King and his siblings stood in silent contemplation as they guarded their mother’s coffin at Westminster Hall. The Queen’s children – Charles, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex – joined the vigil on Friday as a steady stream of mourners drifted in to pay their last respects. The monarch, Anne, Andrew and Edward looked somber as they took their places in the coffin – four days after attending a vigil at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh. The King stood at one end of the coffin, head down and hands clasped, while the Duke of York was at the opposite end overlooking the area where the line of mourners enters the hall. Other members of the royal family, including the Queen Consort, Rear-Admiral Sir Tim Laurence and the Countess of Wessex, along with some of the Queen’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren, looked on.
read more
Camilla, Sophie, Lady Louise and Viscount Severn, Zara and Mike Tindall, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice stood on a raised dais overlooking the coffin during the vigil. All four of the Queen’s children were dressed in uniform, with the exception of the disgraced Andrew, who is no longer a working king, to wear his military uniform as a “special mark of respect” for the Queen. The King wore Royal Navy ceremonial dress, while the Earl of Wessex wore the Dress Blues with the rank of Honorary Royal Colonel of the Royal Wessex Yeomanry. Anne wore the uniform of the Blues and Royals, while Andrew wore the uniform of the Vice Admiral. Andrew resigned from public life after the furore over his friendship with pedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein. He later paid millions to settle a civil sexual assault case against a woman he claimed he had never met. In January, before his legal settlement, the Queen stripped him of all his honorary military roles, including Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, and he dropped the style of HRH. A former Royal Navy officer who served in the Falklands War, Andrew retained his rank of Rear Admiral. Virginia Giuffre sued him for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was 17 after being trafficked by Epstein. Andrew denied the allegations. At the service of thanksgiving in Edinburgh on Monday, Andrew wore a morning suit while his brothers, including Edward, who retired from the Royal Marines, wore military dress as they processed behind the Queen’s coffin. On Friday, many of the mourners who passed the casket during the vigil bowed their heads, some with tears in their eyes. A crying woman was comforted by a member of staff before leaving the room. Before leaving, many mourners turned to take one last look at the casket and the silent vigil underway. After leaving the hall, the King and his brothers were applauded by the people in line. Their arrival at 7.46 p.m. heralded by the noise heard before each changing of the guard. Charles, followed by Ann, Edward, and Andrew, walked down the steps to the side of the north door. The silence in the vast hall, where the flow of mourners had stopped for a moment, was broken only by the sound of their footsteps on the stone as they ascended to the coffin. They were in position at 19.48 and guarded until 20.00. As they made their way to the north side of the hall and up the steps, a couple of women ran as Charles passed. The Queen has been in London since Wednesday and thousands of mourners have queued for hours to enter Westminster Hall. On Saturday, the Queen’s grandchildren will take part in a vigil at her coffin and the Duke of Sussex will join his brother, the Prince of Wales, in uniform. Royal sources said the decision to allow Harry to wear his uniform during the vigil was made by his father. Harry, who saw action on the front line during two tours in Afghanistan, has been denied the chance to don his military uniform as he mourns in public that he is no longer a working royal. Despite being a former army officer, he wore civilian dress for official events, including walking behind his grandmother’s coffin on Wednesday when it was taken to Westminster Hall to lie in state. The source said William will stand on the head while Harry will stand on the feet. At the King’s request, they will both be in uniform. The other grandchildren will be in morning coat and dark formal dress with decorations. The source said the grandchildren, at the King’s invitation, were only too keen to pay their respects – as their parents did on Friday.
