Queen Elizabeth II laid to rest alongside late husband in private burial

Sept. 19 (UPI) -- Queen Elizabeth II was laid to rest Monday as hundreds of world leaders traveled to London and millions around the world watched a historic event not seen on such a grand scale since the last monarch died 70 years ago.

The queen was buried in a private funeral at Windsor Castle alongside her late husband, Prince Philip, who died last year, after she had lay in state for four days inside Westminster Hall and hundreds of thousands of people waited in line -- in some cases for hours and hours -- to pay tribute and walk past her casket.

"The queen was buried together with the duke of Edinburgh, at the King George VI Memorial Chapel," the royal family said in a statement.

The queen's state funeral Monday began with a procession to Westminster Abbey and lasted for about an hour. After its conclusion, the queen's casket began a long procession that traveled through London and was met by thousands of mourners along the route. It ultimately reached the final destination at Windsor Castle early Monday afternoon.

King Charles III had placed a handwritten card on top of the queen's coffin that read, "In loving and devoted memory."

Roughly 500 world leaders and dignitaries were estimated to be at Monday's funeral. In all, about 2,000 people attended inside Westminster Abbey and millions around the world watched the service live on television and Internet streams.

Toward the end of the service, the Last Post was played and followed by two minutes of silence, which was observed in all government buildings with local authorities, businesses, organizations and citizens participating. Then, Britain's national anthem and a lament played by the queen's piper formally concluded the state funeral at Westminster Abbey.

At that point, a procession with the queen's casket began to make its way through London, traveling past Broad Sanctuary, Parliament Square, Whitehall, Horse Guards Parade, Horse Guards Road, The Mall and Constitution Hill before arriving at Wellington Arch -- where the coffin was transferred to a hearse for the final trip to Windsor Castle, which is located about 20 miles due west from downtown London.

Britons line the procession route to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II on Monday following her state funeral in London, Britain. The queen died on September 8 at the age of 96. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI

Gun salutes fired and Big Ben tolled once every minute as the casket moved through London. King Charles III and other members of the royal family walked behind the casket and gun carriage along the way.

After the procession arrived at Windsor Castle, a smaller committal service at St. George's Chapel honored the queen and various ceremonies were held to signify the end of Elizabeth II's reign. At that point, the late monarch's casket was lowered into the royal vault as the attendees sang "God Save the King."

Monday's funeral and the elaborate procession was a grand spectacle not seen since the last monarch, King George VI, the queen's father, died in 1952 and she ascended to the crown. It also was somewhat reminiscent of the hearse procession that took Princess Diana to her grave after she died in 1997.

It was estimated that as many as 2 million people would turn out in London on Monday to watch the procession of Queen Elizabeth II's casket to and from Westminster Abbey. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI

Elizabeth II died on Sept. 8 after spending 70 years on the British throne. Her coronation occurred in 1952 and she became Britain's longest-serving monarch. Upon her death, Prince Charles, 73, became the king and he later announced that he would take the name King Charles III. With the queen's death, Prince William became next in line to the throne. William, 40, is the king's first child with Princess Diana.

As queen of Britain, Elizabeth II also served as head of the Commonwealth, which includes 54 nations -- 14 of which count the monarch as their head of state.

On Sunday night, the royal family released a previously unseen photo of the queen that was taken in February to mark her Platinum Jubilee.