Why is Elizabeth II’s coffin lined with lead?

After her death last Thursday, September 8, Queen Elizabeth II made a pilgrimage through England. The procession will last ten days, after which his funeral will take place and, finally, his remains will be able to rest. But they will not be buried underground, but in a mausoleum. And that’s part of the reason why coffin in which he traveled these days, lead cladding.

In fact, she is not the first member of the British royal family to have her remains surrounded by this metal. Before her they made her husband Prince Philipjust a year ago and Diana of Wales, 25 years ago. But also many other English monarchs and princes of recent centuries.

You may wonder why. Lead is not very bright. In fact, the coffin of Elizabeth II comes from Oak and only the coating is made of this metal. Besides, it’s like that heavy which could not be carried on the shoulders, as is customary at some funerals. The main reason for choosing this disadvantageous material is that slows down the decomposition of corpses. The Queen of England has been walking around her country for five days, and he has five more ahead of him. In addition, he will rest in the mausoleum, so there will be no earth to fill him up. If you do not use this additional technique, your funeral can be very unpleasant. For death does not understand kings or commoners. And the microorganisms that decompose bodies, too.

The history of the lead coffin

On the occasion of the funeral of Isabella II in St. IFLScience they remember the death of another English monarch long before. Near Wilgelm the conquerorfirst Norman king of England.

Died in 1087, 59 years old, from a combat wound that caused a rupture of the intestine. He enjoyed so little sympathy that no one wanted to take care of his body, not even his son, so he spent whole days resting on a stone slab, waiting for someone to take pity on him. He was still alive when his intestinal trauma surrounded him horrible smell of rotso after his death it was even more unpleasant.

Finally, the gentleman agreed to take care of him. He traveled with him 112 kilometers to the Norman city of Caen, where he was to be buried. He did not use any conservation methods, so the situation got worse and worse. So much so that when it came time to put it in the tomb, it was swollen to such an extent that it did not fit. The gentleman did not give up and insisted on trying to get him in, with the bad luck that burstcausing the most unpleasant scene.

These were different times, but methods of preserving corpses, such as using formaldehydeThey walked much longer. True, ancient Egypt had its own methods long before that, but in Europe corpses were not properly preserved until XIX century.

For this reason, an experience like that of King William prompted the English royal family to look for tricks to prevent their lives from falling apart. luxury and show end up with the same smell of decay as any peasant. This led to their coffins being lined with lead, as it is much more airtight, prevents moisture from entering, and therefore makes it harder for bacteria to start the decomposition process.

The tradition continues with Elizabeth II

Actually, the use of lead lining for coffins It’s not something exclusive to the royal family.although this is from people with enough purchasing power to pay for it. Throughout history, there have been more cases of burials of this type that had nothing to do with the family of the English queen. For example, a German composer George Frederick Handel was buried like this.

The coffin of Elizabeth II was made especially for her, although it is not known exactly when and who made it. This information was recently reported Time members Leverton & Sons company of undertakers, with which the English royal family works.

Apparently, in 1991 The coffin of Elizabeth II, lined with lead and ready for use, was sent to them, but no further information was provided. With this metal lining, two members of the family were buried in front of her, first her sister-in-law and then her husband. However, it seems the Queen wanted to leave everything tied up and well tied. That’s how it was. Now his body parades through the land he ruled, surrounded by the lead he left ready for the occasion 30 years ago.