Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin, which hundreds of thousands of people will gather in front of until her funeral, is made of lead-lined English oak and has already been ready for more than 30 years, The Times explained on Monday.
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The public will not be able to see the face of the Queen, whose coffin will remain closed and covered with the standard and royal regalia.
According to the Times, the Queen’s coffin is made of lead-lined English oak, like her husband Prince Philip, who died in April 2021.
The London funeral company Leverton & Sons, which is in charge of the funeral, made it clear to the British newspaper four years ago that they did not know when and who made the coffins, which they inherited in 1991 when they began working with the palace.
“It’s made of English oak, which is hard to find” and expensive, explained its boss, Andrew Leverton.
The lead lining makes it possible to make the coffin airtight, as it will be deposited in a crypt and will not be buried. But it makes it too heavy for its eight companies.
The brass handles were designed specifically for royal coffins, as was the lid, which should be able to support the royal insignia.
It’s not something you can do in one day,” Leverton told The Times.
After the sarcophagus is on display in Edinburgh, the coffin will be transported to London on Tuesday evening. The next day, he would be put on a purple-wrapped catafalque in the Palace of Westminster, and watched by guards.
The Royal Standard, the emblem of the monarchy that traditionally floated atop Buckingham, Sandrigam or Windsor when the Queen was there, would cover her coffin.
There will also be two royal insignia, the sceptre and the globe, surmounted by a cross symbolizing the Christian world.
