Why is Queen Elizabeth II's coffin lined with lead?

LONDON -

Queen Elizabeth II's coffin arrived in London on Tuesday from Edinburgh, ahead of the state funeral. The late monarch died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland last week. She was 96.

Like the Duke of Edinburgh, who died in 2021, the Queen will be buried in an English oak coffin featuring brass handles that was designed more than 30 years ago, and lined with lead.

The practice of burying royals in lead-lined coffins dates back hundreds of years.

As Royal Family members are buried inside a chamber, rather than directly in the ground, their coffins are lined with lead in order to slow decomposition. The lead seals the coffin and prevents moisture from getting in, preserving the body for up to a year.

The practice dates back to the Victorian era, when an airtight seal on a coffin was necessary to prevent the potent effects of decay in above-ground burials.

Members of the Royal Family and English nobility have used coffins lined with lead for at least four centuries.

According to Westminster Abbey records, Queen Elizabeth I and King Charles II were buried in lead-lined coffins, as were Princess Diana, Sir Winston Churchill and Sir Francis Drake.

The combination of lead and oak makes for a heavy coffin, so heavy in fact, it is reported that eight military pallbearers will be needed to lift Queen Elizabeth II's coffin.

The Queen will lie in state starting Wednesday at Westminster Hall until the funeral. Her coffin will be draped in the Royal Standard and topped with the Imperial State Crown, the Sovereign's Orb, and the Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross.

Following the funeral, the Queen will be buried within King George VI Memorial Chapel in Windsor Castle, next to King George VI, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and the ashes of her sister Princess Margaret.

Once there, Prince Philip's coffin will be moved from the Royal Vault beneath St. George's Chapel to lie next to her.