Queen's final resting place to open to public

People can pay their respects at St George's Chapel from next week

Author: Jon BurkePublished 21st Sep 2022

Visitors will be able to view the burial site of the Queen from next week.

It's as Windsor Castle re-opens to the public, allowing people to pay their respects at St George's Chapel from September 29, just over a week after the late monarch was laid to rest.

The Queen's name has been inscribed alongside her mother's, father's and husband's on the ledger stone in the George VI Memorial Chapel.

She was laid to rest with the Duke of Edinburgh on Monday evening, in a private service attended by the King and the Royal family.

Earlier, her state funeral was held at Westminster Abbey, followed by a committal service in Windsor.

Buckingham Palace said the inscription on the ledger stone in the George VI Memorial Chapel now has the names of the Queen, her parents and Philip, along with their years of birth and death.

The new stone has replaced the black stone slab set into the floor which had featured the names George VI and Elizabeth in gold lettering.

The stone now lists "George VI 1895-1952" and "Elizabeth 1900-2002" followed by a metal Garter Star and then "Elizabeth II 1926-2022" and "Philip 1921-2021".

All four royals were members of the Order of the Garter, which has St George's Chapel as its spiritual home.

The chapel will reopen to visitors later next week on all days the castle is open to the public, excluding Sundays when it is only open for worshippers.

Entry to the castle is £28.50 for adults on Saturdays and £26.50 on other days, according to the website.

Royal mourning continues

The royal family is continuing its period of mourning for the Queen, to be observed until seven days after the funeral.

Charles is believed to have flown to Scotland with the Queen Consort to grieve privately.

Members of the royal family are not expected to carry out official engagements, and flags at royal residences will remain at half-mast until 8am after the final day of royal mourning.

Guardsmen praised

Meanwhile, praise has continued for the guardsmen who carried the Queen's coffin at the state funeral, with some calling for them to be honoured.

The Sun reported former head of the British Army Lord Dannatt as saying: "They ought to be recognised. The Royal Victorian Order is for personal service to the sovereign and I would suggest you can't get more personal than carrying the sovereign's body throughout all the funeral services."

The bearer party was made up of eight soldiers from Queen's Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, and the former school of one member praised him as an "outstanding example of where dedication, hard work and commitment can take you".

Headteacher at Ashfield School in Nottinghamshire, John Maher, said Luke Simpson's central role was "a source of great pride", adding: "Luke took his place centre stage on this historic occasion and, with the world watching, carried out his duty so professionally."

An Army spokesperson said: "The armed forces played a proud role in Her Majesty The Queen's funeral and they delivered excellence in every way possible.

"Each and every person involved, from those involved in ceremonial events to the streets liners, should take great pride in the way in which they marked Her Majesty The Queen's lifetime of selfless service to the nation."

The Ministry of Defence gave no comment on whether honours were likely, but said any recognition would be decided and announced as part of the New Year Honours list.

Royal household jobs at risk

Elsewhere, royal staff who provided personal services to the late Queen have been told their jobs could be affected under the new King's reign.

A letter has been sent to a number of employees saying consultations will be held.

It comes a week after it was disclosed that up to 100 employees at the King's former official residence, Clarence House, had been notified that they could lose their jobs.

Terror reports received

Also on Wednesday, counter-terrorism police confirmed they received more than 800 reports from the public about suspicious activity during the operation after the death of the Queen - double the average level.

Head of counter terrorism policing Matt Jukes said one in eight of the reports made during the mourning period, known as Operation London Bridge, is "actively being used as intelligence" by investigators.

