The Queen’s state funeral took place today (Monday, September 19) – a far cry from her sister Princess Margaret, who was cremated.
While Her Majesty has been celebrated up and down the country in a very public ceremony, Margaret opted for something much more low-key.
In fact, it was so low-key, that even the royal family didn’t attend.
But what happened, and why was Margaret not given a regular state funeral that other royals receive?
Princess Margaret’s ashes were laid next to the remains of her beloved father, King George VI, and her mother, in St George’s Chapel. This evening, the Queen and Prince Philip will join them.
Why was Princess Margaret cremated?
The Princess’s decision to be cremated is believed to have been influenced by the fact that there was no more room for normal burial in the chapel’s royal vault.
The only senior royal to have been cremated previously was Princess Louise. She was one of Queen Victoria’s daughters, and was cremated at Golders Green crematorium in 1928.
According to the Daily Mail, the entire ceremony only cost £280. However, it was also Margaret’s request that her family not attend her cremation.
A final prayer for Princess Margaret was said as her coffin disappeared.
Margaret’s close friend, Lady Glenconner, said the late Princess had not wanted to end up at Frogmore in Windsor Great Park. It’s where Queen Victoria and Prince Albert are buried.
“She told me that she found Frogmore very gloomy,” said Lady Glenconner at the time.
“I think she’d like to be with the late King, which she will now be. There’s room I think for her to be with him now. She just said she was going to be cremated. For her actual funeral, she wanted it to be as private as possible.”
Who was present for the cremation?
Princess Margaret’s cremation was one of six at Slough crematorium on the day.
Roger Parkin, the registrar, said at the time: “As far as we are concerned, it will be a normal working day. Friday is actually quite quiet. We’ve only got five others on the books at the moment.
Furthermore, he added: “Our tradition is we tend to have people in at least a week after they have died to give the families a chance to get everyone together. However, this is obviously a slightly different situation. I hope the other five families on Friday don’t get disrupted by this. I would feel very sorry for them.”
Sisters reunited
On the day of the Queen’s funeral, Big Ben chimed at 9am and her body was taken from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey.
A procession took place, with members of the public lining the route to pay tribute to the monarch.
Her coffin arrived at 11am, with the royal family and around 2,000 invited guests in place ready for the ceremony, which was be televised around the world.
At midday, as the religious service ended, there was a two-minute silence across the UK.
A procession then took Her Majesty to Windsor, with fans lining the route.
There was another ceremony in which the orb, crown and sceptre were removed from the coffin before it was lowered into the royal vault.
Tonight, the Queen will arrive at her final resting place in King George VI’s chapel.
Read more: The Queen’s final moments with Charles and Anne by her side
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