Dutch Royals in front row at Queen Elizabeth's funeral

King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima, and Princess Beatrix had a prominent place in Westminster Abbey for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral. The Dutch royal couple and Princess Beatrix were in the front row, right next to Queen Elizabeth’s coffin. The British Queen died on September 8 at the age of 96, after seven decades as the Queen.

The Dutch royals traveled to London on Sunday for the British Queen’s funeral. Next to them sat the Swedish Queen Silvia and King Carl Gustaf and the Danish Queen Margrethe and Crown Prince Frederik. The Belgian King Philippe and Queen Mathilde and the Spanish King Felipe and Queen Letizia were also present.

After the funeral, Queen Elizabeth’s coffin was taken by a procession from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch. The service ended with the singing of the British national anthem. King Charles, Prince William, and Prince Harry were joined by Prince Edward, Prince Andrew, and Princess Anne walking behind the coffin. From Wellington Arch, the coffin will be taken by hearse to Windsor Castle. Queen Consort Camilla, Princess Catherine, Meghan, and Sophie were to make the journey by car.

During the procession, the bells on Big Ben rang, and gun salutes were fired in Hyde Park. Along the route. Along the route, people gathered to catch a glimpse of the coffin. However, those locations were packed with people, and new spectators were asked to instead gather in Hyde Park to watch on video screens.

A funeral service was scheduled to be held in Saint George's Chapel at approximately 4 p.m. (local time). The Queen will be interred Monday evening in the vault at Saint George's Chapel next to Prince Philip, who died last year.

The flowers on Queen Elizabeth's coffin were personally chosen by her son, King Charles. Between the flower arrangement is a personal note from the new king, which reportedly read, “In loving and devoted memory. Charles R.”

The flowers are from the gardens of Buckingham Palace, Clarence House, and Highgrove House. The piece also contains rosemary and myrtle. Rosemary stands for memory and myrtle for a happy marriage, a reference to Elizabeth's husband Philip, to whom she was married for over seventy years. The myrtle grew from a cutting from the queen's bridal bouquet. The flower arrangement also includes roses, dahlias, and geraniums.

On Monday morning, Noordeinde Palace in The Hague also memorialized the death of Queen Elizabeth. A black ribbon flew above the Dutch royal flag at King Willem-Alexander’s workplace.