Royal Death

[Mandy]

Royal Death​

by BeatrixFan​

Kings and Queens, Pharaohs and Popes - they die just like everyone else, but their passing is marked by rituals, traditions, and memorials that are unmistakably royal. This article looks at some of the traditions and rituals associated with royal deaths.


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[sirhon11234]

Very interesting article...

The Duchessof Kent's mausoleum is not open to the public right?

 

[BeatrixFan]

It is for one day each year; St George's Day. The visiting is usually only for a few hours.

 

[Nazma FOURRE]

Why has the world been depreived from the sight of Diana's face during her burial ceremony? She has been our princess and the princess of the world and strange that we did not have the glimpse of her face for the last time.We have the right to ask, haven't we? It was a royal death and we should have had the priviledge to see our beloved princess for the last time.Following up information, she was gorgeous wearing a long sleeve dress and a flower in her hand.We should have seen her.
Nazma FOURRE

 

[Odette]

Why has the world been deprived from the sight of Diana's face before her burial Nazma FOURRE

It was a closed casket. What possible satisfaction could anyone take from seeing a young woman who suffered injuries, laying in a casket?
I do not think anyone was 'deprived" It was funeral that was televised throughout the world. What more did you expect to see?

 

[sirhon11234]

It should have been a closed casket for Grace as well. I will never forget the image of that beautiful woman lying in a casket.

 

[Odette]

It should have been a closed casket for Grace as well. I will never forget the image of that beautiful woman lying in a casket.

It was awful. I did a double take since I could not believe what I was seeing.........I am all for closed caskets........

 

[sirhon11234]

It just didn't look like her it was disturbing for me.

 

[Odette]

I believe she had a wig on. I saw the photos in magazines and newspapers. I agree it was disturbing. Besides we heard she was in an accident and broke a leg and a few houres later they announced she was dead. It was a sad shock.

 

[sirhon11234]

Was Grace's funeral just like Diana's with the thousands of mourners and televised around the world?

 

[Odette]

I saw it on TV here in the US. Other posters around the world can help out here. I will never forget their faces, Pr Rainier, Caroline and Albert. Such sadness.

 

[Laurentienne]

I think it is ok that Princess Diana was in a closed casket. I want to remember her the way I saw her in the media.

I'm not too much into open caskets. I just don't like it. But that is just my opinion. I respect that other people think otherwise.

I mean.....I've seen quite a few people dead, and that does not bother me beside the fact that it is extremely sad when someone is dead. But I still prefer to se a closed casket in a funeral. But I respect it and I go even if the funeral is and the casket is open.

 

[TheTruth]

Why has the world been depreived from the sight of Diana's face during her burial ceremony?

I don't get it. Why would it be so important? It's just a body. Her soul was already long gone. She could have been incinerated as well.

I don't like the sight of dead people. I remember seeing the Pope Jean Paul II, lying on a table while many mourners were passing by. I had found it shocking.
I'll always remember JFK's and Marilyn Monroe's face captured by photographers at the morgue. I honestly wish I hadn't seen those shots. It's not them; it's only flesh and bones. I don't see the utility of opening a casket exposing your emotionless, congealed face for the world to see.

 

[sirhon11234]

JFK's morgue photo was horrifying that picture shouldn't even be viewed by the public. And I didn't even recognize Marilyn in her morgue photo.

The tradition of viewing a loved one's body originated in Scotland I beleive.

 

[Waika]

I don't like looking at dead bodies either. My grandfather was the last one I looked at back in 1980. Since then, I have refused to do so.

 

[Elspeth]

In Britain there's no tradition of open caskets like there is in some other countries. What happened at Diana's funeral was typical of the way all funerals, including royal ones, are conducted.

 

[Russophile]

Having, unfortunately, attended a couple I wished I didn't, I can say in speaking with the funeral director that we have changed a lot as a society. He said viewings used to be the norm, we had one viewing, and one not recently. He said there used to be cars to escort and police to escort and it was a big, big thing. Now not a lot of people want to view (personally, I don't!) and a lot of people don't attend them.
Of course it's different for Royalty. . .

 

[Odette]

I had the shock of my life when I came to the US and attended a funeral.
Coming from places where the dead are laid to rest before sundown the day of the death with no emballming etc, I could not believe the circus here.
Sentences like......"he/she looks so good".......about the deceased always seemed totally macabre to me.
Anyway, I thought the funniest film related to death was the Irish comedy. "Waking Ned Devine" They almost threw me out of the movie theatre since I was laughing so loud!!!!!!!

