Yahoo News Queen's death: What do royal state funerals look like?
The UK is getting ready to pay its final respects to Queen Elizabeth II.
The date of her funeral has yet to be confirmed, but the last time the nation came together to mourn the passing of a senior royal was for Prince Philip in April 2021, when the Duke of Edinburgh was laid to rest in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
This resulted in a much smaller funeral, with the Queen and other mourners wearing face masks and sitting apart inside the chapel in Windsor Castle to abide by COVID regulations.
It was a world away from the pomp attached to the funeral of the Queen Mother in 2002, when she was given a ceremonial royal funeral.
Given the length of Queen Elizabeth II's reign, it is decades since the UK experienced a full, state funeral following the death of a monarch.
On 6 February 1952, George VI died unexpectedly in his sleep a few months after a lung operation.
He lay in state in Westminster Hall with more than 300,000 people attending to pay their respects.
Thousands of people lined the streets of London on the day of his funeral, and the roads were closed at 8am.
The Big Ben clock tower chimed 56 times, once for every year of his life, while 56 guns fired from the Tower of London, also marking his age.
His coffin was taken through London, passing St James's Palace, Piccadilly, Hyde Park Corner among other landmarks before arriving at Paddington station where it was taken by train to Windsor Castle.
His funeral was held in St George's Chapel at Windsor, and the service followed the Book of Common Prayer.
Parts of the service were taken in turn by the Archbishops of York and Canterbury as well as the Dean of Windsor, with traditional hymns and prayers.
At the end, the Garter King of Arms said: "God be in my head, And in my understanding; God be in mine eyes, And in my looking; God be in my mouth, And in my speaking; God be in my heart, And in my thinking; God be at mine end, And at my departing."
He was buried in the royal vault in St George's Chapel. He was reinterred in the King George VI Memorial Chapel in 1969, shortly after it was completed.
The ceremonial funeral of the Queen Mother took place on 9 April 2002, after she lay in state for three days, at Westminster Hall.
Crowds of hundreds of thousands of people queued to pay their respects to the much-loved figure, who provided the public with moral support during the Second World War.
Members of the public threw flowers as the coffin passed by and thousands of tributes were laid on the Mall.
A two-minute silence was held at 11.30am on the day of the ceremony.
The Queen Mother's funeral at Westminster Abbey had 2,200 guests and included 35 members of the royal family, four former prime ministers, US first lady Laura Bush and Dame Vera Lynn.
The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince William, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal, the Prince of Wales and Peter Phillips stood in front of the coffin in Westminster Abbey.
Prince Charles appeared to be holding back tears as he said goodbye to his grandmother.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, then Dr George Carey thanked the Queen Mother for her "faithful duty and unwearied service.”
"Like the sun, she bathed us in her warm glow."
The coffin was driven from Westminster Abbey to St George’s Chapel in Windsor where she was buried alongside her husband George VI and their daughter, Princess Margaret.
On the eve of the funeral, the Queen delivered a televised address to the nation and the Commonwealth about her mother.
She said: "I thank you for the support you are giving me and my family as we come to terms with her death and the void she has left in our midst."
She added: "Over the years I have met many people who have had to cope with family loss, sometimes in the most tragic of circumstances.
"So I count myself fortunate that my mother was blessed with a long and happy life.
"She had an infectious zest for living, and this remained with her until the very end.
'I know too that her faith was always a great strength to her."
For Prince Philip's funeral in April 2021, there were no vast crowds.
Instead there were just 30 mourners - the Queen joined by her children and their spouses, her grandchildren and their spouses, a handful of Philip's family and one of his close friends, Countess Mountbatten of Burma.
The memorial featured a procession, planned by Philip, as he was carried in a hearse he had designed himself.
The ceremony included readings he had requested, but no sermon.
Readings came from the first lesson from the Ecclesiasticus, part of the apocrypha, and Psalm 104.
The Dean of Windsor, in the Bidding, said: "With grateful hearts, we remember the many ways in which his long life has been a blessing to us.
"We have been inspired by his unwavering loyalty to our Queen, by his service to the Nation and the Commonwealth, by his courage, fortitude and faith.
"Our lives have been enriched through the challenges that he has set us, the encouragement that he has given us, his kindness, humour and humanity."
The Queen did not give any televised addresses for her husband, but her son Charles did share a message, as did several members of the Royal Family.
Charles said his father had given "the most remarkable, devoted service to the Queen, to my family and to the country".
The Queen's 95th birthday came during the period of royal mourning.
Sharing her grief with the country she served, she told the nation: "I have, on the occasion of my 95th birthday today, received many messages of good wishes, which I very much appreciate.
"While as a family we are in a period of great sadness, it has been a comfort to us all to see and to hear the tributes paid to my husband, from those within the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and around the world.
"My family and I would like to thank you all for the support and kindness shown to us in recent days. We have been deeply touched, and continue to be reminded that Philip had such an extraordinary impact on countless people throughout his life."
Additional reporting by Kate Eagles.
Watch: Edward and Sophie view hundreds of flowers for Prince Philip
