Howard's ancestors have presided over funerals and ceremonies for centuries

The "Marshall of England" .. The Duke who spent 20 years planning Queen Elizabeth's funeral

• The security arrangements prevented the transfer of the coffin on the train to London.

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• Preparations for the transfer of the Queen's body were made carefully.

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The long corridors of the House of Lords have been unusually quiet this week.

With Parliament sessions postponed until after Queen Elizabeth II's funeral, and most staff working from home, the building appeared quiet.

In fact, the arrangements for this important event, began a long time ago.

The 18th Duke of Norfolk, Edward Fitzalan Howard, also called the "Marshall of England", is the man responsible for organizing the Queen's funeral and funeral services.

His grandfathers have held the position and assumed this type of function, continuously since 1672, and the coronation of the next king will be his responsibility, too.

The Marshal also supervises the exercises for the opening of Parliament, which is his most regular responsibility.

In 2002, fearing that it might not be that simple, the Marshal began planning for this week, in 2022. There were annual meetings in the Buckingham Palace throne room, which started with 20 people.

By April of this year the number had reached 280. The organizers of the Queen's funeral received a lot of help from Buckingham Palace staff.

For the first 10 years, the Marshal worked closely with Lieutenant-Colonel Anthony Mather, a longtime member of the royal family, who led the ceremony at the funeral of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill, the last time a state funeral was organized.

For the Duke of Norfolk, the obvious starting point was to look at the funeral of George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II, but that was 70 years ago.

He was always well aware that festivities had to be 'in keeping with the times'.

That's why, for the first time in 200 years, the state funeral will be at Westminster Abbey, where 2,000 people can be seated at the Abbey, and St. George's Chapel in Windsor, allowing 800 more.

Another change was to plan an extra day, “This is the maximum time I can manage within the schedule.

85,000 people should be allowed to look at the casket,” says the Duke.

Meanwhile, some have expressed disappointment that the Queen's journey, from Edinburgh to London, was not by train, which would allow people to say goodbye to her at stations and along the railway line.

But the marshal asserts that “in the end, security concerns made it impossible.

And if the train stops for any reason, there was no credible contingency plan.”

And everything went as planned, the Queen's coffin was moved between different places, without problems, "It has been incredibly moving to be in Westminster on such a historic occasion."

With Part One achieved, the Duke's thoughts will turn to Monday's funeral, completing the exercises for successful completion.

Howard must get to Windsor before the casket, 'I'm going up the highway to get past it.'

Everything should work fine.”

By the end of Monday, the Duke will no doubt breathe a sigh of relief, but can he also allow himself to be proud of the success of a mission that has been planned for 20 years?

However, he will not be paid for his mission, "I am determined not to receive a penny from the state for my work as a Marshal."

traditional position

The Duke of Norfolk is responsible for arranging the opening of Parliament sessions, as well as the state funerals for kings, and the enthronement and coronation ceremonies of new kings.

The position is traditionally held by England's highest Duke, the current Marshal, 18th Duke of Norfolk, Edward Fitzalan Howard, 65, who inherited the title when his father died in 2002. As part of his duties, the Duke played a key role in declaring Charles III King of the United Kingdom Standing on the balcony overlooking Freire Court, in St James's Palace, the chief proclamation was read aloud.

Some expressed disappointment that the Queen's coffin journey, from Edinburgh to London, was not by train, which would allow people to say goodbye to her at stations and along the railway line.

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