Queen Elizabeth to be buried in decades-old coffin lined with lead that takes 8 people to carry
- The queen's coffin entered Westminster Abbey Monday morning for her funeral.
- During the queen's funeral, the majestic Imperial State Crown sits atop the queen’s flag-draped coffin.
- The coffin, made with English oak and lead, has a decades-old history itself.
Like so many proceedings associated with the royal family, the coffin carrying Queen Elizabeth II holds a specific history with it: It was made decades ago with a liner of lead that makes it especially heavy.
The coffin was flown to London, and moved from Buckingham Palace to the Houses of Parliament to lie in state. Monday, it was carried into Westminster Abbey for the queen's funeral.
King Charles III, the royal family and dignitaries from around the world were in attendance for the state funeral believed to be the biggest gathering of world leaders in years.
But who makes a coffin for a queen? And how is a coffin for a queen made?
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Coffin was made decades ago: 'Not something you can just make in a day'
The oak coffin was made more than 30 years ago, funeral directors confirmed to USA TODAY. Leverton & Sons, which has served as funeral directors to the royal household said it inherited the coffin made for the queen by another firm, Kenyons.
Andrew Leverton, a funeral director at Leverton & Sons, previously told British outlet the Times "It is made from English oak, which is very difficult to get hold of.”
“Oak coffins are now made from American oak. I don’t think we could use English oak for a coffin now. It would be too expensive,” he told the outlet.
The coffin is also lined with lead, Leverton & Sons said. The lead lining makes the coffin so heavy that eight military bearers will carry it on the day of the queen's funeral.
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“It is not something you can just make in a day,” Leverton said, noting that the coffin is also built for historic royal objects to be placed on it.
Leverton & Sons declined to comment further to USA TODAY.
- Traditionally, coffins for the royal family are made from oak from the Sandringham estate, the Telegraph reported. For decades, members of the royal family have spent the holidays at the estate located in eastern England.
- Prince Philip, the queen's husband who died last year, was also buried in an oak coffin, according to multiple reports.
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Queen's funeral
The queen's funeral is marked as a public holiday in the U.K., ending a 10-day period of national mourning.
On top of the queen's coffin sits the Imperial State Crown as well as her scepter and orb.
The choice of flowers in the wreath on her coffin, the music and prayer selections, even the design of the Royal Hearse (lots of glass and inside light so the casket can be seen even at night), were all decisions made by the queen.
The funeral and events surrounding it were designed to help unite the royal family and divided subjects.
People have left tributes outside Buckingham Palace in the days since the queen's death, including flowers and even marmalade sandwiches, a reference to a comedy sketch the queen appeared in with an animated Paddington Bear filmed for her Platinum Jubilee earlier this year.
The queen, who died at age 96, was Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.
Contributing: Associated Press; Hannah Yasharoff, Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY