I couldn鈥檛 see the lone piper. But it didn鈥檛 matter.

As the sounds of the Scottish lament, 鈥淪leep, Dearie, Sleep,鈥� faded into the silence of Westminster Abbey, it finally struck me that Queen Elizabeth II was really gone.

The queen loved bagpipes so much that she had a piper play under her window for 15 minutes every morning, so those notes disappearing into the ether had a sense of finality, in a grand, show-stopping way.

was filled with those kinds of as to its longest-serving monarch with the nation is known for.

The black-clad mourners included the royal family, seven British prime ministers and hundreds of dignitaries from around the world, including U.S. President Joe Biden.

But it was the colors that caught my eye.

The dark clothing was just a backdrop for decorations of all kinds. Military medals gleamed from the chests of old soldiers, and civilians sported ribbons denoting civilian honors bestowed by the queen.

There were Knights of the Garter in blue velvet capes. Trumpeters with long silver instruments festooned with banners. Soldiers in gleaming plumed-helmets and the army veterans known as Chelsea Pensioners, resplendent in their traditional scarlet tunics.

鈥淚t was like something out of a fairy tale,鈥� said Bertram Leon, who was recently awarded a British Empire Medal for service to the St. Lucian community. 鈥淵ou know, it was amazing, beautifully well done 鈥� orchestrated, which is what you expected.鈥�

I witnessed the spectacle from a seat in the abbey鈥檚 north transept, my view obstructed by a great stone pillar. That鈥檚 partly why I couldn鈥檛 see the piper.

But so what? It didn鈥檛 matter. It was enough to be part of the crowd.

Watching the world leaders file in, I wished I had a scorecard with little photographs to figure out who was who. There were so many of them 鈥� who could keep track?

Then came the royals, led by King Charles III in full military uniform, a sword on his hip.

But behind the pomp and circumstance, this was about honoring the late queen and her lifetime of service to Britain and the Commonwealth.

And it was the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who captured that better than any parade or procession.

Welby reminded the congregation of the queen鈥檚 speech during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic 鈥� when frightened Britons were stuck in their homes unable to see friends and family.

Elizabeth, a symbol of stability for 70 years, echoed the words of a World War II-era song by Vera Lynn 鈥� and assured the nation that 鈥淲e will meet again.鈥�

Welby鈥檚 words reminded me of the night I listened to that speech, and wondered what the future would hold. I was frightened too 鈥� wasn鈥檛 everyone?

So somehow this immense state funeral service suddenly became very personal. Amid all the pomp and pageantry, we were all invited to think about that night鈥� about what the queen meant to us in that awful, pandemic time.

So whatever it was, the words or the guardsmen or the choristers, I can tell you one thing: At the end of the service, the congregation stood and sang 鈥淕od Save the King鈥欌�� with such gusto that it almost felt as if the abbey walls were shaking. If nothing else, the nation鈥檚 long-time leader was leaving center stage.

I can鈥檛 say for sure, of course. But I think it will take this country some time to remember that the first line of the national anthem is no longer 鈥淕od Save our gracious Queen.鈥欌��

鈥擠anica Kirka, The Associated Press