Earl Marshal is a hereditary royal officeholder and chivalric title under the sovereign of the United Kingdom used in England. He is the eighth of the great officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord High Constable of England and above the Lord High Admiral. The dukes of Norfolk have held the office since 1672.
Depiction by Matthew Paris (d.1259) of the arms of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1194–1219): Party per pale or and vert, overall a lion rampant gules
Arms of "Bigod Modern": Party per pale or and vert, overall a lion rampant gules, adopted by Roger Bigod, 5th Earl of Norfolk (1269–1306), after 1269 following his inheritance of the office of Marshal of England from the Marshal family
In the United Kingdom, state funerals are usually reserved for monarchs. The most recent was the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on 19 September 2022.
Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, 2022. The coffin is borne on the Royal Navy State Funeral Gun Carriage, drawn by sailors of the Royal Navy. The coffin, draped with the Royal Standard, has the crown, orb and sceptre. Alongside the late Queen's equerries march the Gentlemen at Arms with axes reversed.
The gun-carriage procession approaching Windsor Castle during the state funeral of Edward VII
Naval ratings drawing the gun carriage to Westminster Abbey for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II; alongside them march the bearer party of Grenadier Guardsmen.
Funeral of Elizabeth I, 1603. Horse-drawn bier escorted, as in modern times, by Gentlemen-pensioners carrying their axes 'reversed'. The coffin has an effigy of the late Queen on top of it, and is flanked by knights holding banners and a canopy.