Leader of veterans will be proud to hail The Boss

The chair of a veterans’ charity who served in the Royal Navy has said he will mourn “The Boss” when he attends the Queen’s funeral tomorrow.

Retired Lieutenant Commander Martyn Hawthorn, the national chairman for Legion Scotland, who was made an MBE this year, will be part of the 2,000-strong congregation.

Hawthorn, 75, has been at events attended by the Queen a number of times and has met King Charles III and Anne, the Princess Royal.

He said: “The King is so pleasant, so easy to talk to. He puts you at ease straight away. And, indeed, Princess Anne. They put you at ease. I think that has been passed on from their mother. There are no airs and graces.

“I’m just sad I didn’t meet the boss. The Queen was always known as the boss because she was our boss, end of story.”

He received a call from the Cabinet Office while watching coverage of the Queen’s death at his home in Edinburgh.

“Of course, I said I’d be honoured to attend,” Hawthorn added. “The Queen was our patron. She’s always been there as a shining example. So many clubs will be open on Monday so that legionnaires can go in and watch the funeral and have comradeship. We want to show our respect.”

The Queen was also patron of Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland and the charity’s chief executive, Jane-claire Judson, will be at the funeral. She said: “The feeling is one of being hugely honoured and privileged to be able to take part in something that is very sombre, but is also very important to such a large number of people.

“And I do feel very privileged that I am able to do that on behalf of Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland and all of our staff and volunteers.”

Also invited is Stuart Mclellan, from Renfrewshire, who was made an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in June for his work setting up Neilston and Uplawmoor Community First Responders, a group of volunteers who respond to emergency calls.

He said: “I was actually quite taken aback when I got the phone call to ask if I would like to be part of it. It’s a sad occasion. I’m in a lot of organisations that the Queen has been sovereign head of. I’ve never had the opportunity of meeting the Queen, but the fact that I’ve actually been included as one of the last MBE recipients under the Queen has been pretty remarkable.”