 

[Mermaid1962]

As strange as it sounds, there's something comforting about seeing a deceased loved one lying out after the funeral director has done his job. I had two deaths in my family within three weeks (a parent and a parent-in-law), and it was nice to see them looking very similar to the way they looked in life. In some cases of violent death or extreme emaciation, of course, it's better to have a closed casket. Usually the casket is closed during the actual funeral where I live, but a person can view the remains during the visitation with the family the day or so before the funeral. Most visitations are in funeral homes now and rarely in private homes.

I had the shock of my life when I came to the US and attended a funeral.
Coming from places where the dead are laid to rest before sundown the day of the death with no emballming etc, I could not believe the circus here.
Sentences like......"he/she looks so good".......about the deceased always seemed totally macabre to me.
Anyway, I thought the funniest film related to death was the Irish comedy. "Waking Ned Devine" They almost threw me out of the movie theatre since I was laughing so loud!!!!!!!

 

[Odette]

As strange as it sounds, there's something comforting about seeing a deceased loved one lying out after the funeral director has done his job. I had two deaths in my family within three weeks (a parent and a parent-in-law), and it was nice to see them looking very similar to the way they looked in life. In some cases of violent death or extreme emaciation, of course, it's better to have a closed casket. Usually the casket is closed during the actual funeral where I live, but a person can view the remains during the visitation with the family the day or so before the funeral. Most visitations are in funeral homes now and rarely in private homes.

I am so sorry for your loss. It must have been hard.
It is very difficult for me to see someone either close or not laying in a casket. What is even more difficult is the custom in the US to have all the bereaved after the funeral go either to a home or a restaurant and feast on foods the deceased loved. Some say it is a celebration of one's life. I go crazy just thinking that these were crying an hour ago and now ask someone to pass the lasagna tray.............

 

[Lilla]

Back to topic.







In Denmark it is a tradition to bury the Kings and Queens at the Cathedral of Roskilde. Here is a list of kings and queens who so far has been buried there:

• Harald Blåtand* (Harald Bluetooth)
• Svend Tveskæg*(Sven Forkbeard)
• Svend II Estridsen
• Margrete I
• Christoffer III and Dorothea of Brandenburg
• Christian I
• Christian III and Dorothea of Sachsen-Lauenburg
• Frederik II and Sophie of Mecklenburg
• Christian IV and Anna Cathrine of Brandenburg
• Frederik III and Sophie Amalie of Braunschweig-Lüneburg
• Christian V and Charlotte Amalie of Hessen-Kassel
• Frederik IV and Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow and Anna Sophie Reventlow
• Christian VI and Sophie Magdalene of Brandenburg-Kulmbach
• Frederik V and Louise af Storbritannien and Juliana Marie of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel
• Christian VII
• Frederik VI and Marie Sophie Fredrikke of Hessen-Kassel
• Christian VIII and Caroline Amalie of Augustenborg
• Frederik VII
• Christian IX and Louise of Hessen-Kassel
• Frederik VIII and Louise of Sverige-Norge
• Christian X and Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
• Frederik IX and Ingrid

*Harald Blåtand and Svend Tveskæg was actually buried in the Church of Trinity. But it used to stand at the exact same spot where the Cathedral stands today.

The Empress of Russia Marie Feodorovna (Princess Dagmar of Denmark) was also buried at Roskilde Cathedral until the 23th of september 2006, when her coffin was returned to Russia.

 

[Empress]

Wow Lilla! What a wonderful resource! I'm off to go exploring those links now! Thanks!

 

[Elspeth]

The off-topic conversation about Princess Diana, the paparazzi, and the drunk driver has been moved to this thread.

