Vigil of the Princes: The Queen’s four children to stand watch over their mother’s
King Charles III will symbolically lead the ceremony honouring Queen Elizabeth II when he joins his siblings for a ‘final vigil’ around his late mother’s coffin as she lies in state, it was revealed today.
The new sovereign will be joined by the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex who will all play central roles in the historic ‘Vigil of the Princes’ that takes place at 7.30pm on Friday, just days before the Queen’s state funeral.
The senior royals are expected to replicate the ceremonial act they performed in Edinburgh, where they ‘took guard’ of their late mother’s coffin for 10 minutes.
Each stood on one of the four corners of the oak coffin with their heads bowed as part of the royal cortège known as the ‘Vigil of the Princes’.
It is understood that the ban on Prince Andrew wearing military uniform, which has seen him opt for a morning suit for public appearances this week, will be lifted as an exception for the final vigil held in London.
That will likely come as a relief for the Duke, who was heckled during a procession in Edinburgh and had to solemnly bow his head while his siblings saluted as they walked behind their late mother’s coffin as it was transported by gun carriage.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry – who sacrificed his own HRH style after stepping down as a senior working royal for a life in Los Angeles – will reportedly still be banned from wearing military colours.
The Sussexes’ official biographer Omid Scoobie tweeted earlier this week: ‘I understand that, unlike Prince Andrew, Prince Harry will NOT be allowed to wear uniform at the final vigil in Westminster Hall.
‘No doubt a huge blow for the Duke of Sussex, who served for 10 years and this morning spoke of the Queen being his ”commander-in-chief”.’
Princess Anne, the Queen’s lone daughter, made history at the last ‘Vigil of the Princes’ at St Giles’ Cathedral when she became the first female member of the royal family to ‘stand guard’ as part of Monday’s commemoration.
As many as one million mourners are expected to try and cram into the Palace of Westminster to pay their last respects to Queen Elizabeth II before her state funeral.
Tens of thousands of people have flocked to the capital in recent days, forming a huge snaking queue that has its own dedicated livestream and was more than four miles long by midday on Thursday.
King Charles III, Anne, the Princess Royal, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward each stood on one of the four corners of the coffin in a ceremony known as the ‘Vigil of the Princes’ as the Queen lay in St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh, earlier this week
King Charles III (furthest left) will symbolically lead the final ceremony honouring the late Queen Elizabeth II, and will be joined by his siblings, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex who will all play central roles in the historic ‘Vigil of the Princes’
It is understood that the ban on Prince Andrew wearing military uniform, which has seen him opt for a morning suit for public appearances this week (above in Buckingham Palace), will be lifted as an exception for the final vigil. He lost that right after the Queen stripped him of his honorary military titles and royal patronages in January
Members of the public – who filed past the coffin in their thousands – were briefly held back to allow the royals to take their place. However, they continued to file past once the vigil began, offering them an extraordinary perspective on the historic moment in Edinburgh
Monday’s ‘Vigil of the Princes’ marked the first time the tradition has taken place since 2002.
There have been two such ceremonies in the past: in 1936, with the death of King George V in 1936, and in 2002, during the Queen Mother’s funeral.
That vigil was attended by the royal’s four grandsons – King Charles, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, and the Earl of Snowdon.
Millions of people across the UK are being urged to fall silent for two minutes during the closing moments of the Queen’s funeral on Monday – as part of a double moment of nationwide reflection honouring Her Majesty.
The plea comes as Buckingham Palace today unveiled new details about the historic commemoration, which broadcasting experts predict will become the most-watched television event in history, viewed by billions around the world.
Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral will ‘unite people across the globe and resonate with people of all faiths’, according to The Earl Marshal, the Duke of Norfolk, the man in charge of the historic occasion on Monday.
He said that it was ‘both humbling and daunting’ to have the ‘honour and great responsibility’ to run an event that will be watched by billions of people around the globe.
The Queen’s children stood guard over her coffin at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh. Pictured is King Charles (centre front), Princess Anne (left), Prince Andrew (centre back) and Prince Edward (right)
King Charles III’s son Prince Harry has…
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