The Queen’s Funeral Top 10 Things The Internet Can’t Stop Talking About

Just yesterday, September 19, 2022, members of the royal family far and wide made their way to Westminster Abbey for Her Majesty's State Funeral. During the funeral procession and over the course of the national mourning period, the Queen's funeral will be the first held for a monarch since the death of her father King George VI more than 70 years ago, and will be the first held for a monarch in Westminster Abbey since 1760. This was a passing felt the world over. Still, there were plenty of us who missed the broadcast. So we decided here at Famous Entertainment to piece together a top 10 list on the most shocking moments you might have missed. Did Meghan Markle break royal protocol again? Why didn't Prince Harry salute the Queen's coffin? Was Meghan Markle snubbed again by the firm with the funeral seating arrangements and being blocked by a TV camera by a giant candle? All of this is coming up in our top 10 highlights from the Queen's funeral. Also for the thumbnail, we want to inform all of you who are confused if Big Ben did in fact explode, we can inform you that it didn't. We know that this is a meme all over the internet. No monument represents England better than Big Ben. We apologise to anyone outraged in the comments, please leave your condolences down below, and let's get right into it. First up at number 10, we have the royal cost of this massive tribute event. The Queen's Royal Funeral at Westminster Abbey on September 19th, 2022 will be paid for by British taxpayers. Even though the royal family is worth $28 billion that can fund the funeral. Security costs seem to be a major component driving up this event's price tag. Why so? Well, with most of the world's international state leaders expected to be in attendance, including President Biden and his wife, as well as Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. But we're going to break down the entire guest list a little later in this video. Per the New York Post, a former royal security officer predicted that $7.5 million would be the cost of the security for the funeral alone. In fact, according to London Metropolitan Police, Queen Elizabeth's funeral is the single largest policing event that they have ever undertaken, surpassing the 2012 London Olympics and the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations that occurred earlier this year. In total, 10,000 officers took part in the policing operation for the Queen's service. The Queen herself shared the cost of the Queen Mother's funeral in 2002, with the ceremony reported to have cost around £5.4 million. Although the British government has not yet confirmed the exact cost of the state funeral, stating that details would be shared in quote-unquote due course, reports estimate that the total is expected to be upwards of $20 million. Exactly where this money will come from is still unclear, though it's expected it will be mostly be funded by the taxpayer, with the family picking up some of the bill too. The worth of the royal family is reported to stand at an estimated $28 billion, like I said, so they can certainly afford it. A significant amount is expected to have been set aside for the Queen's funeral over recent years, by both royalty and government. Moving on to number 9 we have the guest list, which side note, didn't have Prince Harry and Meghan Markle anywhere near the top. The palace has not released a formal guest list for the funeral, but reports indicate that around 500 VIP guests were expected, including major world leaders and fellow royals. Among them were US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Other representatives from the Commonwealth were present too, as well as British Prime Minister Liz Truss. Royals from around the world have also flown to the UK to attend Her Majesty's funeral, including King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain, Queen Margaret and Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark, and Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan. In terms of celebrities, there was Bear Grylls, Sandra Oh, Sophie Winkleman, and then there are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan, who were treated more like celebs than actually part of the royal family. But more on that shortly. Next up, we have the sheer number of people who showed up and the viewers around the world who tuned in. A billion people were watching the Queen's funeral on TV and online, and that's an impressive number for sure, but more than a million people are right there in central London to catch a glimpse of her coffin and to say one final farewell. Five miles or 8 kilometers of people lined up to file past the Queen's coffin in Westminster Hall. The mammoth line stretched back from the House of Parliament along the south bank of the River Thames to the South Ark Park. As for the live broadcast, the event is expected to be one of the most watched events in history. Moving on to number 7, we have the Queen's funeral details about centuries of royal mourning traditions being carried out. The great traditions associated with royal funerals and the lang and state formalities date back hundreds of years. It's all about securing the succession. The Queen's English oak coffin was constructed some 30 years ago alongside a coffin for her late husband, Prince Philip. London undertakers, Leverton and Sons, told the Times in 2018. The flag draped on the coffin is the Royal Standard, which represents both the Sovereign and the United Kingdom. The crown, atop the velvet pillow, is the Royal Imperial Crown, which is encrusted with 2,868 diamonds, 269 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, and 4 rubies. It was first worn by the Queen when she left Westminster Abbey on the day of her coronation in 1953. It was originally made for the coronation of her father, King George VI, in 1937. Following Monday's funeral, another procession will take the Queen's coffin from Westminster Abbey to St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. This is where she will be buried in the King George VI Memorial Chapel alongside her parents, her sister, Princess Margaret, and husband, Prince Philip. This will all go down during a private service for the royal family members. For more on this, we're going to discuss the outfits worn by royal members and why Prince Harry wasn't permitted to wear his royal uniform. Needless to say, black was the predominant colour among the estimated 2,000 guests packed into London's Westminster Abbey for the ceremony. And while the attendees' choices of outfits were appropriately understated, hats, brooches, and nods to national dress added character to the otherwise sombre attire. Making statements