Queen funeral: Prince George and Princess Charlotte to walk behind coffin

In a surprise decision, Prince William’s eldest children will not only attend the Queen’s funeral but also be part of the bearer party.

The Queen’s great-grandchildren Prince George and Princess Charlotte have been listed to walk behind her coffin.

An order of service was released by Buckingham Palace on Monday morning.

The booklet, on page 21, listed those walking behind the Queen’s coffin.

King Charles and Camilla were named to walk first behind the coffin as part of the bearer party.

The Queen’s children, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward were also listed.

Prince William and Kate were next, followed by their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

Prince Harry and Meghan were then to follow, according to the booklet.

There had been question marks over whether Prince William’s children would attend, however the addition of the children in the bearer party was surprising.

The second and third in line to the throne are also expected to be at the committal service in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle afterwards.

The prince and princess’ four-year-old brother Prince Louis is not set to be there.

His playful antics on the balcony for the Platinum Jubilee delighted royal fans and he is likely to be considered too young to attend.

The Queen with Prince George on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant last June. Picture: Getty Images.

It comes after aides reportedly suggested it would be good for the public to at least see Prince George, who is now second in line to the throne.

Advisers told Prince William that the nine-year-old’s potential appearance at the Queen’s funeral would send a powerful message about the line of succession.

One source told the Daily Mail: “Courtiers are keen for Prince George to be at the funeral in some capacity, if only to reassure the nation of the order of succession.”

Another reportedly said: “It’s currently under discussion. No decision has been made yet.”

It comes after Prince William spoke last week about how walking behind his grandmother’s coffin as it left Buckingham Palace for the last time on Wednesday had evoked memories of his mother Princess Diana’s funeral 25 years ago.

WILLIAM’S ‘AWKWARD’ TRUCE WITH HARRY

Prince William and Prince Harry made an “awkward” and “uncomfortable” truce to mourn the Queen, but a private meeting between the two brothers failed to find common ground.

While the pair met for Prince Harry’s 38th birthday on Thursday, there was is still “no meaningful rapprochement”, according to royal correspondent Roya Nikkhah.

Prince William and Prince Harry, pictured at the Queen’s coffin vigil, reunited in an “awkward” truce to mourn their grandmother. Picture: Getty Images.

It had been unclear how Prince Harry celebrated his birthday, but it was presumed he and wife Meghan spent it at ‘Fortress’ Frogmore. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have remained there since their four-day trip was extended for the week of mourning.

During a walkabout on Prince Harry’s birthday, Prince William told a person in the crowd that he had “not forgotten” that it was his younger brother’s birthday.

“It is his birthday today — you’re absolutely right, it is,” the UK press reported,” Prince William said outside the royal family’s Sandringham estate, in Norfolk.

The truce between the brothers for the Queen’s mourning period has been “awkward” and “uncomfortable”, Ms Nikkhah said.

The brothers reunited again briefly for the Queen’s vigil, though they appeared to arrive in separate vehicles.

Prince William and Prince Harry stand guard over the Queen’s coffin. Picture: Getty Images.

“A year earlier, their cousin, Peter Phillips, had to act as their buffer at the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral in the aftermath of Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah Winfrey,” she wrote in the Telegraph.

“Seeing the brothers together again is a reminder of their quarter-century of shared grief, which for so long was at the heart of their unique and unshakeable bond.”

While looking at flowers at Norfolk estate, Prince William revealed his private heartbreak to crowd member Jane Wells.

He said side-by-side with Prince Harry evoked painful memories of the pair walking together behind Princess Diana’s coffin in 1997.

Prince William and Prince Harry walking behind the Queen's coffin was an echo of the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales.

“Doing the walk yesterday was challenging, it brought back a few memories … it’s kind of one of these moments where you think to yourself ‘I’ve prepared myself for this but I’m not that prepared’ … its this weird kinds of thing … because we knew she was 96,” Prince William told Ms Wells.

“He told us it had been particularly difficult and following the coffin had reminded him of his mother’s funeral, of Diana,” Ms Wells said.

“He said it had been very difficult.”

Prince William, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle walk in a procession with the coffin of the Queen. Picture: Getty Images.

Prince William and Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales view floral tributes outside Norwich Gate. Picture: AFP.

Prince William and Prince Harry were aged 15 and 12 when they famously walked together behind the coffin of their mother to Westminster Abbey.

They will make the same walk again when they follow the coffin of their grandmother for her funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday.

Now aged 40 and 38, the walk of grief had the added challenge of the estranged brothers reconnecting amid continuing tensions between the pair and their wives, Princess Catherine and Meghan Markle.