The Solemn Funeral of the King
The death of King Edward was an event of more than British importance,
of more than Imperial significance. His funeral was a stately, solemn
and splendid ceremony preceded by two weeks of real mourning throughout
his Empire, of obvious and sincere regret throughout the world. In
London and Cape Town, in Melbourne and Toronto, in Wellington and Dawson
City, in Ottawa and Khartoum, in Calcutta and in Cairo; wherever the
British flag flies, efforts were made to mark the funeral as one of
individual and local and national sorrow. All the great cities of the
Empire, the smaller towns, and even the hamlets, had their drapings of
purple and black. In every church and chapel and Sunday meeting-house
during the two weeks of mourning at least one service was given up to
the memory of the late King. In all foreign countries preparations were
made for the formal expression of the general admiration which the
qualities and reign of the dead monarch had aroused. Formal resolutions,
public meetings, the appointment of national representatives to the
coming funeral were world-wide incidents.
At home in London the casket to contain the Royal remains was fashioned
of British oak from the Forest of Windsor and on May 14th, the body of
King Edward was removed from the room in which he died to the Throne
Room of Buckingham Palace, and there placed on a catafalque in front of
a temporary altar where it was guarded night and day by four Royal
Grenadiers. On May 16th, amidst a solemn and imposing but preliminary
pageant the late King was carried from the Palace where he died to
Westminster Hall, where the remains were to lie in solemn state. A
farewell family service had been held by the Bishop of London and then
the body at 11.30 in the morning was transported to its new
resting-place between double lines of red-coated soldiers, flanked by
dense and silent masses of mourning people, with buildings on every hand
heavily draped.
Preceded by the booming of minute guns, the slow pealing of bells and
the roll of muffled drums the procession passed to its destination. It
included the Headquarters Staff of the Army with Lord Roberts leading,
the Admiralty Board, the great officers of Army and Navy, dismounted
troops, Indian officers. These preceded the plain gun-carriage on which
rested the Royal remains, the coffin covered with a white satin pall and
the Royal Standard, on which rested the Crown, the Orb and the Sceptre.
Drawn by eight magnificent black horses and flanked by the King's
Company of the Royal Grenadiers the bier was followed by King George on
foot with his two eldest sons and behind them were the Kings of Denmark
and Norway, the Duke of Connaught, various visiting royalties, or
representatives, and the household of the late King. A mounted escort
succeeded and then came a carriage containing the Queen-Mother, her
sister the Dowager Empress of Russia, the Princess Royal and Princess
Victoria, another with Queen Mary, and others with the Queen of Norway
and various members of the royal family. Last of all came a body of
mounted troops. All along the route, which was scarcely half a mile in
length, the attitude of the uncounted multitude was one of deep personal
grief. No word was spoken and after heads had been uncovered, the masses
of people were described as looking like an assembly of graven images.
At the noble Hall, famous in British history for more than 800 years,
the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Duke of Norfolk received the coffin
and preceded it to the catafalque. No attempt at funeral decoration
marred the noble simplicity of the grand interior. The spacious floor
was laid with dull grey felt. In the centre, on a slightly elevated dais
spread with a purple carpet stood the lofty purple draped catafalque. No
flowing draperies softened its outlines and it appeared like smoothly
chiselled blocks of purple granite.
[Illustration: Above--The west front of Buckingham Palace, showing the
windows of the room in which King Edward died. (Nos. 1 and 2, King
Edward's bedroom; No. 3, Queen Alexandra's bedroom.)]
[Illustration: Below--The Private Chapel of Buckingham Palace, where the
family service was held on the Sunday following King Edward's death.]
[Illustration: Photo by Paul Thompson. N. Y. Monarchs in the funeral
procession of King Edward. King George, the German Emperor and the Duke
of Connaught are seen in the center of the photograph.]
[Illustration: The funeral procession of King Edward passing the Marble
Arch. The gun carriage bearing his body is seen in the foreground,
followed by the late King's horse with empty saddle.
Photo by Paul Thompson, N. Y.]
[Illustration: King Edward's funeral procession moving into Edgeware
Road, flanked by thousands of military and tens of thousands of
mourning citizens.
Photo by Paul Thompson. N. Y.]
