Queen Elizabeth's state funeral was an "incredibly moving and incredibly sad" occasion, according to one of the attendees.
Queen Elizabeth was a patron of the Royal College of Nursing
Dr. Denise Chaffer, the president of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), was among the guests at Westminster Abbey in London on Monday (19.09.22), and she's reflected on the "incredible atmosphere" during the service.
She said: "It was a coming together, for everybody there, of incredible grief and sadness."
Denise was particularly moved by the moment when the royal family filed past her inside the abbey.
She told PEOPLE: "It was so emotional and moving to see how people were respectful towards them and also understood that they're grieving fans mourning. It was so moving seeing the children there."
The Queen became a patron of the RCN in 1953, at the start of her 70-year reign, and Denise still has fond memories of her association with the organisation.
She said: "[The Queen] was a very important patron and met thousands of nursing staff over the years.
"She was always so interested and took the time to listen to the nurses she met. They felt she understood what they did and how important their role was.
"Recently, she paid tribute to nursing staff across the globe on internationals day for their contribution to the response to COVID. It was so important to have her as patron."
The RCN opened condolence books in each of the four nations of the UK after the Queen's death was announced, and the response from the public underlined the popularity of the late monarch.
Denise said: "The comments have shown incredible warmth and affection that nurses felt for her.
"It was a beautiful service. The scale of the contributions from the amount of people involved in the ceremony was incredible."
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