Princess Diana's Funeral Part 14: The Journey to the Catafalque & I Vow to Thee My Country

The coffin is laid at the Catafalque to the sound of the Funeral Sentences:

Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts; shut not thy merciful ears unto our prayer; but spare us, Lord most holy, O God most mighty, O holy and most merciful Savior, thou most worthy Judge eternal, suffer us not, at our last hour, for any pains of death, to fall from thee. Amen
Book of Common Prayer

I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto me, Write, From henceforth blessed are the dead which die in the Lord: even so saith the Spirit; for they rest from their labours. Revelation 14:13 William Croft.

The family lay their wreaths at the Altar with the coffin in place.

The Dean of Westminster Abbey, Dr Wesley Carr, begins the service by remarking on how Diana made people feel significant. The first hymn is Diana's favourite from her school days, 'I Vow to Thee My Country' with music from 'Jupiter: The Bringer of Jolity' by English composer Gustav Holst:

I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above,
entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love:
the love that asks no question, the love that stands the test,
that lays upon the altar the dearest and the best;
the love that never falters, the love that pays the price,
the love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.

The second verse is in Part 15...

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[leeds0united]

The ironic thing is she was the most royal one of the family. Her blood could be traced back to the Stuarts.

[NottinghamForest22]

I Vow To Thee My Country should be our national anthem

[SammyJoeTube]

A sad day in British history...

I (like many) cried when I watched this live... I don't think there was a single household that didn't watch this...

It's 2010 now... and I'm nearly crying again! T.T

[operamichael]

@tribecatom  As did I.

[jeffreykevinguitar]

can anyone inform me , what hymn is that which is sung from 0.01 to 1.07 please tell me, this hymn makes me cry. please tell me.

[march131958]

I still weep. The world needs someome like her. May she rest in peace!

[Vydio]

@WDI2008 Yes, it was. She requested it.

[sinfonia07]

Mirando a Charles solo puedo sentir desprecio hacia el; Diana sufrio mucho en su matrimonio con la infidelidad de este sujeto.

[Siobanphotogirl]

@NottinghamForest22 i agree... the words are meaningful and I have always loved the melody..

no need to sing for the Queen... the only thing she would need saving from is the fires of.... ehem... nevermind. ... anyway... I loved the movie "The Queen"...it was so much fun seeing her get trumped every few minutes by the people's love for Diana

[TheNonnapulcino]

ehi nn prendertela con la regina! qui l unico deficente è stato carlo! e diana x quanto fosse una madre esemplare nn è stata sicuramente una santa..........

[JustJim70118]

I cried too when I first watched it live. We awoke very early to watch the funeral here in the United States.

[Geggio09]

Yeii... She was more Royal than the Royals!!!!