The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-05-09
BODY Of MONARCH
To LIE IN STATE
Royal Family Yields to Demands
of Public and Change
Plan.
-
TO BE BURIED MAY 20
i
Impressive Procession Of Mourners
Will Follow Corpse of Dead
Sovereign.

LONDON May Sit was officially
announced to-day that the funeral of
King Edward will be held on May 20
ct windsor and that the body win lie
in state In Westminster Hall for three
days preceding the funeral.
Tentative arrangements for the
funeral have been completed.
Lord Esther. deputy governor Of
windsor Castle. who had charge OF
the arrangements for the funeral OF
Queen Victoria aud the coronation OF
King Edward, and who ts an expert
in handling great ceremonial matters,
Win superintend the funeral.
The body of the late king will be
taken from Buckingham Palace on a
gun carriage to the railroad station.
The coffin will probably be draped
with English flags, on which Will lie
the royal crown. the royal orbs and
the sceptre.
Following the gun carriage. King
George Will ride on horseback, accom-
painted by the nIsmbers or the visiting
royalty. Then Will come carriage.
the queen mother. and the other wo-
men OF the English and European
royal houses.
The body will be carried to Wind
scr on a special train where II win be
replaced on the gun carriage and
taken to the Albert chapel. followed
on foot by all the royal msurners.
Temporarily the body WIN remain in
a crypt in Albert chapel awaiting
burial few days later In the royal
mausoIe4m.
VIII Lie In State.
For time 1t was declared the body
of King Edward would not lie In state,
but the public demand for has, OPP
portunity TO view the face of their
dead ruler was insistent and the
change In program was accordingly
made
The body win first lie In state for
three days in the throne room In
Windsor Castle. which Will be decked
in mourning. During these three
days mem bers of the foreign nobility.
mobiles and high officials Will be given
a chance to view the remains. Then
the coffin will be placed on gun car
riage and slowly driven through the
lanes of troops 10 Westminster Hall,
where for three days from sunrise 10
sunset the British folk Will be allowed
10 pass before the corpse OF their be-
loved monarch. IL Is expected that
The crowd which passes through
Westminster during these hours Will
be the greatest ever gathered In Eng
and.
Early to-day the body Of the king
still lay on the plain wooden bed In
his bedroom which overlooks the PARK
at buckingham. There was no mill
tary guard. A royal page sat at the
door, while the nurse who attended
King Edward during all his illnesses
was constantly In the room. The body
had not been robed for burial but
was clad in the soft red silk robe In
which he died.
Seems Only Sleeping.
His hands We're claeped over his
breast. the little finger of the left
hand being held between the thumb
and foreauKer OF the right hand, a
characteristic pose of Edward while
alive. Court attendants remark ed
upon the naturalness of the pose. The
face was still bronzed from his out
door HE at Biarrivz and he appeared
only to be sleeping.
Alongside the little bed still stood
the smoking table which was always
there during Edwards life time. The
cigar and cigarette box had not been
touched. Nor had the gold match safe
been moved from the position In
which II was placed when King Ed
ward laid IL down after taking his
final smoke. on the forenoon of the
day he died,
The coffin In which Edward will be
laid 60 rest Ia to-day being hewn from
a freshly <elled oak from the royal
preserves Mt Windsor. The body will
lie In a, leaden shell inside the coffin.