Queen Elizabeth “died in her favourite place and was laid to rest in her favourite place”.
Britain’s longest-serving monarch passed away at her Balmoral estate in Scotland on September 8, aged 96, and Samantha Cohen – the queen’s former assistant private secretary – has explained that the monarch was also buried in one of her favourite places.
Cohen – who attended the committal service in Windsor on Monday – told PEOPLE: “She died in her favourite place and was laid to rest in her favourite place alongside her husband and other members of her family.”
Cohen found the service to be a very moving experience.
She shared: “It was very intimate as all the Queen’s personal staff and her households were there. It signalled the transition to the king as we ended with ‘God Save the King’.
“There was a lot of camaraderie – it was like a big reunion for all those who’d worked for her for years but had left.
“She was bringing together those who’d worked for her for years like her private secretaries and other staff and she was bringing them all together these last days.
“She included everyone who’d worked with her. It was very inclusive and wasn’t hierarchical with her personal staff sitting right on the front.”
The monarch was buried in The King George VI Memorial Chapel at Windsor Castle.
The private service was held on Monday evening, with the queen being laid to rest with her husband Prince Philip, who died in April 2021, aged 99.
A statement on the royal family’s website read: “The Queen was buried together with the Duke of Edinburgh, at The King George VI Memorial Chapel.”