Is lying in state a closed coffin?

[GreenGreenGrassBlue]

I’m from a country where all our funerals are open coffin so we follow that culture here too and bring the body home for family and friends to visit. I’m assuming it’s a closed coffin due to the number of days for the Queen?

Yes

Yes, we’re a closed coffin country.

I think open casket is rare over here.

Not in our culture here - South Asian. We always have open coffin even those born and brought up here.

It's closed but I'm wondering how (forgive the delicate question) it won't smell?

Formaldehyde.

She will have been embalmed.

For Queen Elizabeth, it will be a closed coffin, draped in the Royal Standard, and lying on a catafalque.

I didn’t realise that I thought when you said closed just a very good seal.

so difficult to think of it when someone is gone. I think open casket is kind of good because once you see the person gone they don’t look the same so you know in your head they are no more. Because you’ve seen it.

Yeah we’re a bit squeamish about open caskets

I know they have open casket in lots of countries I wasn’t sure of the normal here for Royalty.

I think for royals the coffin is also lead lined.

They are embalmed before being placed in the coffin for preservation. The coffin is also lined, which helps seal damp and moisture out. The embalming is done very quickly after death.

Yes, the coffin is closed.

Lead lined coffin with an inner lid that creates an airtight seal, no need even for embalming.

In some ways it’s sad we don’t get to see her but I understand every culture is so different when dealing with death.

Yes, very much closed, covered with the Royal standard and relevant bits of the Crown jewels.

What amazes me is that Prince Philip's body hasn't been buried yet – they are waiting for the Queen. How can his body just be in a coffin! I thinks he's in a vault but not quite sure what that means? I thought all sorts of unpleasant things happened to bodies after a while...

🤍

In some ways it’s sad we don’t get to see her

You WHAT?

As PPs say they are embalmed and lead lined coffins. Perhaps the intention is for them to be together but sad to think they thought it would be so soon. Then they can be buried together.

different cultures. It’s not disrespectful to pay your respects to open coffins. Even Popes have them. If people did not get to see their loved ones it would be very sad. You are often at a distance and just quietly walk past and pay your respects to the family etc

Unpleasant things do happen but it is lead lined so totally sealed.
Archaeologists have to be very careful when excavating lead lined coffins even from hundreds of years ago as they can still contain " body liquor".

I don't like open coffin. Neither do my family. We'd not have allowed it for dad. Happily he didn't express any wishes on that front but he'd have got short shrift from me if he had.

I think his heritage would mean open casket but no way. I went to the chapel of rest but my sister and cousin didn't even do that.

I would find it very wrong to have an open coffin for our queen. Let's remember her as we saw her in life.

Embalmed bodies don’t rot, basically. I won’t dwell on the details as it’s not really appropriate but you can Google the process if you want to know more. Suffice to say embalming eliminates the normal process of decay which rapidly sets in otherwise. There will be no smell and as noted it’s a lead-lined coffin in any case.

NB embalming is not routine. Many of us have seen dead relatives in the chapel of rest, but they are not generally embalmed - they are carefully washed and the body has certain procedures done to delay the deterioration but essentially they rely on fridges and careful maintenance in terms of temperature. Even then relatives are advised not to see the body once more than a few days have passed as they do start to change.

Does anyone remember the almost unspoken 'horror' in this country when JP2 died, and as is the custom was not even in a coffin before his funeral. I think many people found it very strange and were quite freaked out by it.