The officer who represented Cambridgeshire Constabulary at the funeral of Her Majesty the Queen in London on September 19 has spoken of a day “beyond all expectations”.

The state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II took place at Westminster Abbey in London at 11am.

The funeral service and the associated ceremonial arrangements paid tribute to the Queen’s extraordinary reign, and Her Majesty’s remarkable life of service as head of state, nation, and commonwealth.

Inspector Matt Snow, from the partnerships and prevention department, joined officers from across the UK, as well as overseas territories such as the Falkland Islands and British Virgin Islands, along the procession route.

He said he was “genuinely shocked” to be asked.

Inspector Snow arrived at Lambeth Headquarters at 4:30am to meet the other officers involved, before taking up his posting near Buckingham Palace.

The funeral was broadcast live on TV, radio, and The Royal Family’s YouTube channel to allow people around the world to take part in mourning the Queen.

Inspector Snow said: “It was an incredible privilege and a great honour to be asked to represent Cambridgeshire Constabulary on the day.

“Although an obviously solemn and sad occasion, it really was the proudest moment of my career.”

He added: “The day was beyond all my expectations, with huge numbers of people lining the route and an incredible atmosphere.

“As we walked around the crowds were cheering and shouting words of thanks to us for our service which was nice.

“Some time after the procession had gone by, the empty gun carriage returned, this time without the coffin.

“That was a really sombre moment.”

Inspector Snow said it was good to meet other officers from all over the UK and overseas territories on the day.

“I wasn’t expecting the officers from overseas, so it was great to speak to them,” he said.

“It was a real honour to represent all officers and staff from our constabulary.

“Having worked on the planning for this sad occasion for a number of years, and then working operationally on the deployments last week, the funeral was a fitting culmination to all the hard work of lots of colleagues.”