Prince George and Princess Charlotte will walk behind the Queen’s coffin during her state funeral before saying goodbye to their great-grandmother.
The future king, aged nine, and his sister, seven, will join the 2,000-strong congregation at Westminster Abbey for today’s 11am service and will attend the Committal Service at Windsor Castle later this afternoon.
The Prince and Princess of Wales are understood to have thought long and hard about taking their children to the ceremony and discussed it with both of them together before a decision was collectively made.
William and Kate, both 40, decided to keep their youngest child, four-year-old Prince Louis, at home during the day’s commemorations.
The children of the Prince and Princess of Wales have yet to be seen in public since the Queen’s death was announced on September 8.
But William and Kate agreed, after long discussions with aides, as the future of the monarchy, George, who affectionately called the Queen ‘Gan Gan’, should attend with his sister with whom he is especially close to.
The Mirror previously revealed plans by the Queen for her three heirs to appear with her on the Buckingham Palace balcony on the last day of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations, with one palace insider saying: “The Queen was utterly determined that the future of the monarchy should be on show for all to see.”
The young royals will walk through the gothic church in London with the Royal Family, in procession behind the Queen’s coffin as it is carried by the military bearer party.
George and Charlotte will walk together, behind their parents, walking side-by-side in formation, followed by their uncle and aunt, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and other family members.
The King with the Queen Consort will be immediately behind the coffin, followed by the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, then the Duke of York, followed by the Earl and Countess of Wessex, and then the Prince and Princess of Wales.
The scene is likely to revive memories of princes William and Harry walking behind their mother Diana’s coffin aged just 15 and 12, after her tragic death in a Paris tunnel in August 1997.
William last week told mourners how walking behind the Queen’s coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall for the start of Her Majesty’s lying-in-state last Wednesday had been “very difficult” and that it brought back haunted memories of his mother’s funeral.
A decision was last night yet to be made as to whether young George and Charlotte would take part in a similar procession at Windsor Castle for the separate committal service, before the Queen is laid rest at a private burial service at 7.30pm this evening.
A royal source said: “This was definitely a collective family decision.”
The news came as the order of service for the Queen’s state funeral was published for the first time, revealing a rousing selection of Her Majesty’s favourite hymns, songs, prayers and recitals, all of which were chosen by the late monarch.
The Monet by William Henry Harris will be played as a tribute to the renowned organist and composer who taught the Queen to play the piano. Once a week at Windsor, as he led practice, Princess Elizabeth and sister Margaret would sing alongside senior members of the choir.
The Queen’s Piper, Warrant Officer Class 1 (Pipe Major) Paul Burns, will play the lament Sleep, Dearie, Sleep. It will follow the Last Post, the Reveille, and the national anthem.
Before the service, the tenor bell will toll every minute for 96 minutes, reflecting the years of the Queen’s life.
The Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, will say in The Bidding: “Here, where Queen Elizabeth was married and crowned, we gather from across the nation, from the Commonwealth, and from the nations of the world, to mourn our loss, to remember her long life of selfless service.”
He will speak of the Queen’s “unswerving commitment to a high calling over so many years” as Queen and Head of the Commonwealth.
“With affection we recall her love for her family and her commitment to the causes she held dear,” the Dean will say.
Prime Minister Liz Truss will have the honour of reading the Second Lesson, from John 14:1-9a, uttering the words: “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God.
Royal sources said Her Majesty was keen on “showing Britain’s rich tapestry of faiths and cultures” at her funeral, inviting representatives from multiple denominations and cultures to represent the Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and Buddhist communities amoung others.
The hymns will be The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want; The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Is Ended; and Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.
The latter was sung at royal weddings including William and Kate’s, Charles and Camilla’s wedding blessing, and Eugenie’s.
Prayers will be said by the Reverend Dr Iain Greenshields, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, for her “long life and reign, recalling with gratitude her gifts of wisdom, diligence, and service”.
The Bishop of London Dame Sarah Mullally will pray for “gracious Sovereign Lord King Charles, Camilla the Queen Consort, William Prince of Wales, and all the Royal Family”.
In a final tribute, the Reverend Canon Helen Cameron, Moderator of the Free Churches Group, will praise the Queen’s “unstinting devotion to duty, her compassion for her subjects, and her counsel to her ministers”.
