The chapel was commissioned by Queen Elizabeth II in 1962.[3] The architects of the chapel were commissioned to design it to accommodate the remains of three monarchs and their consorts.[3] Her private secretary wrote to the Dean of Windsor, Robin Woods, in December 1962 with two requests. The first was that the Queen's eldest son, Prince Charles, be prepared for confirmation, and the second was that a specific resting place be found for her father, King George VI.[3] Following his funeral service at St George's Chapel, George's remains had been transferred to the royal vault beneath the chapel. George's death was unexpected, and no specific resting place had been designated for him.[3]
Her request was not acted upon for a further five years, as the Queen wanted her mother, George's widow, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid the painful experience of burying her husband for a second time.[3] She also disliked the idea of a marble chest tomb with life-sized effigies that were typically commissioned for the remains of monarchs and preferred simple slabs inlaid into the floor.[3] There was no space for another vault to be constructed in St George's Chapel and so a solution was found with the construction of an additional chantry chapel to the exterior of St George's Chapel.[3] This was the first addition to St George's Chapel since the completion of the chantry on the south side of the chapel for Oliver King, the private secretary to Henry VII in 1504.[3]
Design
The initial plan for the new chapel was rejected by the Royal Fine Arts Commission. It involved the construction of a small rectangular chantry into the north wall of the nave to a design by Paul Paget and John Seely, 2nd Baron Mottistone.[3] The second plan submitted for the design of the chapel was approved. It was proposed by the architect George Pace and involved the construction of a chantry chapel between the Rutland Chapel and the north choir of St George's Chapel.[3] Pace's design is 18 feet (5.5 m) in height, 10 feet (3.0 m) in width and 14 feet (4.3 m) in depth.[3] It was completed in 1969.[3] The chapel stands between two of the external buttresses of the north wall of the quire,[4] and it is made from stone from Clipsham[4] in Rutland. The red and blue stained-glass windows of the chapel were designed by John Piper and made by Patrick Reyntiens.[2][4] The roof of the chapel is painted in black and white and decorated with embedded gold leaf.[4] An altar in the chapel has a bronze relief portrait of George VI by Sir William Reid Dick, a replica of the portrait of George which hangs in the church of St Mary Magdalene on the royal estate of Sandringham in Norfolk.[4] The completed chapel was described by Robin Woods, Dean of Windsor, as continuing "the perpendicular Gothic designs of the chapel itself, but in a twentieth century idiom".[4] There is an interment chamber directly beneath the chapel in which the remains are placed.[5]
Interments
King George VI (1969)
The former ledger stone naming George VI and Elizabeth in the memorial chapel, as it appeared before replacement after the interment of their daughter Elizabeth II and her husband Philip in September 2022
George's remains were transferred to the newly constructed memorial chapel, named in his honour, on 24 March 1969.[6] The chapel was built at a cost of £25,000 (equivalent to £437,754 in 2021), entirely funded by Elizabeth II.[3] It was dedicated on 31 March 1969 in a ceremony attended by George's widow, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and their daughter Queen Elizabeth II, with her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and their eldest children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne.[6] The former king, Edward VIII, was not invited to the ceremony. Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma was absent due to his attendance at the funeral of the former President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower.[3] The ceremony was also attended by the Knights of the Garter.[3]
The chapel is marked by gates of wrought iron inscribed with the words "I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: 'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown'," from the 1908 poem "The Gate of the Year" by Minnie Louise Haskins. The words were notably quoted by George VI in his Royal Christmas Message of 1939.[3]
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (2002)
The ashes of George's younger daughter, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, were placed in the royal vault of St George's Chapel on 15 February 2002.[3] Margaret was the first member of the royal family to be cremated since Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, in 1939.[3] She was cremated to ensure that her remains could be accommodated in the small interment chamber beneath the chapel.[3] George's widow, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, was interred beneath the chapel on 9 April 2002 following her funeral at Westminster Abbey.[7] Margaret's ashes were placed in her parents' tomb at the same time.[8] With the royal monogram representing Margaret carved below the inscriptions, Margaret's tombstone is now placed separately in the right-hand corner of the chapel and reads:
In thankful remembrance of HER ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCESS MARGARET COUNTESS OF SNOWDON BORN 21 AUGUST 1930 DIED 9 FEBRUARY 2002
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (2022)
On 19 September 2022, in a private service attended only by members of the royal family, Elizabeth II was interred beneath the memorial chapel following her state funeral at Westminster Abbey earlier that day.[9] Elizabeth's husband, Philip, who died in 2021, had been placed in the royal vault of St George's Chapel following his funeral at the chapel.[10] He was also then interred beneath the King George VI Memorial Chapel along with his wife.[9] After their interments, a replacement ledger stone with an additional metal star of the Order of the Garter between the couples' names was put into the floor of the chapel.[11] The ledger now reads:
GEORGE VI 1895–1952 ELIZABETH 1900–2002 ELIZABETH II 1926–2022 PHILIP 1921–2021
References
^"King George VI Memorial Chapel: The Queen's last resting place". International Business Times. New York. 19 September 2022. from the original on 19 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrsKeay, Douglas (15 February 2002). "Princess Margaret's ashes to rest by her father". The Times. No. 67375. London. p. 3. from the original on 19 September 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
^ abcdef"Last resting place of King George VI". The Times. No. 57522. London. 22 March 1969. p. 3. from the original on 19 September 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
^Quest, Richard (15 February 2002). "British Royalty Gathers for Funeral of Princess Margaret". CNN.com. from the original on 19 August 2003. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
^ ab"News in Brief". The Times. No. 57516. 22 March 1969. p. 1. from the original on 19 September 2022.
