Hundreds of royal fans queue outside Windsor Castle to see Queen’s final resting place
WINDSOR, ENGLAND: Hundreds of royal supporters once again lined up outside Windsor Castle to pay their last respects to their beloved late monarch Queen Elizabeth II as St George's Chapel, where the late monarch was laid to rest, opened to the public for the first time since Her Majesty's death on Thursday, September 29. The first people in line were Grace Gotharg, a Ghanaian living in London, and Anne Daley, 65, both from Cardiff. They arrived at Windsor Castle at 7.30 am.
According to the Daily Mail, Daley said, “The castle feels like empty, gloomy. Nobody’s living in it. You know, you’ve lost the Queen, you’ve lost the duke, you lost the corgis. It’s like when you’ve sold your house and all the history is gone.” Daley and Gotharg have long been supporters of the monarchy. The two met during the July 2021 dedication of the statue honoring Diana, Princess of Wales outside Kensington Palace and grew close. They were among the first to witness the monarch laying in state in Westminster Hall.
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“My father was in the Irish Guards and he did the coronation. So I had an interest from when I was a little girl,” Daley remarked. Gotharg said, “I am from the Commonwealth so I knew the Queen before I came here. She did a good job as head of the Commonwealth. She was a good woman and a good mother. Everybody loves her.” Meanwhile, earlier the queen's death certificate was published by National Records of Scotland on Thursday, September 29. The queen's death certificate says the 96-year-old monarch died of old age which stated that ‘Elizabeth died at Balmoral Castle in Ballater, Scotland on September 8 at 3.10 pm.'
The document was signed by the queen's daughter, Princess Anne. Just like Daley and Gotharg, many others want to see the longest-reigning monarch of Britain’s tomb for the last time. The King George VI Memorial Chapel, a section of St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, designates Her Majesty’s final resting place with a slab of hand-carved Belgian black marble. Along with the names of her husband, mother, and father, the queen's name is carved in metal letter inlays on the ledger stone.
The memorial chapel also houses the tombs of numerous royal family members. Several royal weddings, like that of Prince Harry and the former Meghan Markle in 2018, have also taken place there. Royal fans must purchase a ticket to Windsor Castle in order to enter the chapel. Adult tickets cost $28.75 from Sunday through Friday and $32.50 on Saturdays.