Over the course of her record-breaking reign, Elizabeth II helped ferry Britain into the modern era.
Thus, modernity and tradition could only coexist in a perfect balance in the farewell ceremony to the sovereign, organized and planned in detail by the Duke of Norfolk, with the help of the Queen herself for the last twenty years.
The dress code also followed a strict protocol, as we could see when the guests began to enter Westminster Abbey, delivering the invitation in red card, flawlessly in dark as the mourning etiquette dictates.
The event was the first state funeral held in the UK since Winston Churchill in 1965. The last funeral of a monarch was that of the Queen's father, George VI, in 1952.
The farewell to Elizabeth was probably followed by billions of people, more than four, the Daily Mail ventures - but the figures are not yet confirmed - and many have commented on the funeral on social networks with their eyes on the members of the Royal family.
Naturally seated in the front row, with the men in full uniform starting with King Charles III - except the princes Andrew and Harry, deprived of military titles - and the ladies in dark suits.
The queen consort Camilla and the princess of Wales Kate paid homage to the tradition of the "veil", in use since the funeral of George VI, choosing hats with veils, and remembering the Queen wearing jewels loved by the sovereign.
The veil has a very strong symbolic value, in the dress code of mourning, but it is not mandatory: Kate had also worn it at the funeral of Prince Philip.
Meghan did without it, as did Sophie, wife of Edoardo, Zara Phillips and Beatrice of York (but not her sister Eugenia).
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The Queen Mother, Queen Eisabetta and her sister Margareth at the funeral of George VI
Kate with Elizabeth's (pearl) necklace
The Princess of Wales arrived at Westminster Abbey by car with Camilla and her two children George and Charlotte: little Louis was absent, a great protagonist, in his own way, of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, celebrated in June.
Collected hair, delicate makeup, Kate chose a model, screwed and with a V-neck, by Alexander McQueen, one of her favorite brands.
She paired it with a pair of pumps, a wide-brimmed hat with a veil and pearl jewelry (Elizabeth II's favorites).
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Princess of Wales Kate
In particular, the choice of wearing the so-called "Japanese Pearl Choker", a necklace with four rows of pearls and a large diamond clasp, donated to Elizabeth II in the 70s by the Japanese government, previously worn by Kate for the celebrations of 70th wedding anniversary of Elizabeth and Philip in 2017 and at the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh in 2021 and, before her, the former Princess of Wales Diana.
A style choice that seals the love for the Crown but which emphasizes even more the family bond.
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Funeral of the queen, Kate with the queen's necklace also worn by Diana
As well as that of the bracelet with four rows of pearls, already worn in 2019 on the occasion of the banquet that Queen Elizabeth organized at Buckingham Palace for the president of the United States and of the Bahrain pearl pendant earrings, donated to the sovereign on the occasion of her wedding in 1947.
Pearls are traditionally worn in times of mourning and because they were the sovereign's favorite accessory.
"The royal tradition of wearing pearls during mourning dates back to Queen Victoria, who was so overcome with grief when Prince Albert died that she wore nothing but black for the rest of her life," British jeweler Steven Stone told Page Six Style.
"From time to time her black suits were interrupted by jewels, even though they were always black, colorless or pearls," she continued, adding, "Pearls were thought to represent tears, establishing a tradition that has lasted to the present day." .
On Saturday, the Princess of Wales wore another famous queen's necklace, the three-strand pearl necklace during a reception lunch at Buckingham Palace.
And also on that occasion she had chosen to wear the bracelet with three rows of pearls that belonged to Princess Diana.
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Funeral of the queen, Kate with the queen's necklace also worn by Diana
On the occasion of the procession of Elizabeth II's coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, Kate had paid homage to the sovereign with a leaf-shaped brooch with diamonds and three pearls in the middle that she had given her.
The brooch was worn by Elizabeth herself on a trip to Seoul in 1999.
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Kate wears the brooch given by the Queen
The princes George and Charlotte also attended the funeral of Elizabeth II.
George, sitting between his father William and his mother Kate, composed, in a dark suit and tie.
The little sister, dressed in black, with a rigid brimmed hat decorated with a bow of the same color, loose hair on the shoulders and a coat at the knees.
She respectful of her, with her head down, she paid homage to her great-grandmother with a horseshoe-shaped brooch, inspired by the great passion of Elizabeth II.
Camilla with Queen Victoria's Jubilee pin
The queen consort, Camilla, chose not to wear pearls at Elizabeth II's funeral.
However, she pinned Queen Victoria's diamond Jubilee brooch to her lapel: diamond and sapphire in the shape of a heart, with the number 60 in Cyrillic numerals, to indicate the years of her reign celebrated.
In its own way it could be a tribute to Elizabeth II, meaning that the sovereign who died on 8 September has surpassed Queen Victoria in years of reign (70) (63).
A sure reference to the sovereign is instead the bag, a Launer clutch bag, the Queen's favorite label.
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Queen consort Camilla at the funeral of Elizabeth II
Meghan's tears
Meghan Markle chose to pay homage to Queen Elizabeth II at her funeral by wearing a pair of pearl earrings that the sovereign had given her shortly after her marriage to Prince Harry in 2018. The Duchess of Sussex showed up wrapped in a Stella dress McCartney, the black version of an outfit already worn - in blue - on the occasion of the monarch's 92nd birthday at the Royal Albert Hall in April 2018.
The pearl earrings are the same ones that Meghan wore on the occasion of her only trip alone with Elizabeth II in June 2018: at the time, Harry's newlywed had accompanied the sovereign on a train trip to Cheshire for the inauguration of the Mersey Gateway Bridge.
They are famous for being mentioned by Megan herself during an exclusive interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. "The queen, for example, has always been wonderful with me", as on the occasion of the first "public engagement together", had told the Duchess of Sussex.
"We had breakfast together that morning, and she gave me a beautiful gift, a pair of pearl earrings and a matching necklace."
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Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex
Impossible not to notice that the Duchess of Sussex wiped her cheek with her hand while standing next to Camilla, the queen consort, Kate, Princess of Wales, and her children.
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The funeral of the queen, Meghan Markle in tears during the funeral procession