GEORGE AND CHARLOTTE TO WALK BEHIND COFFIN
PRINCE George and Princess Charlotte will make a surprise appearance at their great-grandmother’s funeral today, walking behind her coffin into Westminster Abbey.
The Mail understands that the Prince and Princess of Wales thought ‘long and hard’ about whether their two eldest children, aged nine and seven, should join them. But after George and Charlotte attended their great-grandfather’s memorial in March, William and Kate decided they could cope with the solemnity of the occasion.
Louis, the couple’s youngest, is just four and will not be joining. A source said. ‘Little Louis is too young, but they think George and Charlotte are up to it.’
It is understood the children will also be in the congregation for the committal service at St George’s Chapel at Windsor this afternoon. A decision is to be taken about whether they feel up to taking part in the procession there, too.
Before today’s state funeral at 11am, a bell will toll 96 times, reflecting the years of Queen Elizabeth’s life. The service will, Buckingham Palace said last night, pay tribute to the Queen’s reign and lifetime of service. It will be conducted by the Dean of Westminster, Dr David Hoyle.
A specially commissioned choral piece, Like As The Hart, will be sung by the Choir of Westminster Abbey. The choir will also sing a short anthem, O Taste And See, composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams for the Queen’s coronation in 1953.
The Archbishop of Canterbury will give a reading, while British prime minister Liz Truss will give the second reading. After the service, the bells of Westminster Abbey will be rung, fully muffled, as is the tradition following a sovereign’s funeral. The coffin will then continue its last journey to Windsor. The committal service at St George’s Chapel at 4pm will be smaller. The royal family will gather for a private interment at 7.30pm.