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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Jennifer Newton

Sarah Ferguson arrives at state funeral for former mother-in-law the Queen

Sarah Ferguson has arrived to pay her respects at the Queen's state funeral in Westminster Abbey.

The Duchess of York, a former daughter-in-law of the Queen, the ex-wife of Prince Andrew and the mother of Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, looked sombre and dressed in black.

She is among the 2,000 guests that are inside the Abbey for today's final send-off for Her Majesty, which is taking place at both the Abbey and later in Windsor.

When the news of the Queen's death broke, Sarah paid a touching tribute to her saying she was the "most incredible mother-in-law and friend".

In an earlier tribute on Instagram she wrote: "I am heartbroken by the passing of Her Majesty the Queen. She leaves behind an extraordinary legacy: the most fantastic example of duty and service and steadfastness, and a constant steadying presence as our head of state for more than 70 years.

Sarah, Duchess of York, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Princess Beatrice arrive for the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey (Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Sarah has paid tribute to the Queen since her death, calling her the 'most incredible mother-in-law and friend' (PA)

She added: "She has given her whole life selflessly to the people of the UK and the Commonwealth.

"To me, she was the most incredible mother-in-law and friend. I will always be grateful to her for the generosity she showed me in remaining close to me even after my divorce. I will miss her more than words can express."

A sombre-looking Sarah, Duchess of York arrives at Westminster Abbey (Hannah McKay/PA Wire)

Fergie's former husband Andrew joined his brothers King Charles and Prince Edward and sister Princess Anne - as well as the Prince of Wales and Duke of Sussex - walking behind the Queen's coffin as it was brought on a gun carriage from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey.

A team of nearly 100 Royal Navy sailors carried Her Majesty's coffin for the service, which will last around one hour.

Once the funeral has finished, the King and members of the royal family will walk behind the Queen’s coffin to Wellington Arch before it is driven to Windsor in the state hearse.

On arriving in Windsor, there will be a committal service attended by around 800 people including personal staff who work, or who have worked, on the private estates.

The majority of those attending this service, which will be conducted by the Dean of Windsor, will not have attended the earlier service at Westminster Abbey.

Before the final hymn, the Imperial State Crown, the orb and the sceptre will be removed from the coffin by the Crown Jeweller and, with the Bargemaster and Serjeants-at-Arms, will be passed to the dean who will place them on the altar.

Sarah Ferguson with the Queen at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 1988 (Richard Young/REX/Shutterstock)

At the end of the final hymn, the King will place The Queen's Company Camp Colour of the Grenadier Guards on the coffin.

At the same time, the Lord Chamberlain will “break” his Wand of Office and place it on the coffin.

As the coffin is lowered into the Royal Vault, the Dean of Windsor will say a psalm and the commendation before the Garter King of Arms will pronounce the styles and titles of the Queen

At 7.30pm the Queen will be buried in King George VI's chapel.

The chapel is also the resting place of the Queen's father, King George VI, the Queen's mother and sister, Princess Margaret.

She will be laid to rest alongside Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, who will be moved from the Royal Vault to join her.

You can now buy Friday's historic Daily Mirror commemorating the death of the Queen here: mirror.co.uk/commemorative.

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