Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to a naval base in 2021. Steve Parsons – WPA Pool / Getty Images The Queen’s funeral is set to take place on Monday at Westminster Abbey. The funeral will be attended by the royal family and world leaders, including President Biden.
One duke was tasked with the planning — it took him 20 years and he says he did it all for free. One of the biggest events in modern UK history will take place on Monday: the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. 2,000 attendees are expected to enter Westminster Abbey on the day to pay tribute to the monarch, who died peacefully aged 96 at her residence in Balmoral, Scotland on September 8.
On the guest list are members of the royal family — including King Charles, Prince William, and Prince Harry — as well as world leaders like President Joe Biden and Justin Trudeau. But ensuring the event goes smoothly in a way that honors a queen who reigned for 70 years is far from an easy task. And it took 20 years of planning by a man who said he did it all for free, according to The Times of London.
As parliamentary historian Daniel Brittain reported for The Times on Thursday, planning the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II has been the responsibility of Edward Fitzalan-Howard, who inherited the title of the 18th Duke of Norfolk when his father died in 2002. In an interview with Brittain, Fitzalan-Howard, 65, said ensuring the funeral goes to plan is “pretty scary,” but that he’s rising to the occasion. The Duke of Norfolk, pictured during the proclamation of King Charles III.
Jamie Lorriman – WPA Pool / Getty ImagesFitzalan-Howard has royal event planning in his blood. On top of his dukedom, he also inherited the role of the earl marshal of England when his father died. The Guardian reports this makes him responsible for planning the state opening of Parliament, royal state funerals, and the coronations of new monarchs.
According to Brittain, the duke is descended from the same family that has planned royal funerals and coronations since 1672. Over two decades, he did have some assistance – from the time he took over in 2002 to April this year, Fitzalan-Howard told Brittain the funeral planning team grew from 20 to 280 people. He added that he was able to use the funeral of the Queen’s father, King George VI, who died in 1952, as a reference point.
“But that was 70 years ago,” Fitzalan-Howard added. “I’ve always been very conscious that ceremonial needs to move with the times. “Changes to what had previously been 200 years of tradition surrounding British royal deaths were necessary, he added.
One of the most noticeable changes is the location of the funeral. Unlike the funerals for King George VI and Prince Philip, who died in April 2021, the funeral for Queen Elizabeth II is taking place at Westminster Abbey and not Windsor Castle to account for a bigger guest list. And despite all the years he put into planning the funeral, the duke told Brittain he did all of it without earning any money.
“I am determined not to charge the state a penny for my work as earl marshal,” he said. Read the original article on Insider.
From: insider
URL: https://www.insider.com/queen-elizabeth-ii-funeral-took-20-years-to-plan-duke-2022-9
