William and Harry to follow Queen’s coffin in an echo of their mother’s funeral
Prince William and Harry will walk behind the Queen’s coffin in a show of unity and further reconciliation, almost 25 years to the day that they farewelled their mother in heartbreakingly similar scenes.
Prince William and Harry will today walk behind the Queen’s coffin in a show of unity and further reconciliation between the brothers.
In a gesture that will echo the scenes 25 years ago at their mother Princess Diana’s funeral, when William was just 15 and Harry 12, the royal siblings will accompany King Charles behind a gun carriage carrying the Queen.
At the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral last year, the brothers followed a Land Rover carrying Prince Philip, but were separated by the another of the Queen’s grandsons, Peter Phillips, who will also be in Wednesday’s cortege.
There have been tensions between the brothers since Harry’s decision to quit royal duties and move to the US with his wife Meghan. The pair sparked hopes of a reconciliation at the weekend when they went for a walkabout and spoke to mourners in Windsor.
Yesterday hundreds of soldiers wearing ceremonial uniforms gathered at Buckingham Palace in the early hours for their only rehearsal before the procession of the Queen’s coffin.
The Queen’s coffin will make its way through central London to Westminster, followed by a procession led by the King and other royals.
Many of the capital’s streets were sealed off yesterday for a rehearsal operation, when a black coffin was placed on a horse-drawn carriage of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery during a practice run before dawn.
After arriving in London from Scotland last night, the Queen’s coffin, adorned with the Imperial State Crown, will this afternoon be taken from the Bow Room at Buckingham Palace and placed on a gun carriage pulled by seven black horses. The King will follow the coffin as it makes its way along The Mall, on to Whitehall and towards parliament.
Charles will be accompanied by Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. Other members of the cortege will be Princess Anne’s husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence; the Duke of Gloucester; and the Earl of Snowdon.
The Queen Consort, the Princess of Wales, the Countess of Wessex and the Duchess of Sussex will travel to the hall by car.
More than 500 soldiers from regiments including the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, the Grenadier Guards and Coldstream Guards will be part of the cortege, in which members of the Royal Navy, RAF and the Royal Marines will also be represented.
Crowds will be able to pay their respects to the Queen as the procession begins at 2.22pm GMT (11.22pm AEST) and the cortege makes the journey through central London.
Guns will be fired at Hyde Park and Big Ben will toll, while the procession will hear funeral marches by composers including Beethoven, Chopin and Mendelssohn.
When the coffin reaches Westminster at 3pm GMT (midnight AEST) it will rest on a raised platform and each corner will be guarded round the clock by soldiers from units that serve the Royal Household. The procession, the funeral and the commemorations mean 6,000 troops will be deployed over ten days of mourning.
Tailors have been working late into the night inspecting uniforms, while horses taking part in ceremonies have been exposed to sobbing and having flowers thrown at them to prevent them being unnerved on the day.
Sergeant Tom Jenks, 30, who will be leading the horses in front of the gun carriage, said that they have undergone special training at the Royal Horse Artillery garrison in Woolwich.
“The horses go through preparations and training, so they get taken away after we’ve been training for our normal daily routines,” Jenks said.
“They get exposure to loud noises, crowds, flags, flowers, people sobbing, even to the point of banging lots of drums and making aggressive noises. We just try and train for every potential possibility.”
He said the pace of the parade was difficult for the horses, who were finding it “quite a tall order” to walk “at a slow march pace” when drummers play at 75 beats a minute.
Jenks will ride 18-year-old Cassius on Thursday, who also took part in Margaret Thatcher’s funeral and will retire following the procession, while other horses are younger but have been selected for their calm temperament.
Major General Christopher Ghika, of the British Army’s Household Division, said of being in the procession: “For everybody on parade it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s a very sad day, but it’s our last opportunity to do our duty for the Queen and it’s our first opportunity to do it for the King, and that makes us all very proud.”
He added: “These are going to be significant international events, so the eyes of the world will be upon us. I’m expecting for everybody on parade that they will deliver a very spectacular performance which will do tribute to the Queen.” Those taking part in the procession also expressed pride and honour in being part of the cortege including Jack Westworth, 18, an RAF gunner who will be deployed later this year and will be among the youngest participants on Thursday.
“I’m very proud to be taking part in such a historic event, and to be front and centre of it,” he said. “This is where I wanted to be but I didn’t think I would be taking part in such a high-profile event.”
Lance Bombardier Tara Kelly, 25, a wheel-driver guiding the gun carriage, said that preparations had been “overwhelming” but it was a “massive honour to be part of such a prestigious event” and said she felt “humbled”.
“Everyone’s been very positive, but in a respectful way,” Kelly, who took part in the Platinum Jubilee celebrations and was part of the procession for the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, said.
“Even with the long hours and how tired everyone is, no one’s trying to drag their feet, they’re all working hard and getting on with the job at hand.”
Lance Corporal Edward Christian Scheepers, 35, part of the Queen’s personal guard and a master tailor, said he had been working “a lot of late hours” in the run up to today’s procession.
He added: “We inspect everyone so as soon as they leave camp they are looking smart and nobody can be faulted for anything.”
The Times
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