Slowly and quietly a great company assembled and then the Westminster
Abbey choir of men and boys clad in white surplices and scarlet
cassocks, took its position. On the left, preceded by the mace-bearer
with his glittering mace, came the Speaker of the House of Commons in
his flowing robes of black and gold, followed by 400 members of the same
House led by the Prime Minister. All the members of the Cabinet were
there while Radical, Labour and Unionist members mingled behind the low
purple barrier. A little later the Lord Chancellor, wearing his
full-bottomed wig and black and gold gown and preceded by the
mace-bearer, led the Peers down the staircase in front of the choir to
an enclosure on the right side of the catafalque. On bars immediately
opposite each other rested the masses of the House of Commons and the
House of Lords. Behind each there was arranged a nearly equal number of
Commoners and Peers. Between them stood the catafalque. Presently, amid
a deep hush, great military and naval officers led the procession into
the hall. Proceeded by the Garter King-at-Arms, and Heralds they marched
slowly and ranged themselves in a glittering array over the steps below
the choir while the coffin was borne in by soldiers. Behind it was
carried by other soldiers the covering of the coffin on which rested the
crown, sceptre and orb. Very gently the heavy coffin was raised to the
catafalque and the glittering emblems of royalty replaced on its top.
Then, leaning on either side of the catafalque, and resting on the
ground, were placed two plain wreaths of cypress. Behind the coffin
followed the Queen Alexandra, King George and the Dowager Empress Marie
of Russia, each holding one of her arms. The purple carpeted dais was
occupied by the dead King's family and royal visitors. A short service
followed and the first part of the royal funeral was over while from the
heart and pen of the great poet of the Empire--Rudyard Kipling--came
verses addressed to and representing the people of which a few lines may
be quoted:
And God poured him an exquisite wine, that was daily renewed to him
In the clear welling love of his peoples, that daily accrued to him.
Honour and service we gave him, rejoicingly, fearless;
Faith absolute, trust beyond speech, and a friendship as peerless.
And since he was master and servant in all that we asked him
We leaned hard on his wisdom in all things, knowing not how we
tasked him.
For on him each new day laid command, every tyrannous hour
To confront, or confirm or make smooth some dread issue of power.
To deliver true judgment aright at the instant unaided
In the strict, level, ultimate phrase that allowed or dissuaded;
To foresee, to allay, to avert from us perils unnumbered;
To stand guard at our gates when he guessed that our watchman had
slumbered;
To win time, to turn hate, to woo folly to service, and mightily
schooling
His strength to the use of his nations; to rule as not ruling.
These were the works of our King; earth's peace is the proof of
them.
God gave him great works to fulfil and to use the behoof of them.
Following these events Westminster Hall for two days was thrown open to
the public and a continuous procession of half a million mourners passed
the coffin and looked for the last time upon the face of their
well-loved Sovereign. Into Windsor, meanwhile, there poured innumerable
evidences of the peoples' sympathy from the costliest tribute of wealth
and aristocracy to the thousands of simple green wreaths sent in by the
poorer classes. To Westminster Hall, on May 19th, the Emperor William of
Germany, soon after his arrival, proceeded with King George, stood for a
while in the private enclosure as the countless stream of people passed
slowly by, then descended to the floor of the Hall--the Kaiser carrying
a wreath of purple and white flowers--and together knelt within the
rails while the stream of passers-by was temporarily suspended. When the
two monarchs arose the Emperor William held out his hand which King
George clasped and held for some moments.
By May 20th the preparations were all in readiness for the final
functions and splendid ceremonial. The streets were draped from
Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, and thence to Paddington Station,
in great masses of purple and white and black; Venetian masts lined the
route on which hung masses of funeral wreaths from the people;
half-masted flags were everywhere. The town of Windsor was almost buried
from sight in the purple trappings of grief and royalty. On the day
itself solemn, silent multitudes of men and women, estimated at from
three to five millions, were massed along the route of the procession
with 35,000 soldiers lining the streets and a parade which even London
had never equalled for mingled splendour and solemnity. At 9:10 a. m.,
the deep-toned bell of Westminster announced the beginning of the royal
obsequies. King George, Queen Mary, the Queen Mother, the royal family
and the visiting monarchs and representatives of the powers and the
Empire, left Buckingham Palace and proceeded with a small escort to
Westminster Hall amidst the tolling of bells and the firing of minute
guns. Only Queen Alexandra, the Princess Victoria, the King and the
Emperor William entered the Hall and saw the body removed from the
catafalque to the gun-carriage outside where it rested under conditions
similar to those of the earlier removal from Buckingham Palace. Outside,
the Queen Mother entered her coach and, as the body-guard of Kings
wheeled around and passed her carriage, three by three, each saluted her
with silent reverence.
