Queen Letizia’s emotional farewell to ‘Aunt Lilibet’: Spanish monarch looks solemn as she attends Queen’s funeral with husband King Felipe VI
- Queen Letizia of Spain, 50, joined her husband King Felipe for the Queen’s funeral at Westminster Abbey
- Spanish royal looked sombre in black mourning dress as she filed into the event this morning in London
- Couple attended reception at Buckingham Palace last night and paid their respects at Westminster Hall
- Thanks to family ties that date back generations, many European royals have a close relationship to the Queen – King Felipe has previously recounted how he would refer to the Queen as ‘Aunt Lilibet’
- The Queen’s funeral: All the latest Royal Family news and coverage
Queen Letizia of Spain looked sombre in traditional black mourning dress as she joined her husband King Felipe VI to bid farewell to the monarch they fondly knew as ‘Aunt Lilibet’
The Spanish royal, 50, and her husband, 54, walked arm-in-arm into Westminster Abbey this morning to join 2,000 British and European royals, world leaders, VIPs and hundreds of members of the public at Abbey for the state funeral.
Letizia and Filipe have been keen to express their grief, yesterday visiting her lying-in-state at Westminster Hall and then attending the ‘reception of the century’ at Buckingham Palace on Sunday evening.
Thanks to family ties that date back generations, many European royals have a close relationship to the Queen, with King Felipe fondly referring to Her late Majesty as ‘Aunt Lilibet’.
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Queen Letizia of Spain, 50, joined her husband King Felipe VI, 54, for the Queen’s funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday
Queen Letizia looked sombre in a black mourning dress as she filed into the event this morning in London with her husband King Felipe VI, who wore full military uniform
The couple pictured inside Westminster Abbey today; they visited the Queen lying in State on Sunday afternoon
Today, Queen Letizia, who worked as a journalist before marrying King Felipe, appeared deeply solemn as the couple arrived for the historic event.
The mother-of-two, who attended the funeral without her two daughters, Leonor and Sofía, wore a black belted dress with a black fascinator and net detailing for the occasion.
King Felipe VI dressed in full military uniform as the couple joined dozens of other senior royals from European and global monarchies.
The Spanish King is related to the Queen on both sides of his family and has often referred to how he would affectionately nickname Britain’s late monarch as ‘Aunt Lilibet’.
His mother, Queen Sofia, was a third cousin of the Queen and a first cousin once removed of the Duke of Edinburgh.
Felipe’s father, Juan Carlos, is a descendant of Queen Victoria. His grandmother, Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, was the daughter of Queen Victoria’s youngest daughter, Princess Beatrice.
Juan Carlos, 83, who abdicated in 2014 in favour of his son Felipe VI, 53, has been living in Abu Dhabi since summer 2020 after becoming the target of several probes in Spain over his financial dealings.
Thanks to family ties that date back generations, many European royals have a close relationship to the QueenKing Felipe has previously recounted how he would refer to the Queen as ‘Aunt Lilibet’
The Spanish royals walked into Westminster Abbey behind Queen Rania and King Abdullah II of Jordan
King Felipe VI, who was related to the Queen, looked solemn as he prepared to bid a final farewell
The Spanish royals, who were attending without their daughters Leonor and Sofía, make their way through the Abbey
Carrying two orders of service and with one hand touching his red military belt, King Felipe VI walks alongside his wife Letizia
In a letter to King Charles posted on the Casa Real Twitter account following her death, King Felipe said he would ‘dearly’ miss his aunt.
He wrote: ‘Your Majesty, dearest Charles. Deeply saddened by the sorrowful news of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, your beloved mother.
‘I would like to offer Your Majesty and the British people, on my behalf and on the behalf of the Spanish government and people, our most heartfelt condolences.’
He continued: ‘Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth has undoubtedly witnessed, written and shaped many of the most relevant chapters in the history of our world during the last seven decades.
‘Her sense of duty, commitment and a whole life devoted to serving the people of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland set an example for all of us and will remain as a solid and valuable legacy for future generations.
The couple joined royals from across the globe, pictured here with Queen Mathilde and King Philippe of Belgium
European royals unite: Netherland’s Queen Beatrix, front left, walks with Netherland’s King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, Sweden’s King Carl Gustaf XVI and Queen Silvia and Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia at Westminster Abbey
‘Queen Letizia and I send Your Majesty and the whole family our love and prayers.
‘You are all in our hearts and thoughts. We will miss her dearly.’
On Sunday evening, King Felipe and Queen Letizia were spotted waving to well-wishers as they left the Spanish Embassy for Westminster Hall.
The king looked sombre in a black suit and tie as he and his stylish wife left the embassy for the Palace of Westminster.
The couple crossed themselves and bowed their heads as they filed past Her Majesty’s coffins. Visiting dignitaries have access to a VIP entrance and platform that means they can avoid the queue snaking through central London.
Today, the UK’s most important church, packed with 2,000 VIPs including prime ministers, presidents and the Queen’s family, was serene aside from the sound of hymns and prayers in a funeral service Her Majesty has curated herself before she died.
On an highly emotional occasion for Britain and the world, the Queen was carried in her oak coffin to the gun carriage used by her parents and was followed through Parliament Square by her son, the King, and her relatives including the Prince of Wales and Duke of Sussex. Andrew, the Duke of York, appeared to be crying.
Yesterday, Queen Letizia and her husband visited the Queen lying-in-state at Westminster Hall before attending the ‘reception of the century’ at Buckingham Palace, held by King Charles and the Queen Consort
The State Gun Carriage carrying the Queen’s coffin began its funeral procession from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey at around 10.45am, arriving just before 11am.
A single toll from Big Ben signalled the start of the service at Westminster Abbey, where kings and queens have been crowned and buried since 1066. Her Majesty will be laid to rest at Windsor next to her beloved husband Prince Philip and her parents, George VI and the Queen Mother.
Despite the huge crowds, there was absolute silence as around 200 pipers and drummers of Scottish and Irish Regiments, the Brigade of Gurkhas and RAF played as the procession went through Parliament Square. The Queen’s own piper played a lament that echoed through the heart of London.
Walking behind the carriage were the King and his siblings, followed by the Prince of Wales, Duke of Sussex and Peter Phillips. The State Gun Carriage has also been previously used for the funerals of King Edward VII, King George V, King George VI, Winston Churchill, and Lord Mountbatten.
Revealed: How the monarchies of Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Luxembourg are related to the Queen. All the major royal houses of Europe will be represented at the Queen’s funeral at Westminster Abbey today
There was complete silence from the crowd close to Parliament Square, as the State Gun Carriage carrying the Queen’s coffin slowly moved past. The crowd, momentarily still and with phones held aloft to capture the moment, was around 10-people thick in places, as tens of thousands thronged the streets to say goodbye to the monarch and witness a moment of history.
Following the funeral, the Queen’s coffin travelled from the Abbey via Broad Sanctuary, Parliament Square (south and east sides), Parliament Street, Whitehall, Horse Guards including Horse Guards Arch, Horse Guards Road, The Mall, Queen’s Gardens (south and west sides), Constitution Hill and Apsley Way.
At Wellington Arch, the Queen’s coffin was transferred from the State Gun Carriage to the State Hearse just after 1pm, ahead of the journey to Windsor.
Just before 4pm, the procession will halt at the bottom of the West Steps of St George’s Chapel in Horseshoe Cloister. Here, the bearer party will carry the coffin in procession up the steps into the chapel.
The Queen will be interred during a private burial at King George VI Memorial Chapel in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle at 7.30pm.
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