 

[Lilla]

It hasn't alwayes been a tradition to bury the monarchs at Roskilde Cathedral - not until about year 1550. This post and the next post contains a list of where the danish Kings were buried before that:

• Gorm den Gamle (Gorm the Old) It is presumed that he was buried in the chamber of the northern burial mound.in Jellinge. Later he was transfered to Jellinge Church.
• Harald 2. buried at ?
• 1018-1035Knud 2. den Store (Canute the Great) buried at Winchester Cathedral, Hampshire, England
• 1035-1042Knud 3. Hardeknud (Canute Hardecanute) buried at Winchester Cathedral, Hampshire, England
• 1042-1047Magnus den Gode (Magnus the Good) buried at Nidarosdomen, Trondheim, Norway
• 1074-1080Harald 3. Hen buried at Dalby Church, Skåne, Sweden.
• 1080-1086Knud 4. den Hellige (Canute the Holy) buried at St. Kunds Church, Odense
• 1086-1095Oluf 1. Hunger ( Oluf Hunger) buried at ?
• 1095-1103Erik 1. Ejegod ( Eric Ever so Good) buried in Cyprus.
• 1104-1134Niels buried at ?
• 1134-1137Erik 2. Emune buried at Ribe Cathedral.
• 1137-1146Erik 3. Lam (Eric the Lamb) buried at St. Knuds Church, Odense.
• 1146-1157Svend 3. Grathe*, is said to have been buried where he was killed at Grathe Heath.
• Knud 5*. buried at ?
• 1157-1182Valdemar 1. den Store* (Valdemar the Great) buried at St. Bendts Church, Ringsted

* For a short period in history (1146 - 1157) Denmark was split between these three Kings. This started a war which Valdemar the Great (Valdemar 1. den Store) won.
Source: www.gravsted.dk and Wikipedia

 

[Lilla]

and:

• 1182-1202Knud 6. buried at St. Bendts Church, Ringsted
• 1202-1241Valdemar 2. Sejr (Valdemar the Victorious) buried at St. Bendts Church, Ringsted
• 1241-1250Erik 4. Plovpenning (Eric Pough-pfenning) buried at St. Bendts Church, Ringsted
• 1250-1252Abel buried at Slesvig Cathedral.
• 1252-1259Christoffer 1. buried at Ribe Cathedral
• 1259-1286Erik 5. Klipping buried at Viborg Cathedral
• 1286-1319Erik 6. Menved buried at St. Bendts Church, Ringsted
• 1320-1326Christoffer 2. buried at Sorø Church.
• 1326-1329Valdemar 3. buried at St. Bendts Church, Ringsted
• 1329-1332Christoffer 2. buried at Sorø Church.
• 1340-1375Valdemar 4. Atterdag (Valdemar One more Day) buried at Sorø Church.
• 1376-1387Oluf 2. buried at Sorø Church.
• 1412-1439Erik 7. af Pommern (Eric of Pommorainia)buried at the church of Darlowo, Rügenwalde
• 1481-1513Hans buried at St. Kunds Church, Odense
• 1513-1523Christian 2. buried at St. Kunds Church, Odense
• 1523-1533Frederik 1. buried at Slesvig Cathedral

Source: www.gravsted.dk and Wikipedia

 

[Moonmaiden23]

It just didn't look like her it was disturbing for me.

This will sound strange, but do you know what transfixed me when I saw poor Princess Grace lying in State? Her hands. Quite simply, they took my breath away. They were long and tapering with her rosary beads entwined through them. I couldn't take my eyes off of her hands, they were sooo beautiful.

I didn't look too much at her face because like everyone else I was just too shocked. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

JFK's morgue photo was horrifying that picture shouldn't even be viewed by the public. And I didn't even recognize Marilyn in her morgue photo.

The tradition of viewing a loved one's body originated in Scotland I beleive.

JFK's facial expression haunts me to this day...it wasn't a look of pain or anything..it was the look one gets when they hear a loud and startling noise. It was a look of genuine, quizzical surprise.

From all accounts I have read, he looked so unlike himself in his coffin that Mrs Kennedy ordered it closed except to immediate family and friends.

He is said to have looked like a wax dummy.

Such a handsome man.....

 

[sirhon11234]

I remember Grace's hands were well manicured..

The only celebrity who looked like they were sleeping in their coffin to me was the singer Selena who was shot by her fanclub president.

 

[lucien]

To Lilla:

roskildedom

courtesy Mardam´s wonderfull site.

 

[Carminha Stalker]

Odette, I understand your feelings, about how different are funerals in your country and the US, for example. In Brasil, we also bury the person the same day with the exception of very famous people like a President or racing driver Ayrton Senna (who were both put in a place where people could come to pay their last respects).Also, here we don´t have the gathering of people to eat and drink after a funeral.