The British royals come together for joyous and sad times in the historic St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, where Prince Philip will be laid to rest.
Image: Jonathan Brady/AP/dpa/picture alliance
Service at St. George's Chapel
The funeral service for the Duke of Edinburgh will be held in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. The chapel features magnificently carved oak choir stalls for the knights of the Order of the Garter, the highest order of knighthood in Britain, to which Prince Philip belonged. Above the pews hang the banners of its members, along with the coats of arms of over 700 former members.
The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was the last major event at Windsor Castle. The couple chose St. George's Chapel for the ceremony in May 2018 because it is far from the hustle and bustle of London; the venue was reportedly also safer and easier to manage from a security point of view.
Image: Reuters/C. Jackson
Baptism of Edward VII
The tradition of weddings, christenings and funeral ceremonies in Windsor Castle's chapel dates back to the medieval times. St. George's Chapel was also used for more intimate family ceremonies, such as the 1842 christening of the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, the eldest son and second child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
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Royal Mausoleum
Queen Victoria married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1840 — a love story that has been filmed many times. Victoria had a mausoleum built for her husband, who died at an early age, on Frogmore Estate near Windsor Castle, where she was also buried after her death in 1901.
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Princess Charlotte Monument
One of the most elaborate memorial sculptures in St. George's Chapel is Matthew Cotes Wyatt's cenotaph to the memory of Princess Charlotte. She was the only daughter of George IV and died in 1817 after delivering a stillborn boy. George had no other children, so the succession to the throne went to his brother, William IV, and later to his niece Victoria, who ruled the kingdom from 1837 to 1901.
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Sophia of Gloucester
The above drawing shows the funeral procession of Sophia of Gloucester arriving at St. George's Chapel in December 1844. Sophia was a great-granddaughter of King George II. Although the princess had several marriage proposals, she never married. She lived in Winkfield, near Windsor, and was the first royal family member to attend public appointments.
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State funeral of King George VI
Another day of mourning: On February 15, 1952, a carriage bearing the coffin of King George VI drew up at Windsor Castle. The king, a great-grandson of Queen Victoria's, was the father of Princess Margaret and the current queen, Elizabeth II. The procession was the first funeral of a British monarch to be broadcast on television.
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Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore House
The British royal family has weathered many scandals. In 1936, after 10 months on the throne, Edward VIII abdicated so he could marry an American divorcee, Wallis Simpson. His death in 1972 was mourned in St. George's Chapel, but he was buried on the Frogmore Estate.
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Much-beloved Queen Mum
The widow of King George VI and mother of Queen Elizabeth II, known across the UK as "Queen Mum," died aged 101 in March 2002. Her coffin was transferred from Westminster Abbey to St. George's Chapel in Windsor, where she rests in the family vault alongside her husband, King George VI.
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St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle is 72 meters (236 feet) long. This makes the term "chapel" slightly misleading as the building looks more like a cathedral.
Prince Philip's body was interred in a private chapel within St. George's Chapel after his death in 2021.
Now Queen Elizabeth's final resting place will be next to him after a private family ceremony on September 19.
Windsor Castle was the official residence of Queen Elizabeth II, where she lived with the Duke of Edinburgh for decades.
St. George's Chapel is the place where many of the royal family have been married, christened or buried.
Harry and Meghan Markle were married there in front of 600 guests and their son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, the Queen's great-grandson, was baptized in the castle chapel. Many members of the royal family are also buried there, including King Henry VIII.
Royal history
In the early 13th century, King Henry III had the first chapel built there. In 1475, King Edward IV decided to build a larger chapel but construction work dragged on for five decades so that the church stood without a roof until 1528.
Inside the chapel, as seen in an etching from 1660Image: Liszt Collection/picture alliance
With its light sandstone, large windows and ornate flying buttresses, the chapel is considered one of the most important examples of late Gothic architecture in the world.
The so-called "perpendicular style," with its strict horizontal and vertical lines, was typical of English cathedrals at the time. The 19th century saw extensive renovation work, and that's when the royal crypt, where Queen Elizabeth II is to be buried, was added.
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The queen's knights
The most striking feature inside the church are the magnificently carved oak choir stalls for the knights of the so-called Order of the Garter. Above their seats hang the banners of current members, as well as the coats of arms of more than 700 former members of the order.
"It's an incredibly beautiful church but there's also something oppressive about it because of its medieval feel," said Julia Melchior, an expert on the history of the British royal family. "These heavy stones and this wood paneling, it really breathes the history of the English monarchy."
Prince Philip and the Queen enter the chapel for a wedding in 2019Image: Frank Augstein/AP/picture alliance
The knights of the Order of the Garter used St. George's Chapel for their ceremonies. The name of the chapel goes back to the military and national patron, St. George. Since 1833, the knights are also known as the Military Knights of Windsor. Prince Philip was a member of the order.
"It is the most prestigious order in the kingdom and one of the most prestigious orders in Europe," Melchior said.
The queen was its grandmaster and appointed knights, mostly members of other royal houses. Now the duty falls to King Charles III.
The order meets once a year in the sanctuary of St. George's.
Wedding at St. George's
The chapel seats 800 people but it is intended to host smaller, more intimate events. "It's more private there because onlookers can't quite get up close," Melchior said. "You can't go right up to the front of the chapel because there are castle walls around it."
It's a different situation in Westminster Abbey, in the heart of London, where anyone stepping out of the church would face thousands of people right outside the entrance door. The weddings and funeral ceremonies of monarchs and their direct heirs to the throne almost always take place in Westminster Abbey.
Prince William and Duchess Kate said "I do" there on April 29, 2011, surrounded by 1,900 guests.
The wedding of the princes' parents — Prince Charles and Diana — was a real state event and took place at St. Paul's Cathedral. But Charles' second wedding, to Camilla Parker-Bowles, took place without much fuss in at St: George's Chapel.
Final resting place
Almost all of the royal family's funeral services have been held in St. George's Chapel. Even though Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, popularly known as the "Queen Mum," was publicly mourned in London, there was a family funeral service in Windsor Chapel.
Princess Diana, the divorced wife of Prince Charles, was not accorded that honor, with her funeral service taking place in Westminster Abbey.
Steeped in tradition: Guardsmen from the Royal Hussars march past St. George's Chapel in 2020Image: Jonathan Brady/AP/dpa/picture alliance
Many members of the royal family are buried in the private Royal Burial Ground cemetery at Frogmore, an estate on the grounds of Windsor Castle, named for the croaking frogs that live in the marshy area.
High-ranking family members including King George VI and his wife — the "Queen Mum" — and their daughter Margaret, the Queen's sister, are buried in St. George's Chapel.
In a private family ceremony on September 19, the Queen's coffin will be lowered into the Royal Vault before being interred in the King George VI memorial chapel, located inside St George's Chapel.
This will be the final resting place of the remains of the Queen, alongside those of her husband, Prince Philip.
Farewell Queen Elizabeth II: The funeral procession route
Hundreds of thousands are expected to bid farewell to Queen Elizabeth II in London and Windsor. Here’s a photo series of the procession route.
Image: John Sibley/REUTERS
Buckingham Palace
On Wednesday 14 September, Queen Elizabeth II will leave Buckingham Palace for the last time. The funeral procession will start at Buckingham Palace and the coffin will be moved to the Palace of Westminster. Hundreds of thousands of mourners are expected along the route through London. The photo depicts soldiers returning after completing 96 gun salutes to honor the queen.
Image: John Sibley/REUTERS
The Mall
From Buckingham Palace, the procession will proceed down the The Mall. The global public might remember this road from Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee (pictured), which celebrated the queen's 70 years on the throne. This time, the mood will be markedly different. The Mall runs from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square, where several large roads meet.
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The Route through London
The route for the ceremonial procession is displayed on the map: From Buckingham Palace via The Mall, past St. James’s Park. Then the procession will turn right into Horse Guards Road and move across the famous Horse Guards Parade to the Palace of Westminster, next to Westminster Hall.
Horse Guards Parade
Many know this parade ground from the Trooping the Color, the annual military ceremony which officially commemorates the monarch’s birthday. The next Trooping the Color will take place to commemorate the birthday of King Charles III. The Old Admiralty Building, former seat of the Royal Navy, stands on the parade ground’s northern end.
Image: Ben Stansall/AFP
Household Cavalry
The parade ground is open, facing St. James’s Park, to the west. To the east, there’s the Horse Guards building, which houses the Household Cavalry. The Household Cavalry is the King’s official bodyguard and takes on important roles on horseback during ceremonies. The building also includes a museum. Passing through the archway, you get to Whitehall, one of the largest roads in Westminster.
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Old War Office Building
Directly opposite the archway stands the Old War Office Building. This prominent building is well known as the backdrop to James Bond movies and the series The Crown. Built in 1906, the building served as the seat of the British War Office until the 1960s. Today, it has been turned into a luxury hotel.
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Downing Street
Just after passing the Old War Office Building, the road changes its name from Whitehall to Parliament Street. Just before the name changes, the procession will pass by an intersection that lets you look into a tiny – but world-famous – street: Downing Street. As we all know, the British Prime Minister always lives in Nr. 10.
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Palace of Westminster
The last stop for the day is the Palace of Westminster. Westminster is the seat of parliament in Britain. The most famous part of the building complex is probably the clock tower with its famous bell, Big Ben.
Image: Florian Monheim/Arcaid Images/imago
Westminster Hall
Queen Elizabeth II will lie in state from Thursday to Sunday at Westminster Hall (pictured), the oldest part of Westminster. People will be able to bid farewell to the Queen – for 23 hours a day. Hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to come. On Monday September 19, the Queen’s state funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey. 2,000 guests have been invited to the event.
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Windsor Castle
After the state funeral on Monday, the last stop will be Windsor Castle. Together with Buckingham Palace and Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, Windsor Castle is one of the royal family's main residences. It was the Queen’s official weekend residence. Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest castle in the world that’s still inhabited.
Image: John Walton/PA Wire/dpa/picture alliance
St. George's Chapel
Windsor Castle’s chapel has seen both happy and tragic moments for the royal family. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were married here as were King Charles and Camilla Parker. St. George's Chapel is also the final resting place of many members of the royal family, including Queen Elizabeth's husband Prince Philip. whose funeral service is pictured here. The queen will be buried beside him.
Image: Hannah McKay/AFP/Getty Images
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This article was translated from German.
Update: A previous version of this article was published for Prince Philip's burial.