The Queen's funeral in pictures

The State Gun Carriage carries the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard with the Imperial State Crown and the Sovereign's orb and sceptre, as it leaves Westminster Hall for the State Funeral at Westminster Abbey

King Charles III, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex walk behind the coffin as it moves to Westminster Abbey

The State Gun Carriage carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II

Members of the clergy wait for the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II to arrive at Westminster Abbey

King Charles III salutes the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II as it is carried into Westminster Abbey

King Charles III and the Queen Consort in front of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II during her State Funeral

(front row) King Charles III, the Queen Consort, the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of York, the Earl of Wessex, the Countess of Wessex, (second row) the Duke of Sussex, the Duchess of Sussex, Princess Beatrice, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Lady Louise Windsor, and (third row) Samuel Chatto, Arthur Chatto, Lady Sarah Chatto and Daniel Chatto in front of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II

Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby speaking during the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II

An aerial view of The Queen's coffin as the procession after Her Majesty's funeral makes its way through London

Her Majesty The Queen's coffin during the procession after her funeral in London

The Queen's coffin being pulled along The Mall during the procession after Her Majesty's funeral

Buckingham Palace staff pay their respects as the Queen's coffin and procession pass by following Her Majesty's funeral

The State Gun Carriage carries the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard with the Imperial State Crown and the Sovereign's orb and sceptre, in the Ceremonial Procession following her State Funeral at Westminster Abbey.

The Royal family watch as the funeral procession reaches Wellington Arch and Queen Elizabeth II's coffin is transferred from the gun carriage to the state hearse

The Queen's coffin reaches Wellington Arch ahead of the journey to Windsor

The funeral moves to Windsor

The Queen's coffin and funeral procession arriving at Windsor

Crowds gather by the famous Long Walk at Windsor for The Queen's funeral procession

King Charles lll leads The Queen's funeral procession as it arrives at Windsor

The Queen's fell pony, Emma, standing by Her Majesty's funeral procession as it arrives at Windsor

The Royal family at the Queen's Committal service at St George's chapel in Windsor

Arriving at the funeral

Prince George enters Westminster Abbey

The Queen consort, Princess of Wales, Prince George and Princess Charlotte arrive at Queen Elizabeth's funeral

Funeral Guests

Former Prime Ministers, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, arrive at Westminster Abbey ahead of The Queen's funeral.

Prime Minister Liz Truss arriving at Westminster Abbey for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth ll

US President Joe Biden walks through Westminster Abbey to take his seat at The Queen's funeral.

The Dean of Westminster, David Hoyle, greets US President Joe Biden and Jill Biden ahead of the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife arriving at Westminster Abbey for The Queen's funeral

Guests begin to arrive for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, held at Westminster Abbey in London.

Ahead of the Funeral

A quiet and still Buckingham Palace ahead of Her Majesty The Queen's state funeral in London

Guests arriving and taking their seats at Westminster Abbey ahead of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

Crowds gathering in central London ahead of the funeral of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth ll

Police officers in central London ahead of the funeral of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth ll

Orders of Service on seats ahead of the funeral of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, at Westminster Abbey

Before the funeral

On the eve of her funeral, the royal family released a previously unseen photo of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth ll, that was taken to mark the Monarch's Platinum Jubilee.

Before the funeral the Queen lay in state in Westminster Hall. Thousand of people queued day and night to walk past the coffin and pay their respects.
King Charles, The Princess Royal, The Duke of York and The Earl of Wessex stood vigil around the coffin for a spell on on of the days.

On Saturday 17th September, The Queen's grandchildren, led by Prince William, held a vigil around their grandmother's coffin during her lying-in-state at Westminster Hall.

On Friday 16th September, King Charles lll led a vigil of The Queen's children around their mother's coffin lying-in-state at Westminster Hall

Queen Elizabeth II

There can be little doubt the biggest story of 2022 was the loss of the UK's longest-serving monarch, her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The Royal family confirmed the sad news on the evening of 8th September.
Huge numbers of tributes were paid to the late Queen as the country entered into a period of mourning. The new King paid tribute to his 'dear mama' in his first specch as monarch.

Queen Elizabeth II's coffin, draped in the Royal Standard, was carried on a horse-drawn gun carriage during the ceremonial procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, London, where Her Majesty lay in state.

As the Queen died at Balmoral in Scotland, her coffin had to be brought back to London, with the RAF flying her back.

After her death, the Queen lay at rest in St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh for a day so that people could pay their respects.
King Charles and his siblings stood vigil in the Cathedral.

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