In loving memory. The royal family shared a stunning throwback photo of Queen Elizabeth II to mark her official burial on Monday, September 19.
“May flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest,” the official Royal Family Twitter captioned a snap of the late monarch walking up a hill in the countryside. “In loving memory of Her Majesty The Queen. 1926 – 2022.”
The first part of the message is a quote from Act 5 Scene 2 of Hamlet during which Horatio holds Hamlet in his arms as he is dying and says: “Now cracks a noble heart. Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.”
The memorable line, which is often associated with the death of a respected individual, was also referenced in King Charles III’s first address following his mother’s death. The queen died at age 96 on September 8 in her estate Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
Later that week, Charles, 73, gave a heartfelt tribute to the late ruler, who served the crown for 70 years before her passing.
“We owe her the most heartfelt debt any family can owe to their mother: for her love, affection, guidance, understanding and example. To my darling Mama, as you begin your last great journey to join my dear late Papa, I want simply to say this: ‘Thank you,’” the king, who was formally known as the Prince of Wales, said on September 9. “Thank you for your love and devotion to our family and to the family of nations you have served so diligently all these years.”
He concluded: “May ‘flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest.’”
The poignant message and angelic-looking picture of the queen was released shortly after Elizabeth’s family said their goodbyes during a private service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle on Monday evening. The longest-reigning monarch was then buried alongside her late husband, Prince Philip, in the family vault on the premises.
“A Private Burial took place in The King George VI Memorial Chapel later that evening, conducted by the Dean of Windsor,” the royal website announced on Monday, in the official recap of the state funeral held hours earlier. “The Queen was buried together with The Duke of Edinburgh, at The King George VI Memorial Chapel.”
The queen also shares her final resting place with her parents, King George IV and Queen Elizabeth, as well as her sister, Princess Margaret, whose ashes are located in the chapel’s vault.
The late sovereign’s burial came hours after she was honored publicly at Westminster Abbey on Monday. The processional and service took place several days after Elizabeth’s coffin lied in state at Westminster Hall.
During the first day of public visitation at Westminster Hall, the queen’s four children, Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, stood guard around her coffin. The following day, the queen’s grandchildren, led by Prince William and Prince Harry, took over the duty of protecting the matriarch’s casket. Elizabeth shared eight grandchildren with her late husband: William, 40, Harry, 38, Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn.
All of the queen’s children, grandchildren and two of her great-grandchildren, Prince George, 9. and Princess Charlotte, 7, were in attendance during Monday’s Westminster Abbey service. The Prince of Wales and wife Princess Kate opted not to have their youngest son, Prince Louis, with them as they took in the emotional day.
“Kate and William flip-flopped over whether Louis should attend the queen’s funeral,” an insider exclusively told Us Weekly at the time, noting that the couple “came to the conclusion that the procession and service would be too lengthy and overwhelming for their youngest to handle and digest.”
Louis, 4, instead “stayed with the nanny” as George and Charlotte mourned the loss of the queen with their parents. While Louis didn’t make it to the service, he did understand that his great-grandmother was now in heaven. “At least Grannie is with Great-Grandpa now,” Kate, 40, previously told mourners of what her youngest son said upon learning the news.
While Harry, 38, and his wife, Meghan Markle, made the trip to the U.K. to bid farewell to Her Majesty, their two children, Archie, 3, and Lili, 15 months, were noticeably absent. Beatrice, 34, and Eugenie, 32, both opted to keep their young ones, Sienna, 12 months, and August, 19 months, respectively at home as well, as did their oldest cousin, Peter, 44, who shares daughters Savannah, 11, and Isla, 10, with ex-wife, Autumn Kelly.
Zara, for her part, had her eldest daughter, Mia, 7, joined the family for the committal service, which followed the Westminster Abbey event on Monday. The 41-year-old royal didn’t bring her youngest kids, Lena, 4, and Lucas, 17 months, to either ceremony.
