King Charles, William And Harry Walk Behind The Queen’s Coffin At Her State Funeral

By Kerry McDermott

King Charles III led senior royals walking behind the coffin of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, at her state funeral today. He was joined by his siblings and his sons, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex, in the procession from Westminster Hall, where the coffin has been lying in state, to Westminster Abbey for the funeral service. It was an emotional echo of a scene from 25 years ago, when the young William and Harry walked behind their mother Princess Diana's coffin, following her tragic death in a car accident in 1997.

By Kerry McDermott

King Charles III and the Princess Royal walked behind their mother's coffin as it was conveyed from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey for the state funeral.

The Princess Royal and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, the Duke of York, and the Earl and Countess of Wessex also walked behind the Queen's coffin, as it was carried to Westminster Abbey on the State Gun Carriage. The coffin was accompanied by the bearer party of the Grenadier Guards, the King's Body Guards of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms, the Yeomen of the Guard and the Royal Company of Archers.

At the request of King's Charles, the wreath placed on top of the Queen's coffin contains rosemary and English Oak, as well as myrtle that was cut from a plant grown using the myrtle from Her Majesty's own wedding bouquet. The flowers, in shades of gold, pink and deep burgundy, with touches of white, were cut from the gardens of the royal residences.

When the procession entered Westminster Abbey, the Princess of Wales joined to walk alongside her husband, along with their two eldest children, Prince George, nine, and Princess Charlotte, seven. Their little brother, four-year-old Prince Louis, was deemed too young to join. Now that their father is first in line to the throne, the young royals will likely play a more prominent role at carefully selected occasions. Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, also joined the procession walking behind the coffin as it entered the church, beside her husband Prince Harry.

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By Alice Cary

Following much speculation over Prince Harry's attire, he wore a morning suit, rather than military dress, to walk behind his grandmother's coffin. Harry lost his military appointments when he stepped down as a senior working royal.

The Queen's funeral is being held in the same historic church where she was married in 1947, and crowned five years later. The elaborate service has been carefully orchestrated to pay tribute to the Queen's remarkable reign, and lifetime of service. Ahead of the funeral, Westminster Abbey's Tenor Bell was tolled once a minute for 96 minutes, one toll for each year of the Queen's life.