What We Know About Queen Elizabeth's Heartbreaking Final Wish
Though Queen Elizabeth II was 96 years old, her death was still a shock for many. Just two days prior, she appointed new prime minister Liz Truss in Scotland (via NPR).
As the longest-reigning monarch in British history, she served for 70 years and was the only queen many people knew in their lifetimes. More than that, she was loved, respected, and revered around the world.
Her Majesty lived a life of service and dedication, and her accomplishments were impressive. Elizabeth visited over 100 countries, attended over 21,000 royal engagements, and served under over 50 different ranks and appointments (via Royal.uk).
Her funeral on September 19 was viewed by more than 29 million people in the U.K. and millions more around the world (via The Guardian). That number surpassed Princess Diana's funeral in 1997, the wedding of now-King Charles III and Diana in 1981, and the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, now the Prince and Princess of Wales, in 2011.
Now, we are learning about the one wish the queen had before she died.
Her Majesty had a major role in planning her funeral
We know by now that Queen Elizabeth had a heavy hand in planning her own funeral. One request included having the choir sing "Russian Kontakion of the Departed." This song was the last hymn played before the queen's husband, Prince Philip, was lowered into the vault at his funeral, and Elizabeth requested the same be done as a tribute to her beloved (via The U.S. Sun).
The funeral also gave a subtle nod to a major day in the queen's life: her wedding (via Insider). The funeral was chosen to be at Westminster Abbey, where Elizabeth married Philip in 1947. In another throwback to her wedding, the queen wanted "The Lord's My Shepherd" sung at her funeral, which was also played when she married Philip (via Royal.uk).
Though she had planned these personal touches to honor her husband, Elizabeth had one final wish for herself
Queen Elizabeth wished to be buried next to her parents
Some think Queen Elizabeth's funeral was more about the people she left behind than herself. Royal biographer Penny Junor tells People, "She wouldn't have wanted that pomp and ceremony for herself, but she recognized the role she played. Even in death, she was still serving."
Though the queen's funeral was filled with tradition, the monarch had one simple request, which was her final wish: Elizabeth simply wanted to be buried next to her parents.
"She had no wish to see a statue of herself or to even have a separate burial chamber within St. George's Chapel," said historian Robert Hardman (via People). "As her cousin Margaret Rhodes once said to me, 'She wanted to make her father proud.'"
Elizabeth got her wish as she was buried in King George VI Memorial Chapel at Windsor Castle beside her father, King George VI; her mother, the Queen Mother; her sister, Princess Margaret; and her husband, Prince Philip (via CNN).
The queen may have also wanted another wish to come true
Royal insiders say that the queen also wished her family would make up. She was well aware of the strife between Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Prince William, Prince of Wales, and she wanted it to end. According to Radar Online, Elizabeth wanted her grandsons to reunite and make peace.
William and Harry did briefly reunite, along with their wives, Princess of Wales, Catherine Middleton, and Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, to show a united front as they greeted mourners at Windsor Castle shortly after the queen died. However, there has been no word on whether there are any further plans for the brothers to meet again.
Page Six reports that Harry and Meghan flew back home to California the day after the queen's funeral to reunite with their two children after being apart for 17 days. Apparently, Meghan requested a private meeting with her father-in-law, King Charles III, before returning home but was denied.