The Unexpected 8-Legged Guest That Stole The Show At The Queen's Funeral Procession

On September 19, 2022, people from all over the United Kingdom -– and, indeed, all over the world -– turned out to watch the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Among those in attendance to celebrate the queen, who had reigned for over 70 years before her death, including world leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and U.S. President Joe Biden, as well as the queen's famous grandchildren (via People).

But viewers who tuned in to the broadcast were also introduced to a few guests they probably hadn't expected. Among them: an eight-legged arachnid that stowed away on the queen's coffin. Yes, that's right: there was a spider climbing over the queen's coffin during the funeral ceremony, according to The Mirror. The little guy was perched on a white card inserted into the floral arrangement on the coffin, meaning it was pretty visible to the cameras -– for anyone, that is, who thought to look for it.

For those who saw the spider, its presence seemed to evoke mixed reviews. One person who spotted the bug Tweeted about it: "bro there's a spider running across the card on the queen's coffin," according to The Mirror.

Others made jokes, saying, "The Queen and the spider. That's a book title right there." Another Tweeted, "As a spider fan, I am elated! Luckiest Spider in the world!" per The Mirror.

How did the spider get on the coffin? We probably won't ever know for sure, since there are a bunch of different places it could have hitched a ride as the queen's coffin was moved around in the days before her funeral, starting in Scotland and spending the last few days lying in state at Westminster Hall. Not to mention the spider was spotted on the card placed in the middle of freshly cut flowers and fauna, which seems like a reasonable place for a spider to be hiding. The spider was first seen while pallbearers were carrying the coffin into the abbey, according to Express.