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Daily Record
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Catherine Furze & Nicola Roy

What is the Royal Vault at Windsor and who is buried there as Queen laid to rest

After the Queen's funeral service this morning, the King led his family in a procession to Wellington Arch in London.

The procession, which thousands of people turned out to watch as it passed through the city, will arrive at Windsor Castle before being taken to St George's Chapel for the Queen's committal service.

Around 800 guests are expected to attend this service, and this chapel is also the place where the Queen will be laid to rest.

Her Majesty will be lowered into the Royal Vault, one of the burial chambers that sees monarchs rest in peace, Chronicle Live reports.

What is the Royal Vault?

The Royal Vault is a burial chamber that was built beneath the chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle.

It was built from 1804 - 1810, and although it was popular for royals to be buried there when it was first constructed, a lack of space means that burial there is less frequent.

Before Prince Philip's burial on April 17, 2021, his mother Princess Alice, was interred in the vault in 1969 before her tomb was transferred to Jerusalem in 1988. The first royal placed in the vault was Princess Amelia, the youngest daughter of King George III in 1810.

The most recent burial - before Prince Philip - whose body remains in the Royal Vault is Princess Frederika of Hanover, who was interred in 1926. She was a great-granddaughter of George III, who originally ordered the construction of the vault 122 years earlier.

What other royals have been buried there?

Members of the Armed Forces marched past the Round Tower ahead of the Queen's committal service (Getty Images)

Edward VII, George V and George VI were originally buried in the Royal Vault, but their bodies were moved to tombs in the chapel itself a few years after their deaths.

King George VI’s body was moved into a specially constructed annex of the chapel, the King George VI Memorial Chapel, in 1969, which is where the Queen will be buried along with Prince Philip, who was interred in the Royal Vault following his death in 2021 at the age of 99.

His body will be moved and placed next to his wife of 73 years in the King George VI Chapel.

The tombs of King Henry VIII and Charles I are elsewhere in the church - in the Quire - and Edward IV, Henry VII, and Queen Alexandra are buried in the Quire Aisles.

The Queen Mother was directly interred in the King George VI Chapel in 2002, next to her husband, and although Princess Margaret’s ashes were originally kept in the Royal Vault they were also moved to the chapel a few months later.

Since the 1930s, burial of senior members of the Royal Family in St. George’s Chapel was resumed and junior members were interred in the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore House.

Edward, the Duke of Windsor and Wallis, the Duchess of Windsor are buried together in Frogmore Park. Princess Alice, the Duchess of Gloucester, is also buried there.

As well as George V and George VI some other senior royals, such as Queen Mary, were also transferred to St. George’s Chapel. Other members of the Royal family buried there include George III’s wife, Queen Charlotte, and their daughter Princess Amelia; George IV's daughter Princess Charlotte; and Queen Victoria's father the Duke of Kent.

Queen Victoria was laid to rest alongside Prince Albert in the Royal Mausoleum in Frogmore Gardens.

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