The second Elizabethan age came to an end on Monday September 19, 2022. 

Queen Elizabeth II, the United Kingdom’s longest reigning monarch, who saw 14 Prime Ministers come and go over the last 70 years had her coffin lowered into the Royal Vault after a ceremony at St. Georges Chapel in Windsor Castle.

The real burial, which will be attended by her children King Charles III, Princess Anne, and the rest of the members of the Royal Family will be a much more private affair at the King George VI Memorial Chapel. It is a small alcove on the side of the main building. 

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Unlike the highly public funeral service at Westminster Abbey on Monday morning which was attended by world leaders, the private ceremony marks the end of a series of elaborate royal ceremonies which began on September 8. The late Queen Elizabeth II died at the Royal Family summer home, Balmoral Castle in Scotland. 

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After the service at Westminster Abbey, her coffin was carried on a Royal Navy gun carriage as it made its way to the Wellington Arch near Hyde Park. From there, the coffin was transferred to a specially designed hearse for the journey to Windsor Castle. 

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Prior to her funeral service, the bells at Westminster Abbey tolled 96 times, one for each year of her life as she was carried inside.

With her funeral concluded, a period of Royal Mourning will now commence that is set to last for seven days. However, the transition of power has already taken place, with Prince Charles having been crowned King Charles III of the  United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. However, a formal date for his coronation ceremony has not been announced. 

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It is likely that the coronation will take place sometime over the year, as it is an elaborate ceremony. For most in the nation, this will be their first coronation, considering Queen Elizabeth II was crowned at the age of 25 in 1953 following the death of her father, King George VI.