The procession left Westminster at 9.30 headed by a long column of
troops and bluejackets and the greater officers of the Army and Navy.
Bands of the Household cavalry, the new Territorial troops, Colonial
soldiers, were first and then came various volunteer corps, the
Honourable Artillery Company, officers of the Indian regiments in their
picturesque uniforms and turbans, followed by detachments of infantry,
Foot Guards, Royal Engineers, Garrison, Field and Horse Artillery. Naval
representatives came next with the military attaches of the foreign
embassies, the officers of the Headquarters Staff of the Army and the
Field Marshals and massed bands playing solemn funeral marches. Then
followed the chief officers of State, followed by the Duke of Norfolk
and succeeded by a single soldier carrying the Royal Standard; the
gun-carriage carrying the mortal remains of the King came next and just
behind it walked a groom leading his favourite charger and another with
his favourite dog "Caesar"; King George followed, riding between the
German Emperor and the Duke of Connaught, all clad in brilliant uniforms
with a long and unique line of nine Monarchs, Princes of great States
and special Ambassadors and Imperial representatives. They rode in the
following order:
The Duke of Connaught, King George and the Emperor William.
King Haakon of Norway, King George of Greece, and King Alfonso of Spain.
King Ferdinand of Bulgaria, King Frederick of Denmark and King Manuel of
Portugal.
Prince Yussof Zvyeden, the Heir Apparent of Turkey, King Albert of
Belgium and Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to the throne of
Austro-Hungary.
Prince Sadanaru Fushimi of Japan, Grand Duke Michael of Russia, the Duke
of Aosta, representing Italy, the Duke of Sparta, Crown Prince of
Greece, and the Crown Prince Ferdinand of Roumania.
Prince Henry of Prussia representing the German Navy, Prince Charles of
Sweden, Prince Henry of Holland, the Duke of Saxe-Cobourg-Gotha, the
Crown Prince of Montenegro and Crown Prince Alexander of Servia.
Prince Mohammed Ali, Said Pasha Zulfikar, Watsen Pasha of Egypt and the
Sultan of Zanzibar. Then followed the Princely and Ducal representatives
of a dozen German States, the members of the British Royal family, the
Duc D'Alencon, and Prince Bovaradej of Siam.
The mounted group was followed by twelve State carriages. The first was
occupied by the Queen-Mother, Alexandra, and her sister the Russian
Dowager Empress Marie, the Princess Royal and the Princess Victoria; the
second carriage contained Queen Mary of Great Britain, Queen Maud of
Norway, the Duke of Cornwall, heir to the British Throne, and the
Princess Mary; the next four carriages carried Royal ladies and
ladies-in-waiting; the seventh carriage contained Prince Tsai-Tao of
China and his suite; the eighth carriage was shared by Special American
Ambassador Theodore Roosevelt, M. Pichon, French Foreign Minister, and
the representative of Persia; the ninth carriage was occupied by Lord
Strathcona, High Commissioner for Canada, Sir George Reid, High
Commissioner for Australia and William Hall-Jones, High Commissioner for
New Zealand.
The train to Windsor contained a funeral car upholstered in purple and
white silk with a catafalque on which the casket was placed and around
it were grouped the near members of the Royal Family and eight
Sovereigns of Foreign States. From Windsor station to the Castle the
procession formed in the previous order except that the Royal mourners
walked while sailors drew the gun-carriage to the famous home of
Britain's monarchs and to the entrance of the historic St. George's
Chapel. Here, where King Edward was christened and married and shared in
so many stately functions, the final religious ceremonies were performed
by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York. While the coffin rested on a
purple catafalque before the altar, which was almost buried in floral
emblems, and minute guns boomed and bells tolled, the briefest service
of the Church of England--at Queen Alexandra's request--was proceeded
with and the body slowly, reverently, lowered into the vault. A prayer
was then uttered for the new King and the Benediction pronounced by the
Archbishop of Canterbury.
