Almost everything is perfect at the Queen's State Funeral celebrations. Finally, the ceremonial was meticulously planned. But some things just can't be planned. And so an uninvited little guest causes a stir.
Queen Elizabeth II has started her last journey. During a service in Westminster Abbey, around 2,000 invited guests from all over the world said goodbye to the late monarch.
Before and after, the Queen's coffin was carried in two processions to its respective destination. First from Westminster Hall, where he had been laid out for the past few days, to the church. Then from Westminster Abbey to the triumphal arch of Wellington Arch, from which it was to go to Windsor in a hearse. The Queen finally finds her final resting place behind the walls of the castle there.
As TV recordings show, an uninvited guest just burst into the ceremony on the coffin's way through London. You can see a small spider crawling over the grave card that was in the flower arrangement on the coffin.
This caused a real hysteria on Twitter. Numerous users posted snapshots or clips in which the crawling animal can be seen. However, most of the comments were humorous. "The happiest spider in the world," noted one user. "Is there already a Twitter account for the Queen's coffin wreath spider?" Another user wanted to know.
Unfortunately, we don't know whether the spider was actually happy to get so close to the Queen again shortly before her funeral. However, what we can report is that she has chosen a quite exclusive place for her appearance in front of the world public. And that in every respect. This is how the wreath on the Queen's coffin was assembled at the special request of her son, King Charles III.
The plants came from the gardens of their residences Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle and from Charles' country estate Highgrove House. These included rosemary, which symbolizes remembrance. The myrtle used - a symbol of a happy marriage - was cut from a plant that had once been grown from a myrtle sprig in the queen's wedding bouquet. Also included were pedunculate oak as a symbol of the power of love, geraniums, garden roses, hydrangeas, sedum, dahlias and scabious. The wreath was gold, pink, and deep burgundy, with touches of white—the colors of the royal standard.
Tucked into the wreath was a personal letter from the king to his late mother. It read, "In loving and faithful memory. Charles R." The R." stands for Rex, the Latin word for "king". Also enthroned on the coffin were the state crown, scepter and orb. But of course all this is meaningless compared to a small spider.
