Ever Wondered? – scroll down

This was provided by Geoff Dykes who is an RN Naval Historian – I am sending you a couple of pictures to help you understand where Prince Philip was temporarily “stored” until moved to his final resting position which will only coincide with the Queen’s death. You may observe that as his coffin enters St Georges it is placed up near to the communion altar rail on a black catafalque although his standard mask’s one from seeing that. His multi-coloured standard represents his Greek, Danish and Scottish connection only by virtue of his appointment as the Duke of Edinburgh – he is as much Scottish as I am a  billionaire. At the appropriate time in the ceremony and with a nod from the Dean conducting the Service, a button is pressed and the catafalque disappears into the bowels of the vault below. Down below a team of men lift the coffin off the catafalque which is then programmed to rise again so that the coffin platform is now level with the floor of the church. They then add the coffin into its allocated storage position and the gates are then locked. Look at the pictures in the attachments. With the exception of the temporary coffin of Phillip, all these many coffins on their appointed shelves behind locked gates are long term final resting places dating from the early 19th centuries from about 1806 onwards of Royals, men, women children and still born’s. There are lots of them all embalmed and almost mummified.  Moreover and much more sinister, down there, long ago walled-in, are the remains of our much older Kings and Queen Consorts and in particular Charles 1st [beheaded by Oliver Cromwell in 1649] and that monster King Henry the 8th.  Their coffins were last opened in 1842 when quite by accident the wall was damaged by workmen giving access. An attempt had been made to make it look as though Charles 1st head was connected to his skeleton but the head was removed and the damage caused by the executioner’s axe was laid bare. Up above in the church proper, there are many tombs of our better Kings and Queens enshrined in a beautiful ornate style.  Also after King George VI died in 1952 they built what is called the George VI Chapel with foundations matching the foundations of the ancient Chapel.  Into the floor of this new Chapel, they built a communal grave and placed the remains of George VI with the Elizabeth the Queen Mother by his side, and later after Princess Margaret was cremated at the local town’s council crematorium, her ashes were added to the grave, so with the obvious exception of the Elizabeth the Queen the family were reunited together.  The grave was covered with an engraved black stone capping flush with the Chapel floor.  Now, when that sad day comes and our darling Queen dies they will build another grave identical to George’s and alongside it into which Elizabeth and Philip [from the vault below] will lay side by side under a similarly engraved caping stone also flush with the Chapel floor which will complete George’s family and ensure that Philip and Elizabeth are together in perpetuity. The second picture shows George VI chapel with altar, flowers etc as it is today, and I have paid my respects there several times over the years. Whether it will remain George VI Chapel after that event or be changed to another name to take account of Elizabeth’s long reign, we will have to wait and see. Hope you find this of some interest in helping to understand what will happen to our [Commonwealth] illustrious Sovereign and how history is made and revered.

Marian, I was negligent in not mentioning access to the George VI Chapel inside and integral to George’s Chapel, the church of Windsor Castle.  There is no physical access into the small chapel just the ability to view the contents through locked iron ornate gates from where my photograph is taken.  The flowers are placed by secular helpers and renewed as required. This is the exception to the norm where all other Kings and Queens rest in their tombs in the nave and other public places so are touchable if one wanted. For us, devout royalists, one thing nags on our minds. In the back of the church by the great West Door and window, there is a stunningly beautiful marble monument which the majority of people view and pass by without knowing what it is. I am told [in response to my letter] that “it is in the guide book” which like most things on the tourist route is very expensive and few visitors buy – there are no signals or indicators anywhere in the church for stand-alone artefact! It is of a lady, who were it not for a common fatality in the 19th century, viz that of death in childbirth for both the mother and the baby would have been our queen and Queen Victoria would have never been known about!  She was Princess Charlotte and if nature had been a little kinder we would all have been Charlotteann’s instead of Victorians. Her father was King George IV and her grandfather King George III.  When George IV died,  his brother William [the 4th] took the throne, being like George IV, a son of George III. William [known as the Sailor King] had no children so his niece, Charlotte would have, been the next monarch, but sadly, at the age of 21, she was taken from us, and both she and her baby are locked away behind grilles in the Royal Vault below. It is a very moving scene and to do it credit I have created a PDF in which you can zoom to see all the detail close up. Note the angels escorting Charlotte’s soul to heaven with the left-hand angel carrying the stillborn child, whilst her lifeless body lies on the bottom, draped with mourners weeping her passing.  My wife and I are culture vultures but this piece and the lack of its general knowledge and understanding has to be profoundly anchored to our hearts.  She died on the 6th November 1817, now 203½ years ago! Marian, many people are thrilled that William and Kate [Duke and Duchess of Cambridgeshire] brought back the name Princess Charlotte for their little girl, which was a nice move after 200 years of the name being absent.