^Hamilton, Alan (8 April 2002). "The human touch will survive amid pomp and ceremony". The Times. No. 67419. p. 10. from the original on 19 September 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
^"Margaret's ashes to be interred with Queen Mother's coffin". Irish Examiner. 31 March 2002. from the original on 15 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
^ ab"Your complete guide to the Queen's funeral". BBC News. 19 September 2022. from the original on 9 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
^Sampson, Annabel (13 April 2021). "Prince Philip's final resting place will be alongside the Queen". Tatler Magazine. from the original on 14 September 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
^Fox, Aine (21 September 2022). "Queen's name inscribed on to chapel stone alongside those of parents and Philip". Evening Standard. from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
External links
King George VI Memorial Chapel at Wikipedia's sister projects
king, george, memorial, chapel, part, george, chapel, windsor, castle, chapel, commissioned, queen, elizabeth, 1962, burial, place, father, king, george, completed, 1969, contains, final, resting, places, king, george, queen, elizabeth, queen, mother, queen, e. The King George VI Memorial Chapel is part of St George s Chapel at Windsor Castle The chapel was commissioned by Queen Elizabeth II in 1962 as a burial place for her father King George VI and was completed in 1969 It contains the final resting places of King George VI Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Queen Elizabeth II Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh and the ashes of Princess Margaret It was designed by George Pace King George VI Memorial ChapelThe chapel abutting the exterior of St George s ChapelReligionAffiliationChurch of EnglandYear consecrated1969 1 Known forBurial place of George VI Elizabeth II and their immediate familyLocationLocationSt George s Chapel Windsor CastleMunicipalityWindsorCountryEnglandShown within BerkshireGeographic coordinates51 29 01 N 00 36 25 W 51 48361 N 0 60694 W 51 48361 0 60694ArchitectureArchitect s George PacePaul E PagetPeter H Field Philips 2 StyleModernistPerpendicular GothicFunded byElizabeth IIGeneral contractorJohn Mowlem amp Co Ltd 2 Completed1969Construction cost 25 000 437 754 2021 inflation adj Contents 1 History 2 Design 3 Interments 3 1 King George VI 1969 3 2 Princess Margaret Countess of Snowdon and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother 2002 3 3 Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh 2022 4 References 5 External linksHistory EditThe chapel was commissioned by Queen Elizabeth II in 1962 3 The architects of the chapel were commissioned to design it to accommodate the remains of three monarchs and their consorts 3 Her private secretary wrote to the Dean of Windsor Robin Woods in December 1962 with two requests The first was that the Queen s eldest son Prince Charles be prepared for confirmation and the second was that a specific resting place be found for her father King George VI 3 Following his funeral service at St George s Chapel George s remains had been transferred to the royal vault beneath the chapel George s death was unexpected and no specific resting place had been designated for him 3 Her request was not acted upon for a further five years as the Queen wanted her mother George s widow Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother to avoid the painful experience of burying her husband for a second time 3 She also disliked the idea of a marble chest tomb with life sized effigies that were typically commissioned for the remains of monarchs and preferred simple slabs inlaid into the floor 3 There was no space for another vault to be constructed in St George s Chapel and so a solution was found with the construction of an additional chantry chapel to the exterior of St George s Chapel 3 This was the first addition to St George s Chapel since the completion of the chantry on the south side of the chapel for Oliver King the private secretary to Henry VII in 1504 3 Design EditThe initial plan for the new chapel was rejected by the Royal Fine Arts Commission It involved the construction of a small rectangular chantry into the north wall of the nave to a design by Paul Paget and John Seely 2nd Baron Mottistone 3 The second plan submitted for the design of the chapel was approved It was proposed by the architect George Pace and involved the construction of a chantry chapel between the Rutland Chapel and the north choir of St George s Chapel 3 Pace s design is 18 feet 5 5 m in height 10 feet 3 0 m in width and 14 feet 4 3 m in depth 3 It was completed in 1969 3 The chapel stands between two of the external buttresses of the north wall of the quire 4 and it is made from stone from Clipsham 4 in Rutland The red and blue stained glass windows of the chapel were designed by John Piper and made by Patrick Reyntiens 2 4 The roof of the chapel is painted in black and white and decorated with embedded gold leaf 4 An altar in the chapel has a bronze relief portrait of George VI by Sir William Reid Dick a replica of the portrait of George which hangs in the church of St Mary Magdalene on the royal estate of Sandringham in Norfolk 4 The completed chapel was described by Robin Woods Dean of Windsor as continuing the perpendicular Gothic designs of the chapel itself but in a twentieth century idiom 4 There is an interment chamber directly beneath the chapel in which the remains are placed 5 Interments EditKing George VI 1969 Edit The former