Prince Harry will wear uniform at sombre vigil with Queen’s grandkids
King Charles has made a “one-off” exception for Prince Harry for a special vigil with all the Queen’s grandchildren.
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The Queen’s grandchildren are expected to honour her memory by holding a vigil at her coffin - with the Duke of Sussex wearing his military uniform.
Prince Harry, who saw action on the frontline during two tours of duty in Afghanistan, had been denied the chance to wear his military uniform as he publicly mourned as he is no longer a working royal.
Despite being a former Army officer he has been in civilian dress for official events, including walking behind his grandmother’s coffin on Wednesday when it was carried to Westminster Hall to lie in state.
But the Daily Mirror said Palace officials have had a change of heart, with a source saying “common sense has prevailed”.
The ruling was not a U-turn but a “one-off” decision by the King as a mark of respect for the late monarch, The Sun reports.
“The King invited the Queen’s grandchildren to mount a vigil and Harry can wear his uniform,” the outlet reports, citing an insider.
Prince Harry will reportedly join his brother the Prince of Wales and cousins Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall in mounting a vigil around the Queen’s coffin on Saturday.
King Charles III will lead a “final vigil” with his sister, Princess Anne and brothers, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, on Friday evening local time.
Prince Andrew will be allowed to wear his military uniform for the historic moment just days before the official funeral on Monday.
And in another sign Princes William and Harry could be mending their rift, the brothers will stand together behind the Queen’s coffin at her funeral on Monday.
It comes as Buckingham Palace announced The Queen will be interred at a private ceremony at Windsor Castle after her state funeral on Monday.
The Queen’s coffin will reportedly leave London to a rendition of I Vow To Thee My Country.
A private burial will take place at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, where the Queen will be buried alongside her late husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.
Earlier, more than 2000 guests are expected to fill London’s historic Westminster Abbey for a service that will be dedicated to the late monarch’s extraordinary life and record-breaking 70-year reign.
As new details surrounding the Queen’s funeral were made public, it was also announced that doctors and nurses from Britain’s National Health Service will walk in front of the Queen’s coffin as it begins its final journey to Windsor after her funeral on Monday.
NHS medical staff will form part of the procession from Westminster Abbey to the Wellington Arch in London in thanks for their crucial work during the pandemic.
It was also confirmed that the Queen’s four children, King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward will stand vigil over her coffin on Friday night local time in Westminster Hall.
The Queen’s state funeral will unite the world in a fitting tribute to an “extraordinary reign” and the man charged with organising the momentous event said it had been both “humbling and daunting”.
“The Queen held a unique and timeless position in all our lives. This has been felt more keenly over the past few days as the world comes to terms with her demise,” The Earl Marshal, the Duke of Norfolk, said.
“Her Majesty’s passing has left many people across many continents with a profound sense of loss. The respect, admiration and affection in which the Queen was held, make our task both humbling and daunting. An honour and a great responsibility.
“It is our aim and belief that the state funeral and events of the next few days will unite people across the globe and resonate with people of all faiths, while fulfilling Her Majesty and her family’s wishes to pay a fitting tribute to an extraordinary reign.”
HOW FUNERAL WILL UNFOLD
At 10.44am local time (7.44pm AEST) King Charles will walk with siblings, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey for the funeral service.
The Queen’s grandsons, Prince William, Prince Harry and Peter Philips, will walk behind them and they’ll be followed by Princess Anne’s husband, Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of Gloucester, the Queen’s cousin, and Princess Margaret’s son, the Earl of Snowdon.
The Queen’s coffin will be carried during the procession on a 123-year-old gun carriage towed by 98 Royal Navy sailors in a tradition dating back to the funeral of Queen Victoria.
The Procession will be led by a massed Pipes & Drums of Scottish and Irish Regiments, the Brigade of Gurkhas, and the Royal Air Force. There will be 200 musicians for the walk.
Eight minutes later, the procession will arrive at the west gate of Westminster Abbey when the bearer party will carry the coffin into the Abbey.
ORDER OF SERVICE
The service will begin at 11am local time (8pm AEST) and will be conducted by the Dean of Westminster.
British PM Liz Truss and the Secretary-general of the Commonwealth will read Lessons, while the Archbishop of York, the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and the Free Churches Moderator will say prayers.
The sermon will be given by the Archbishop of Canterbury who will also give the commendation, while the Dean will pronounce the blessing.
At 11.55am the Last Post will sound, followed by two minutes of silence to be observed in the Abbey and throughout the UK.
Reveille, the national anthem and a lament played by the Queen’s piper will bring the state funeral service to an end at around 12 noon local time.
QUEEN’S FINAL JOURNEY THROUGH LONDON
The bearer party will then lift the coffin from the catafalque and will move in procession through the Great West Door returning to the State Gun Carriage positioned outside the West Gate.
The coffin will then be followed by King Charles and the Queen Consort Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales and members of the royal family who will walk in the procession to Wellington Arch.
The Arch was built as an original entrance to Buckingham Palace, later becoming a victory arch proclaiming Wellington’s defeat of Napoleon.
The Queen’s coffin will be carried during the procession on a 123-year-old gun carriage towed by 98 Royal Navy sailors in a tradition dating back to the funeral of Queen Victoria in 1901.
That tradition began after weather saw horses rear up and panic threatening to topple the coffin leaving it to humans to step in, unharness the horses and pull the 2.5 tonnes carriage themselves.
The gun carriage now will be pulled by a 98-strong team of sailors known as the Sovereign’s Guard, while 40 sailors will march behind the carriage to act as a brake.
The procession will involve a total of more than 6000 personnel from all three armed forces as well as troops from Commonwealth nations including Australia and New Zealand.
It is understood the Australian Defence Force has deployed a contingent of 40 personnel for the event.
The Procession will be formed of seven groups, each supported by a military band. Mounties from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police will lead, immediately followed by representatives of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, doctors and nurses from the NHS public health system in recognition of their work during the Covid-19 pandemic then the detachment of the ADF.
After prayers and a blessing, a lone bugler will sound The Last Post and the country will fall silent for two minutes before the queen’s coffin is taken through London’s streets for a final time.
From there, it will be transferred by royal hearse to make the 38km journey to the Queen’s main residence, Windsor Castle, the royal family leaving prior to get ahead to restart the procession there.
At 3.10pm the procession continues toward St George’s Chapel and half an hour later King Charles and other members of the royal family will take up the procession at the rear of the coffin.
The Queen Consort with the Princess of Wales, and the Duchess of Sussex with the Countess of Wessex will again follow by car.
The chapel will be open to 800 members of the family and household staff for a committal service from 4pm.
The funeral concludes with a private interment at Windsor Castle at 7.30pm local time.
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