Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/end-of-an-era-the-funeral-of-britains-queen-mother-elizabeth Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript Independent Television News reporter Bill Neely covers the funeral of Britain's Queen Mother Elizabeth, which took place in London on April 9th. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. RAY SUAREZ: Finally tonight, Britain's farewell to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, who died last week at the age of 101. Her funeral was held today in Westminster Abbey in London. We have a report from Bill Neely of Independent Television News. BILL NEELY: The masked pipes and drums of 13 regiments played a Scottish air; the final military farewell to the Queen Mother had begun. Behind her coffin, the man of her family. It was a short and difficult walk watched by tens of thousands, ending at the Abbey's great west door — the bell tolling every minute the bell tolling every minute– 101 times, once for every year of her life. A family salute as inside the Queen waited, deeply moved she'd said, by all the tributes.At exactly half past 11:00, the coffin paused and a two minute silence began across the nation. Then the Queen Mother made her last public entrance. 69 years ago, on an April morning, she had walked up this aisle on her wedding day. Today, the order of service she chose began with the words, "You can shed tears that she is gone or you can smile because she has lived."DR. WESLEY CARR, Dean of Westminster Abbey: In gratitude we bid farewell to a greatly loved queen, for her grace, humanity and sympathy, for her courage in adversity, for the happiness she brought to so many. BILL NEELY: Her favorite hymns were sung. Inside and out, they sang and wept as they remembered what had made her special.DR. GEORGE CAREY, Archbishop of Canterbury: Strength. Dignity and, yes, laughter. We come here to mourn but also to give thanks, to celebrate the person and her life, both filled with such a rich sense of fun and joy and the music of laughter. (trumpet fanfare) BILL NEELY: The last post sounded for the last Empress of India, her daughter following the coffin out past the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where the Queen Mother had left her wedding bouquet. Flanked by his sons, Charles left, ten days of official mourning now over, but the sorrow lingered. As she took her leave of Westminster and received the final salute of her family. The lament of the pipers fell silent, the cortege moved off and the bells rang out. RAY SUAREZ: The Queen Mother was buried next to her husband King George VI in a small chapel at Windsor Chapel 23 miles west of London.