Queen Elizabeth II will be laid to rest on September 19, nearly 10 days after she died. The monarch’s coffin was on display for four days, when thousands of people flocked to Westminster Hall to pay their respects. It was a closed casket event, as per tradition.
The queen’s coffin is constructed out of English oak, lined with lead and was made decades ago, according to news agency Associated Press. It will be draped with the Royal Standard, a flag representing the sovereign and the UK.A
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It is adorned with royal regalia including the orb, the sceptre and the bejewelled Imperial State Crown — the same one the queen wore for her 1953 coronation.
Former Minister Winston Churchill, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband Prince Philip and Princess Diana had such coffins made for them, according to an AP report citing Sarah Hayes, manager for the Coffin Works museum in Birmingham, England.
“It’s to preserve the body for as long as possible, it’s really about slowing down the process of decomposition,” she said. This is especially important for the queen because her coffin will be eventually placed in a church, not buried in the ground, she added.
The coffin is made of oak from the royal family’s Sandringham Estate according to royal tradition, Hayes said.
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The coffin is two-in-one, with the internal portion lead poured over a simple inner wood coffin. That is then placed inside the outer casket made of English oak.
The combination of materials used to make Queen Elizabeth’s coffin means that it is much heavier than a normal coffin. It requires eight pallbearers, which will be from the Armed Forces, to carry it instead of the normal six, news agency PTI reported.