2. Flowers Hid Many of the Items in Queen Victoria’s Coffin
Though the queen requested some rather bizarre and eccentric items to be buried with her, she remained secretive about her wishes both in life and in death. Case in point: flowers hid many of the more secretive items that she carried in her hands, including a picture of John Brown. Though the year of her death was only 1901, she was buried with a bouquet that would rival a modern florist who has a global assortment of flowers. Flowers were brought from all over Europe and placed inside her casket before it was sealed.
Though some of the flowers that were brought in were quite rare, the queen’s particular request was for a sprig of heather to be placed on her body. Why heather? Several reasons come to bear. One may be that heather is quite common in Scotland, the home of her lover, John Brown. The flower may have served as an eternal memento of her love affair with him. Another reason may just be that heather has a vibrant, lively smell that disguised the smell of a decomposing corpse.
The heather may have been completely hidden from view by all of the other more elegant, rare flowers that arrayed the queen’s coffin. However, her private physician, Dr. James Reid, ensured that her request was granted.