Queen Elizabeth II is buried with her mother, father, sister and husband in the King George VI Memorial Chapel in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
However, the queen will not join the host of other kings buried in the royal vault beneath the chapel.
– Royal Commission –
The memorial chapel, designed by George Pace, was completed in 1969.
It was commissioned by Elizabeth as the permanent resting place for her father, King George VI.
The King died in February 1952 at the age of 56, but his death had been unexpected and as a result no specific resting place had been assigned.
At that time the mortal remains of the king were buried in the royal vault.
– lack of space –
The Royal Vault is the final resting place of a long list of 18th and 19th century kings, including George III who died in 1820.
As there was no room left for a second vault at St George’s, it was decided to build another choir chapel.
The resulting chapel was the first extension of St. George’s Church since its consecration in the 15th century.
– Simple monument –
The Queen rejected the idea of ??the traditional marble pectoral tomb with life-size effigies favored by previous kings for her father.
Instead, the king’s tomb was marked with a plain stone of black Belgian marble inlaid in the ground with the inscription “George VI”.
The inauguration took place on 31 March 1969 in a ceremony attended by George’s widow Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, the Queen, Prince Philip, Elizabeth’s sister Princess Margaret and all four of the monarch’s children.
– Reunited in Death –
Before his untimely death, George VI enjoyed a happy family life with his wife and two daughters and referred to the close-knit foursome as “the four of us”.
The Queen’s death means all four will finally be buried together.
The Queen Mother, also known as Elizabeth, was buried in the chapel on April 9, 2002, after her death at the age of 101.
Margaret’s ashes were brought from the Royal Vault to the chapel where they were originally placed following her death in early 2002.
Philip, who died in April 2021, left instructions for his remains to be transferred from the royal vault to the memorial chapel after the death of his wife.
