Before the death of Her Majesty the Queen, the last state funeral to be held at Westminster Abbey was that of George II in 1760. This was the year that the Board of Deputies of British Jews was founded to pay homage to his successor, George III.

It was therefore a privilege and an honour that I was invited to lead the procession of faith leaders at Monday’s funeral as the representative of the UK’s Jewish community.

My striking impression as we entered the Abbey was the love and loyal devotion in the faces of the thousands outside both for the Queen and for King Charles – it was there for all to see and feel.

We had been told we could not arrive later than 7.45 am so I took no chances, waking up at 4am. The details were important to me. I made sure to wear my Star of David and I had managed to find the last black hat for sale to wear from Fenwick’s of Bond Street.

As a fervent royalist I knew I would be emotional and I did shed tears during the ceremony. However, my fellow faith leaders were a great comfort. Having come together on Friday to meet King Charles at Buckingham Palace, we were already close as a group. Whether Jewish, Catholic, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Baha’i, Jain, Zoroastrian or Buddhist, we all wanted to pay homage to King Charles. He had demonstrated the huge importance that he attached to faith communities by making sure that he saw Faith Leaders at the very first opportunity.

At that meeting he reassured all of us that he wanted to be a King for all of us, saying he was determined to “carry out my responsibilities as sovereign of all communities around this country and the Commonwealth and in a way which reflects the world in which we now live”. His words were all the more moving for the grief which was clearly etched on his face.

From my seat at Westminster Abbey, I could see the Emperor of Japan, Prince Albert of Monaco and the King and Queen of Spain as well as political figures including Keir Starmer and Sadiq Kahn. At one point I came face to face with US President Joe Biden. For once in my life I was tongue-tied – all I could do was smile and say hello - he returned my smile and also said hello. Everybody present felt part of a single community in that moment – there was a spirit of togetherness which was tangible, however exalted or humble our origins.

I was sitting very near the coffin and it was so poignant to see the symbols of the Queen’s reign –  crown, the orb and sceptre – placed upon the Royal Standard. Despite the 10 days of mourning this was the moment when I realised the finality of it. At the same time, I was struck by the magnitude of the occasion. I had pride in representing my community at this great moment of history – possibly the first Board of Deputies President ever to do so.

The love for the Queen from the entire nation has been made abundantly clear over the past week and her extraordinary legacy will continue. However, these few days have served to emphasise how lucky we are to have King Charles as our Monarch. He has pledged himself to all his subjects and has shown himself already to be a true and loyal friend of the Jewish community. 

Long live the King.

Marie van der Zyl is President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews