LONDON (Reuters) – A committal service will be held on Monday for Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle, following her earlier state funeral in London.
Following are some of the details of the order of service for the service:
– The committal service will take place at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, at 4 p.m. (1500 GMT).
– The service will be led by the Dean of Windsor, David Conner, who will give the bidding.
– Some of the music for the committal service was composed by Sir William Henry Harris, who served as the organist of St George’s Chapel between 1933 and 1961, throughout the queen’s childhood, and is believed to have taught the young Princess Elizabeth to play the piano.
– The service will be sung by the Choir of St George’s Chapel. Psalm 21 will be sung as the queen’s coffin is borne through the chapel, set to music by Sir Henry Walford Davies, another former organist at St George’s.
– The choir will sing “the Russian Contakion of the Departed”, which was also sung at the funeral of the queen’s husband, Prince Philip, in 2021.
– The Dean will read Revelations 21, verses 1-7, which was read at the funerals of the queen’s grandparents, King George V, in 1936, and Queen Mary, in 1953, as well as the funeral of her father, George VI, in 1952.
– In silence, the Crown Jeweller, will remove the Instruments of State from the coffin – the orb, sceptre and Imperial Crown – which will then be placed on the altar.
– King Charles will place The Queen’s Company Camp Colour of the Grenadier Guards on the coffin. The Lord Chamberlain, the head of the queen’s household, will break his Wand of Office and place it on the coffin.
– As the queen’s coffin descends into the Royal Vault the dean will read Psalm 103, ending with the words “Go forth upon thy journey from this world, O Christian soul”.
– A lament will be played by the Sovereign’s Piper, who will slowly leave the chapel. To end the service, the Archbishop of Canterbury will pronounce the blessing and the congregation will sing “God Save the King”.
(Reporting by Alex Richardson; Editing by Kate Holton)
