UpdateEarlier today, King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima and Princess Beatrix were seated at the front of Westminster Abbey during the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth. They sat in the front, a few yards from the coffin and directly across from the British Royal Family. At the end of the afternoon, the trio will also attend the ceremony in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
Unlike many other countries, the Netherlands was allowed to delegate more than two people. It is logical that the royal couple and the former queen attend the state funeral. Beatrix and Willem-Alexander are both members of the Order of the Garter, the highest knighthood in the United Kingdom.
“I already came to Buckingham Palace for my mother’s inauguration,” the king revealed in 2018, when he paid a state visit to the country. ,,And in June we went to Windsor,’ he added at the time, referring to an unofficial visit. Windsor Castle, just outside London, was regarded as Queen Elizabeth’s much-used country retreat. It is also the place where she is driven past for her funeral.
Follow today’s ceremonies in our live blog.
Beatrix also regularly visited the Queen in private, for example when she was in London to visit her son Prince Friso and/or his family members.
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Windsor Castle
The Dutch trio were present earlier today in Westminster Abbey and at the end of the afternoon also at the ceremony in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
A short service with family members, members of the royal household and a smaller number of dignitaries will follow in the chapel from approximately 5 p.m. At the conclusion of the service, the crown, scepter and orb are removed from the coffin and Elizabeth descends to the royal tomb below the chapel, where she is reunited with Prince Philip a year and a half after her husband’s death. The two bodies are then transferred to their final resting place: the King George VI Memorial Chapel at Windsor Castle. Elizabeth’s parents and sister are also there. The ceremony there, Monday evening, is private and strictly reserved for members of the royal family.
Many world leaders attended the service at Westminster Abbey:
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