is a very delicate task, but the brooches, the pins, and sashes carried subtle significance. Catherine, Princess of Wales, wore a pair of drop earrings made from pearls given to the Queen and Prince Philip for their marriage in 1947, as well as the four-row Japanese pearl choker from the Queen's personal jewelry collection. Now this was also an item previously worn by the late Princess Diana. Wearing an elegant cape dress, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, followed suit in a pair of earrings gifted to her by the Queen in 2018. Both Queen Consort Camilla and Catherine, Princess of Wales, could be seen wearing black veils. It's tradition for female members of the royal family to also wear black veils for funerals. Known as the mourning veil, Kate Middleton and Camilla netted mourning veils are attached to the front of their hats and extended down to the chin, sitting slightly away from the face. Why is this important? Meghan didn't wear a veil. Some speculate that she was eager to get as much publicity as possible from this highly publicized event. Deeper dives have been made on the uniform, or lack thereof, of a uniform worn by Prince Harry, who waved goodbye to all military practices when he stepped back from his role as a senior royal, meaning he was unable to wear his uniform during the Queen's funeral. As promised, we're gonna talk more about one woman getting a lot of headlines from the royal family, all for the wrong reasons. And this might be because Meghan Markle may have broken royal protocol. As just mentioned, maybe Markle prefers to be in a viewpoint of photographers and paparazzi unlike most other members of the royal family. She did leave the royal family for more of a practical life living in the US, but it was the very public interview given to Oprah in March 2021, followed by the release of, and recently, her Spotify podcast, that really put a strain on her relationship with the royals. So we know that Meghan is on the outs, but how about Harry? There was no eye contact or acknowledgement between Prince William and Prince Harry as they walked behind the Queen's coffin. In his 10 years as a member of the British military, Harry served 2 tours in Afghanistan and rose to the rank of Captain in the British Army. Yet, he gave up his 3 official military titles in 2021 as part of a deal with his family when he stopped working for the royal family and moved to California. Many members of the royal family appeared in uniform including King Charles III, Prince William, Princess Anne, and Prince Edward. Harry, however, donned a suit and tie for the occasion. Buckingham Palace required him not to appear in uniform because he is no longer a working royal. Similarly, Queen Elizabeth II's second son, Prince Andrew, who was forced to step back from royal duties over his relationship with sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, also was barred from wearing his military uniform. But unlike his brother Prince William, Prince Harry didn't salute, instead keeping his arms by his side. It wasn't long before royal fans took to social media to ask why, and the answer is Saluting is a military custom by which a soldier signals acknowledgement for the due respect to a superior rank. In this case, members of the royal family are saluting to Her Majesty, who was the head of the armed forces and served as their commander in chief. However, although Prince Harry was in the military, he waved goodbye to those military practices when he stepped back. This means that he wasn't able to salute alongside his family members during the Queen's funeral. When Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, chose to break from the royal family in 2021, they relinquished the duties, income and security protection that comes with being working royals. There was another young boy and girl who caught people's attention as well. The two eldest children of the Prince and Princess of Wales, George and Charlotte, formed part of a procession with the royal family, following the coffin as it entered London's Westminster Abbey. Two Cambridge children, who are second and third in line to the British throne. In a short video of the moment, 7 year old Charlotte can be seen telling her older brother, you need to bow. As she gives the instruction, the second in line for the throne listened intently. Had to include that just because they are so cute. But before we get to the end of this list, we have to take one more look at Meghan and Harry's seats at the funeral. I saw a meme that read, no one puts Harry in a corner except the royal family, and it appears to be very true. William and Harry, who have a strained relationship over the past few years, were as far away from each other as could be, separated by the church aisle. During Queen Elizabeth's funeral, the palace seated Harry and Meghan directly behind Harry's father, King Charles III, and the Queen Consort, Camilla. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were among other royal family members, right at the foot of the Heights altar. Their royal status was the reason they were relegated to the second row. Here are their cousins, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, the children of the Queen's son, Prince Andrew. Prince William and Princess Catherine of Wales sat in the front row, with their eldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte. Finally in the number 1 spot, let's talk about the now King Charles III, who waited longer than anyone in history for his time to accede the throne. King Charles III has been waiting his whole life for this moment. At his birth 73 years ago, he became second in line to the throne, and for the past 6 decades, ever since his mother ascended the throne in 1952 when he was 3, he has been the heir apparent. Those watching took note that King Charles III didn't sing British National Anthem during the Queen's funeral. This is because the song is one that has traditionally been sang to the reigning monarch. The anthem was formally recognized as God Saved the Queen throughout Queen Elizabeth II's 70 years on the throne. According to the royal family's website, the National Anthem lyrics have remained the same since it was first performed in 1745, with the changes being, substituting Queen for King where appropriate. How he handles his reign will shape the future of the monarchy, and indeed determine whether if it is even necessary at all. But based around the intrigue and attention this funeral has generated, it appears the royal family are still as relevant as ever. The tributes from around the world and the silent queuing of her loyal citizens at home speak volumes of the kind of woman the Queen was. May she rest in peace after a life of towerless service.