Queen Elizabeth II: A lifetime of ceremonies in pictures
The Queen’s role as head of state encompassed countless grand official functions
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Your support makes all the difference.A royal life is occupied by the more elegant matters of state: The parades, the ceremonies, the openings.
Queen Elizabeth II ruled for longer than any monarch before her and attended hundreds of official functions a year including investiture ceremonies, royal dinners and the state opening of parliament.
Her Majesty died on 8 September 2022, aged 96, after 70 years as the dignified face of Britain, known to people the world over from behind the veil of pageantry.
One of the grandest events in the Queen’s life was her own coronation, held at Westminster Abbey in step with 900 years of tradition dating back to William the Conqueror. She was crowned in St Edward’s Chair, which was made in 1300 for Edward I.
The dress worn by the Queen at her coronation has been kept by the Royal Collection Trust and was put on display for visitors in the State Rooms of Buckingham Palace.
She would often dress in outfits designed according to precedents set long before her reign. The robes of the Order of the Garter, which she would wear annually, have changed little since the society’s founding in the 14th century.
At the state opening of parliament, where she would read a speech outlining her government’s plan for the year ahead, the Queen would typically wear an 18ft crimson robe which was carried behind her as she walked.
The Queen’s ceremonial duties were supported by the other members of the royal family, who between them attended more than 2,000 events a year.
Scroll through the images below to see the Queen at her most regal.
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