Rare English oak, airtight box to preserve corpse: Know all the details of Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin

Queen Elizabeth II is getting a funeral fitting for a monarch who reigned for 70 years, and even became the longest-serving one in the hory of the British royal family, after she took over from her father, George VI, in 1953.
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Details of the queen’s coffin — which will lie in state in London later this week before her funeral at Westminster Abbey on September 19 — have emerged, and according to reports, the box — made with English oak and lead — had been crafted more than three decades ago.

The royal casket will reportedly rest on a raised platform — called a ‘catafalque’ — inside Westminster Hall, before it is lowered to the ground next week. Queen Elizabeth will be laid to rest beside her husband Prince Philip — who died last year at the age of 99 — at the King George VI Memorial Chapel at Windsor Castle.

The coffin of the Duke of Edinburgh was initially placed on a marble slab in the Royal Vault beneath St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle under the condition that his final resting place would be beside his wife of 73 years when she passes away.
The Times reported that the queen’s coffin was already made some 32 years ago with a rare kind of wood: the English oak. It is believed that most wooden caskets these days are made of American oak.

The royal coffin is also lined with lead — a tradition in the family — for it is believed that it will preserve the corpse of a person for a longer period of time after it is placed in the crypt. While lead will make the coffin airtight, it will also make it heavier. According to reports, it will take eight pallbearers to lift the coffin of the queen.

Leverton & Sons, the current funeral directors to the royal family, was quoted as telling The Times that they inherited the coffins, and are unaware as to who had crafted them.

Interestingly, the queen’s coffin is also said to be identical to the one created for her husband last year. The box’s lid has also been specifically-designed to securely hold precious fitment, such as the queen’s Imperial State Crown, orb, and sceptre that represent her powers; these objects will be present at the lying in state and funeral.

Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin was first seen after it began its final journey after leaving Balmoral — her Scottish summer home where she passed away — on September 11. It appeared to be draped in the Scottish royal standard, and a wreath made of dahlias, sweet peas, phlox, white heather, and pine fir was placed on top of the coffin as it was loaded onto a hearse.
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