The first image of the new ledger stone at the Queen's final resting place in Windsor Castle has been released by the Royal Family. The stone has been inscribed with the Queen's name alongside her mother, father and husband's name in the King George VI Memorial Chapel in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, where the late monarch was buried.
Following her internment the new black stone slab has been set into the floor, and replaces the old stone that had the names George VI and Elizabeth inscribed in gold lettering. As shown in the picture released by the Royal Family, the stone features in list form 'George VI 1895-1952' and 'Elizabeth 1900-2002' followed by a metal Garter Star, and then 'Elizabeth II 1926-2022' and 'Philip 1921-2021'.
The stone is made of hand-carved Belgian black marble with brass letter inlays, to match the previous ledger stone. It is surrounded by floral tributes and wreaths. People will be able to pay their respects and visit the Queen's burial site at St George’s Chapel from September 29 when Windsor Castle reopens to the public.
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The Queen was laid to rest together with the Duke of Edinburgh on Monday evening in a private service attended by the King and the Royal Family, following the state funeral at Westminster Abbey. When Philip died 17 months ago, his coffin was interred in the Royal Vault of St George’s, ready to be moved to the memorial chapel – a pale stone annexe added on to the north side of the building behind the North Quire Aisle in 1969 – when the Queen died.
The Queen’s sister Princess Margaret, who died in 2002, was cremated and her ashes were initially placed in the Royal Vault, before being moved to the George VI memorial chapel with her parents’ coffins when the Queen Mother died weeks later. The King George VI Memorial Chapel, which sits within the walls of St George’s Chapel, was commissioned by the Queen in 1962 as a burial place for her father King George VI – designed by George Pace and finished in 1969.
The chapel will reopen to visitors next week on all days the castle is open to the public, excluding Sundays when it is only open for worshippers. Entry to the castle is £28.50 for adults on Saturdays and £26.50 on other days, according to the website.
The royal family is continuing its period of mourning for the Queen, to be observed until seven days after the funeral.
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