What can be said of the day elsewhere? A full record would fill many
volumes. In Canada, in Australia, in South Africa, in New Zealand, in
Newfoundland, in all British countries and territories, there was a
great similarity of solemn and popular demonstration. Everywhere
factories and financial institutions and commercial establishments
closed their doors. Wherever that was impossible in Canadian factories
work was stopped at a certain stage in the funeral ceremonies and every
man stood in silence, with bared head for the time arranged; on all the
great railways of Canada at the moment when the King's body was lowered
into his grave, and for three minutes, everything stopped, every kind of
work ceased, every one of at least 40,000 men stood in reverent silence.
Military parades took place with muffled drums and passage through long
lanes of silent people, in Montreal, Toronto, Hamilton, Chatham, London,
St. Catharines, Kingston, Woodstock, Ottawa, St. Thomas, Winnipeg and
Victoria, and other places. Memorial services were everywhere held; in
Ottawa, Vice-Royalty and the Ministers took part in a great open-air
ceremony in front of the Parliament Buildings, with troops and massed
bands and superb drapings, to still further emphasize the solemnity of
the occasion. Toronto had 100,000 people attend a similar service under
the auspices of the Government in front of its Parliament Buildings and
so with other centres. It may be added here that besides Lord
Strathcona, Canada had as representatives at the funeral ceremonies Hon.
A. B. Aylesworth, Minister of Justice; Sir Charles Fitzpatrick, Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court; Hon. C. Marcil, Speaker of the House of
Commons; Hon. S. A. Fisher, Minister of Agriculture; Sir D. M. McMillan,
Lieut.-Governor of Manitoba; Mayors Geary of Toronto, Sanford Evans of
Winnipeg, and Guerin of Montreal.
In other parts of the Empire similar scenes occurred. Throughout South
Africa the most solemn memorial services were held and attended by vast
congregations. There were scenes of heartfelt sorrow and hundreds of
magnificent wreaths were deposited on the statue of the King at Cape
Town. Funeral services were held throughout India, the Hindus joining in
the services in a remarkable manner. All military trains were halted for
fifteen minutes. In Australia the Governor-General and all the Ministers
assembled on the great tier of steps at the Parliament Buildings,
Melbourne, in the presence of perhaps the most solemn assembly ever
gathered together in that country. For a long space there was a reverent
silence and the crowd then sang the National Anthem. The day was
observed as a day of mourning in Sydney, bells were tolled from noon to
sunset, and salutes of sixty-eight minute guns fired in the afternoon.
A hundred thousand persons attended the memorial service in Centennial
Park at Wellington, New Zealand. Services were general throughout that
Dominion while every outpost of the Empire flew the Union Jack at
half-mast and paid a tribute to the dead Sovereign's memory.
Thus there passed away and was buried a great King, a man of
whole-souled, genial and honourable type, a character rich in graces
granted to few in this world, a ruler who combined intellect with heart
and knowledge with discrimination, a Briton who could love and believe
in the greatness of his own country and Empire without antagonizing the
legitimate pride and aspirations of other nations, a diplomatist made by
nature's own hand to soothe international acerbities and embody the
ideal of peace in an age of preparation for war.
[Illustration: Funeral procession of King Edward VII from Buckingham
Palace to Westminster Hall for the public lying-in-state. King George,
Prince Edward and Prince Albert are seen following immediately behind
the gun carriage.
Photo by Paul Thompson, N. Y.]
[Illustration: Bearing the Coffin of King Edward into St. George's
Chapel, Westminster. The Dowager Queen Alexandra and other royal
mourners following the body.
Photo by Paul Thompson, New York.]
[Illustration: The lying-in-state of King Edward VII at Westminster
Hall.
Photo by Paul Thompson, N. Y.]
[Illustration: The gun carriage bearing King Edward's body drawn by
sailors from Windsor Station.
Photo by Paul Thompson, N. Y.]