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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Zahna Eklund

Mourners praise 'moving' flower display for Queen's funeral that re-uses public's gifts

After the state funeral service for Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey on Monday, Her Majesty's coffin was transported in the state hearse to Windsor Castle, where a second ceremony took place inside St. George's Chapel.

While on the way to the chapel, the procession passed through the Long Walk, and at the edge of the pathway at the top of the walk, stunning flower displays could be seen flanking either side of the procession.

Not only did these flowers look beautiful when captured next to the funeral procession, but they also held poignant meaning for members of the Royal Family and the public - as they were made up of the blooms left by mourners outside the grounds of Windsor Castle since the Queen's passing on September 8.

Windsor Castle gardeners laid the flowers out after they'd been left by the public (PA)

Follow the Queen's funeral on the Mirror's live blog.

Prior to Her Majesty's funeral, the public had been asked to remove any plastic packaging from their bouquets, and the castle gardeners then took the flowers and arranged them at the top of the Long Walk to create the appearance of them having been planted in the grass.

A sign outside of the Windsor Castle gates read earlier this week: "Your flowers are greatly appreciated. It may be necessary to move your flowers, if so, they will be placed in a secure area outside St George's Chapel or along Cambridge Drive.

"All messages and cards will be kept safely for the Royal family to read."

And after the stunning scenes were aired on television on Monday, mourners flocked to social media to heap praise on the staff who had created the display - with one even describing the scenes as "majestic".

Flowers made 'majestic' displays on the Windsor Castle grounds (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

One person wrote on Twitter : "The gardeners at Windsor Castle should be commended for their arrangement of the flowers left by the public where, to the untrained eye, they appear to be a sea of English wildflowers. Very fitting for the funeral of Her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, who loved country life!"

While another added: "The use of all the bouquets left by the public at Windsor Castle to create massive, crafted fields of flowers around the cortege is so moving and speaks more of the public's esteem than any words."

And a third praised the whole procession, stating: "The lone piper, the corgis, the flowers lining the path to Windsor, the quiet reverence, the sheer logistics involved. Truly majestic. Thoughts are with all who are grieving their own losses and loved ones today."

"Using the flowers to line the Long Walk was an act of genius," someone else posted, "so beautifully laid out, too."

During the procession of the Queen's coffin to Windsor Castle, her beloved horse Emma, as well as two of her corgis - Sandy and Muick - were spotted waiting for her to arrive ahead of her burial.

Sandy and Muick were the final dogs the Queen owned and had been gifted by the Duke of York last year, despite Her Majesty saying she would adopt no more pets in case she died.

Royal fans were moved by the scenes of Her Majesty's pets waiting patiently for her, with many admitting they found it "heartbreaking" to watch, as one said: "Not me crying at the Queen's corgis watching her pass by one last time."

You can leave your tributes to Queen Elizabeth II here.

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