The reason for sand all over the roads left many confused

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The Queen's funeral was watched by billions across the world on Monday as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was given a truly grand send-off with plenty of British ceremony and several poignant moments.

But though the Queen's funeral was a fitting service for a monarch who served the public for 75 years, one question continued to come up: why is there sand all over the road for the Queen's funeral?

Many of the millions of viewers watching on asked why there was sand across the roads.

Read More: What happens next after The Queen's funeral

@KorimajoEcology said: "What was the deal with the sand all over the roads for the Queen's funeral? Was it covering up road markings? Looked like there had been multiple oil spills."

@waitmanb said: "What's the significance of putting sand down on the road?"

shared their theories as to why the roads were covered in sand during the state funeral for the Queen.

ReticentRumu said on Reddit: "It's sand used to cover metal drain covers etc so the horses don't frighten or fall."

@sprstoneham said: "To prevent the horses and military personnel slipping. Steel horseshoes and hobnail boots not a happy combination on cobbles etc."

Amefra said that it wasn't to do with the horses, but the gun carriage carrying the Queen's coffin. She said: "It's sand, at places where the gun carriage turns. Very thin wheels means it might skid otherwise."

Travellingmackem agreed: "It’s sand, to provide grip for the gun carriage so it doesn’t slip especially when turning"

The roads were covered with sand to ensure the state gun carriage taking the Queen’s coffin was able to move easily, according to royal commentators.

And the sand being spread deliberately was confirmed by Westminster City Council, which has swung into action and begun the laborious cleanup process tonight.

Following the funeral, staff are being deployed into affected areas as soon as possible, starting at Parliament Square, with more than 150 people and 19 vehicles in 11 teams to help clear litter and remove the sand on roads, to prepare for central London reopening.

A council spokesperson said: “Westminster City Council is well equipped to deal with the city at full capacity. Preparations have been in place to handle the influx of visitors wishing to pay their respects to Her Majesty the Queen.

“Our cleansing teams have been working incredibly hard to ensure that our city remains a clean environment for all.

“We will continue to work with partners to ensure that cleansing operations run as smoothly as possible, making visitors and residents feel comfortable.”

Whitehall and Parliament Square remained busy on Monday with sightseers and TV crews, and while workers were steadily removing crowd-control barriers, some of the major roads remained closed.

The clean-up operation was still under way by 5pm, with Parliament Square being scrubbed clean and some workers still sweeping the pavements.

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