Queen Elizabeth II was laid to rest on Monday 19 September, with funeral services taking place in Westminster Abbey and at Windsor.

With over four billion people watching, saying that the royal funeral was one of 2022’s biggest events would be an understatement — it is now one of the most-watched live casts in human history. This also means that nearly every detail from the ceremony was picked apart online, repurposed in memes, and blown out of proportion in darkly hilarious ways,

Here are a few of the most outrageous online highlights from Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral ceremony:

1. The ‘World’s Most Famous’ Spider

With hundreds of security personnel on the job, it wasn’t going to be easy to infiltrate the royal funeral… unless you happen to be really, really tiny. Somehow, one of the most viral heroes during the broadcast turned out to be a spider who hitched a ride onto the Queen’s casket, becoming an overnight sensation.

As expected of the Internet, the spider quickly turned into several contrasting symbols — with some considering it a good omen, while others used it to bring up the crown’s ‘web’ of colonial oppression. Go figure.

2. Prince George Gets Cheeky

Nine-year-old George became second in line to the throne after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, after his (splitting-image) dad, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. Despite this, the 14-16 hour ceremony put the young royal in quite a mood — leading him to shoot a funny face at what must have been hundreds of press photographers.

Curiously, the headline-making snap was actually picked up by an amateur photographer named Matt White. “’I’m just a bit of an amateur photographer, so I borrowed a camera for the day to get some better photos,” he said to The Sun.

“I’d seen Prince George and Kate go by and snapped a photo of their car, but it was only a very quick photo so I didn’t think it would be that good. I only realized later when I was looking through the photos that George was pulling that face. It was quite a funny thing to get a photo of – especially as he’s now second in line for the throne and his brother did the same thing at the jubilee.’

3. The World’s Most Powerful Carpool

For most state visits, world leaders are used to being chauffeured around in private vehicles. This time around, the royal family decided to give several big names a surprisingly humble ride, in the form of a fleet of nondescript buses.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern suggested that the move was not a ‘fuss’ at all and that she often encouraged her own cabinet to carpool. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (who was spotted having quite a party night earlier this week), said that “a lot of great conversations happen on the bus.” Joe Biden was the only one who got to have his own motorcade, sparking some controversy on Twitter.

4. Bishop Blunder

An unknown bishop got the attention of social media users after making a blunder in front of the queen’s coffin at Westminster Abbey. The bishop dropped a piece of paper during the service, and many social media users offered their sympathies for the odd timing of the blunder.

The stressed clergyman managed to snatch his paper off the floor a few minutes later, off-camera.

5. Police Officers Collapse

Standing at attention for several hours seemed to be too much to handle for multiple officers of the law and military — many of whom were present at the funeral.

One police officer needed to be carried off on a stretcher and seen by medical staff after collapsing on duty, according to The Independent. Four others fell ill too, along with three military officers posted on duty.

Lead Image: @RoyalFamily/Twitter