Buckingham Palace has released the first image of the new ledger stone marking the Queen’s final resting place in Windsor.
The black burial stone was placed in the floor of the George VI Memorial Chapel, where the monarch was laid to rest on Monday.
The Queen, her parents, and her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, are all commemorated on the stone.
It takes the place of a previous slab honoring George VI and the Queen Mother.
The new stone now reads “George VI 1895-1952” and “Elizabeth 1900-2002,” followed by a metal Garter Star, “Elizabeth II 1926-2022,” and “Philip 1921-2021.”
All four royals held the Order of the Garter, the highest order of knighthood in the British honors system. The monarch and other senior figures, including ex-prime ministers and former military chiefs, are members of the order of chivalry, which dates back to medieval times.
To commemorate the Queen’s death, the newly installed stone is surrounded by floral tributes and wreaths. To match the previous ledger stone, it is made of hand-carved Belgian black marble with brass letter inlays.
The Queen was laid to rest in a private burial at George VI Memorial Chapel on Monday, attended by King Charles III and immediate family members, where she joined her parents, sister, and husband. The evening service followed the day’s public events, which included the Queen’s state funeral at Westminster Abbey and committal service in Windsor.
From Thursday, the public will be able to pay to see the ledger stone in person.
The chapel will reopen to the public on that day and will be open every day except Sundays, when it will only be open to worshippers.
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According to the chapel’s website, adult admission to the castle is £28.50 on Saturdays and £26.50 on other days.
The chapel was designed by George Pace and commissioned by the Queen in 1962 as a burial place for her father, King George VI. The pale stone annexe was built on the north side of the building behind the North Quire Aisle in 1969.
Princess Margaret, the Queen’s sister, died in 2002 and was cremated; her ashes were initially stored in the Royal Vault of St George’s Chapel before being relocated to the George VI memorial chapel with her parents’ coffins when the Queen Mother died a few weeks later.
However, Prince Philip was only recently relocated to the chapel.
When he died in April 2021, his coffin was placed in the Royal Vault, ready to be moved to the memorial chapel when his wife died.
The royal family is in mourning for the Queen for seven days, which will conclude at the end of Monday.
Source: BBC
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