The Queen's coffin secret: What is special about the cloth – and what makes it weigh 300 kilos
Created: 09/20/2022, 05:10
By: Christina Denk
A grand state funeral bids farewell to the Queen.
Her coffin has a few peculiarities and is already quite old.
It seems unclear who built it.
London – It took eight pallbearers to heave the Queen's coffin into the hearse at the state funeral and later into the chapel.
No wonder, because Queen Elizabeth II's sarcophagus weighs a whopping 300 kilograms.
A royal undertaker told the
Times
what lies beneath the red and yellow cloth and royal insignia and why it is so heavy .
Queen's Coffin Mystery: British oak and lead paneling - the distinctive features of the royal coffin
The Queen's coffin made its final journey on Monday (September 19).
For the state funeral, the mighty oaken coffin was once again laid out in Westminster Abbey.
The royal family, including George and Charlotte, bid farewell to the monarch.
The coffin was then first pulled by sailors and then transported in an open hearse to Windsor Castle, where the Queen is to be laid to rest in St. George's Chapel.
Like the hearse, the Queen's coffin is not a shelf item.
The shrine was made especially for her at least 32 years ago, according to the
Times
.
It is made from English oak.
This wood is now being used less and less.
The coffin's brass handles were also
specially designed for royal coffins , according to the
Times .
"It's not something you can do in one day," said Andrew Leverton, director of the royal funeral home.
Following a tradition of British royals, the coffin is lined with lead on the inside, which makes it particularly heavy.
The Queen's coffin is carried into St George's Chapel by eight bearers.
He has some peculiarities.
© Kirsty Wigglesworth/dpa
The coffin also has a particularly stable lid.
Finally, during the laying out and the Windsor procedure, the wood must bear the insignia of the Queen: the crown, the orb and the scepter.
And there was also a small, intimate letter from the current King Charles on the coffin.
Queen's coffin: undertaker reveals the secret of the lead paneling - but he doesn't seem to know who made the coffin
The lead lining of the Queen's coffin has the function of further delaying the process of decomposition.
“This lead insert is hermetically sealed to prevent odors from escaping.
Oxygen and fluid exchange is stopped," said an undertaker on
RTL
.
This helps preserve the body longer after it is buried in a crypt.
In the case of the Queen at Windsor Castle.
Prince Philip's coffin also has a lead lining.
also read
Queen's funeral at a glance: coffin reaches goal – Charles more emotional than ever, Meghan cries, hymn trouble about Harry
Symbolic jewelry: Kate and Meghan pay tribute to the Queen – sweet message from Princess Charlotte
Joy, sorrow, jubilation: The milestones of Queen Elizabeth II's reign
View photo gallery
As the
Times
reports, the coffins between the two were not commissioned a few years ago.
The order dates back at least 32 years.
At that time, the London company Leverton & Sons did not yet manage the funeral business of the royals.
The company says it doesn't know who made the Queen's coffin, the Times
reports
.
However, according to the
county newspaper
, the manufacture is said to have been taken over by Henry Smith of Battersea, who previously oversaw the royals' burials.
So there is still a little secret about the Queen's coffin.
All developments for the big state funeral are live in the ticker.
(chd/AFP)
