The burial was to be a private affair for the royal family -- in contrast to the grandeur and public nature of the televised abbey service, a last opportunity for the nation and world to bid adieu.
Britain and the world are laying Queen Elizabeth II to rest on September 19 at a state funeral that will draw presidents and kings, princes and prime ministers — and up to a million people lining the streets of London to say a final goodbye to a monarch whose 70-year reign defined an age.