September in the first of a wave of proclamations which took place across the country.
Three cheers were given for His Majesty The King, and the National Anthem was played with the words ‘God Save The King’ for the first time since 1952.
2. Military leaders express their condolences
Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radkin paid tribute to Her Majesty The Queen on behalf of the Armed Forces.
He spoke of the Queen’s service during the Second World War, her relationship with the UK Armed Forces and the Chief’s personal experiences of meeting Her Majesty. He reflected on Her Majesty’s “deep and personal” relationship with the UK’s Armed Forces.
- The Death Gun Salute
Fired at 1pm on Friday 9th September, gun salutes took place as a mark of respect for Her Majesty’s passing.
One round was fired every 10 seconds, with 96 rounds representing every year of Her Majesty The Queen’s life. Gun salutes took place across the UK and abroad, including Cardiff Castle, Edinburgh Castle, Hillsborough Castle, York, Portsmouth and Gibraltar.
In London, The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery fired the Death Gun Salute in Hyde Park. At the same time, the Death Gun Salute was fired at the Tower of London by the Honourable Artillery Company.
Over the coming days leading up to the day of the funeral and beyond, the Armed Forces will continue to pay tribute to Her Majesty The Queen, with the funeral to take place on 19th September at 11am.
To read more about the UK Armed Forces’ involvement in commemorating the life of The Queen, head to:
