Queen Elizabeth II's coffin lowered into royal vault ahead of private burial service

London: Queen Elizabeth II's coffin has been lowered into the royal vault at St George's Chapel, in Windsor Castle, at the conclusion of her committal service. The Lord Chamberlain, the most senior official in the British royal household, broke a rod known as the "wand of office" as the royal family and hundreds of mourners bid a final farewell to the late monarch.

Andrew Parker, who is the former head of Britain's domestic secret service MI5, broke the white rod and placed it on the queen's coffin. The ritual symbolises the end of his service to the monarch.

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Earlier David Conner, the Dean of Windsor, paid tribute to the queen, telling 800 mourners gathered at the chapel about the queen as "someone whose uncomplicated yet profound Christian faith bore so much fruit."

He said: "In the midst of our rapidly changing and frequently troubled world, her calm and dignified presence has given us confidence to face the future, as she did, with courage and with hope."