Queen Elizabeth’s funeral: Serving Australians to march with casket

Lieutenant Commander Kara Wansbury is one of 39 serving Australians who will march in the monarch’s funeral procession before a global live and TV audience of up to four billion.

Lieutenant Commander Kara Wansbury pauses, thinks for a moment then nods.

“Her steeliness and calm manner were remarkable,” the Australian Defence Force officer said finally about the Queen.

“She was a fascinating woman. As a woman in leadership myself I think her steeliness and calm manner were remarkable.”

At 42, the Brisbane officer has served in Afghanistan and East Timor. She helped in the Queensland floods aftermath of 2011.

Lieutenant Commander Kara Wansbury is taking part in the funeral procession for the Queen. Picture: Supplied

And now marching in front of the casket of the Queen, before a global audience live and on television expected to be up to four billion.

The procession march – without doubt the biggest ceremonial role of her career – had not until recently figured in her career thinking.

Wansbury is an officer representing the Royal Australian Navy one of 39 serving Australians in the procession.

They will march ahead of the coffin, as part of Commonwealth forces alongside Canada and New Zealand, when the Queen’s coffin rides in a gun carriage from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch.

There is a quick march and a slow march. Rehearsals have been daily. In all, the Australians will be on parade for three to four hours.

A submariner, she points out that her usual line of work doesn’t allow for much space – or a crowd.

“They say something like four billion people will be watching,” she says. “It will be a privilege to be involved in something that is viewed by so many people around the world. But I’m trying very hard not to think about that.”

She has already had a royal engagement for this event.

She had a chat with Prince of Wales William who she described as relaxed, engaged and filled with thanks.

“That was uppermost, that focus, to make sure we knew how grateful he was,” she said.

For more than 10 minutes they talked about rugby and the services of Australian soldiers at his grandmother’s funeral.

He asked how their march drilling was progressing. He also spoke about loss.

“There was a bit of an emotional undercurrent to the conversation when he mentioned that the Queen had been involved in some of the preparations for the events,” she said.

“He feels that she might be looking down, paying attention, making sure it’s being executed the way she wanted it. He mentioned that he would be steeling himself for Monday.”

So, too, are Wansbury and her team.