The Queen’s deeply-held Christian faith was front and centre at a thanksgiving service for her reign at the High Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland, where her coffin will rest until Tuesday.
In accordance with English law, the Queen was Supreme Governor of the Chuch of England, and Anglican denomination, but she was also bound by oath, like her successor, King Charles III, to preserve “the Government, Worship, Discipline, Rights and Privileges of the Church of Scotland”, which is Presbyterian.
She attended services at Crathie Kirk, a small Church of Scotland chapel near her Balmoral estate in the Highlands, and it was reputedly her favourite place to worship.
The Crown of Scotland sits atop the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II (Photo Jane Barlow – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
The Queen was conveyed from the Palace of Holyroodhouse partway up the Royal Mile, which runs from the palace to the royal fortress of Edinburgh Castle, to St Giles’ Cathedral, the High Kirk of the Church of Scotland, accompanied by the King and her other children and bodyguards including the Royal Company of Archers.
King Charles III and members of the royal family join the procession of Queen Elizabeth’s coffin from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles’ Cathedral on September 12th, 2022 in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Peter Byrne-WPA Pool/Getty Images)
On arrival at the High Kirk, the Queen’s coffin was greeted by a blast of trumpets, followed by singing from the cathedral’s choir and organ music.
Minister Rev Calum MacLeod lead the service, running briefly through the High Kirk’s long royal history, and observing that the late Queen’s own “love for Scotland was legendary.”
“Let us worship God,” he declared, inviting the congregation to sing before reading from the Holy Scripture: “Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. The eternal God is our refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble.”
Many readings and hymns, offered by figures including the left-separatist First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, followed over the course of the service, which would likely have been pleasing to the Queen, once described by Pope Benedict XVI as “an inspiring example of dedication to duty and a commitment to maintaining the principles of freedom, justice and democracy, in keeping with a noble vision of the role of a Christian monarch.”
Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence (Back, C), Britain’s King Charles III (Front, L), Britain’s Princess Anne, Princess Royal, Britain’s Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Britain’s Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex stand as the hearse carrying the coffin of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II arrives at St. Giles’ Cathedral after the procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse on September 12th, 2022 in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Russell Cheyne – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
The Roman Catholic Church was also represented at the service, with the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, Leo Cushley, reading from Romans.
“I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose,” part of St Paul’s epistle read.
“I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
(L-R) Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Edward, Earl of Wessex, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, King Charles III, Camilla, Queen Consort, Princess Anne, Princess Royal, and Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence stand in a row as they attend a Service of Prayer and Reflection for the Life of Queen Elizabeth II at St Giles’ Cathedral, on September 12th, 2022 in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo Jane Barlow – WPA Pool/Getty Images)