Queen Elizabeth II will be laid to rest on Monday as Britain says farewell to its longest-serving monarch.
The 96-year-old was surrounded by luxurious items throughout her life, and no expense was spared when it came to her final send-off.
The Queen's coffin is lined with lead, following a royal tradition dating back to the Victorian era when it was necessary to seal bodies for resting above ground.
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Elizabeth I was buried in a wooden lead-lined coffin in 1603.
The lead helps to preserve the body for up to a year by slowing the decomposition process, reports Express.
It makes the coffin airtight, preventing moisture from entering and ensuring that the smell of toxins from the body does not escape and harm the environment.
This is an important step in the process for royals lying in state as people filter through to pay their final respects.
It is also necessary for interment burials, likely for the Queen, who is being laid to rest in the King George VI Memorial Chapel in Windsor Castle,
She will be reunited with her late husband, Prince Philip, who is also buried in a lead-lined coffin.
Matthew Lymn Rose, managing director of A W Lymn, The Family Funeral Service, told i news: "Most people are buried underground.
"If you have a coffin vault or a family chamber in a church then that coffin remains above ground and open to the elements. A sealed coffin is very important."
The casket was made by specialist firm Henry Smith three decades ago.
The same company made Philip's coffin and several celebrities, including Freddie Mercury and Jimi Hendrix but closed for business in 2005.
London firm Leverton and Sons took over responsibility for royal funerals, but several details of the coffin were lost.
Andrew Leverton, who runs the family business, told The Times in 2018: "It is made from English oak, which is very difficult to get hold of.
"Oak coffins are now made from American oak. I don't think we could use English oak for a coffin now. It would be too expensive."
The Birmingham foundry Newman Brothers made the brassware which allows the coffin to hold the Imperial State Crown, orb, and spectre while lying in state.
Eight pallbearers are required to carry the coffin, rather than the usual six, as it weighs around a quarter of a tonne, or between 249-318kg.
This is not uncommon for royal funerals, as Princess Diana's lead-lined coffin is said to have weighed a quarter tonne in 1997.
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