ledger stone naming George VI and Elizabeth in the memorial chapel as it appeared before replacement after the interment of their daughter Elizabeth II and her husband Philip in September 2022 George s remains were transferred to the newly constructed memorial chapel named in his honour on 24 March 1969 6 The chapel was built at a cost of 25 000 equivalent to 437 754 in 2021 entirely funded by Elizabeth II 3 It was dedicated on 31 March 1969 in a ceremony attended by George s widow Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and their daughter Queen Elizabeth II with her husband Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh and their eldest children Prince Charles and Princess Anne 6 The former king Edward VIII was not invited to the ceremony Louis Mountbatten 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma was absent due to his attendance at the funeral of the former President of the United States Dwight D Eisenhower 3 The ceremony was also attended by the Knights of the Garter 3 The chapel is marked by gates of wrought iron inscribed with the words I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown from the 1908 poem The Gate of the Year by Minnie Louise Haskins The words were notably quoted by George VI in his Royal Christmas Message of 1939 3 Princess Margaret Countess of Snowdon and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother 2002 Edit The ashes of George s younger daughter Princess Margaret Countess of Snowdon were placed in the royal vault of St George s Chapel on 15 February 2002 3 Margaret was the first member of the royal family to be cremated since Princess Louise Duchess of Argyll in 1939 3 She was cremated to ensure that her remains could be accommodated in the small interment chamber beneath the chapel 3 George s widow Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother was interred beneath the chapel on 9 April 2002 following her funeral at Westminster Abbey 7 Margaret s ashes were placed in her parents tomb at the same time 8 With the royal monogram representing Margaret carved below the inscriptions Margaret s tombstone is now placed separately in the right hand corner of the chapel and reads InthankfulremembranceofHER ROYALHIGHNESSTHEPRINCESSMARGARETCOUNTESS OF SNOWDON BORN 21 AUGUST 1930 DIED 9 FEBRUARY 2002 Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh 2022 Edit On 19 September 2022 in a private service attended only by members of the royal family Elizabeth II was interred beneath the memorial chapel following her state funeral at Westminster Abbey earlier that day 9 Elizabeth s husband Philip who died in 2021 had been placed in the royal vault of St George s Chapel following his funeral at the chapel 10 He was also then interred beneath the King George VI Memorial Chapel along with his wife 9 After their interments a replacement ledger stone with an additional metal star of the Order of the Garter between the couples names was put into the floor of the chapel 11 The ledger now reads GEORGE VI 1895 1952ELIZABETH 1900 2002 ELIZABETH II 1926 2022PHILIP 1921 2021References Edit King George VI Memorial Chapel The Queen s last resting place International Business Times New York 19 September 2022 Archived from the original on 19 September 2022 Retrieved 19 September 2022 a b c Pace George G 30 September 1969 King George VI Memorial Chapel PDF Report of The Society of the Friends of St George s and Descendants of the Knights of the Garter Vol IV St George s Chapel Windsor Castle The Society of the Friends of St George s and Descendants of the Knights of the Garter pp 421 425 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Keay Douglas 15 February 2002 Princess Margaret s ashes to rest by her father The Times No 67375 London p 3 Archived from the original on 19 September 2022 Retrieved 14 September 2022 a b c d e f Last resting place of King George VI The Times No 57522 London 22 March 1969 p 3 Archived from the original on 19 September 2022 Retrieved 14 September 2022 Quest Richard 15 February 2002 British Royalty Gathers for Funeral of Princess Margaret CNN com Archived from the original on 19 August 2003 Retrieved 3 October 2022 a b News in Brief The Times No 57516 22 March 1969 p 1 Archived from the original on 19 September 2022 Hamilton Alan 8 April 2002 The human touch will survive amid pomp and ceremony The Times No 67419 p 10 Archived from the original on 19 September 2022 Retrieved 14 September 2022 Margaret s ashes to be interred with Queen Mother s coffin Irish Examiner 31 March 2002 Archived from the original on 15 September 2022 Retrieved 15 September 2022 a b Your complete guide to the Queen s funeral BBC News 19 September 2022 Archived from the original on 9 September 2022 Retrieved 19 September 2022 Sampson Annabel 13 April 2021 Prince Philip s final resting place will be alongside the Queen Tatler Magazine Archived from the original on 14 September 2022 Retrieved 14 September 2022 Fox Aine 21 September 2022 Queen s name inscribed on to chapel stone alongside those of parents and Philip Evening Standard Archived from the original on 21 September 2022 Retrieved 21 September 2022 External links EditKing George VI Memorial Chapel at Wikipedia s sister projects Media from Commons News from Wikinews Texts from Wikisource Textbooks from Wikibooks Data from Wikidata Royal burials in the Chapel by locationPortals 1960s Architecture Christianity England Monarchy Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title King George VI Memorial Chapel amp oldid 1154014939, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
