Prince William and Prince Harry will stand vigil beside their grandmother Queen Elizabeth’s coffin at Westminster Hall in London on Saturday evening, a Kensington Palace spokesman said Friday.
All eight of Elizabeth’s grandchildren are expected to stand vigil at the monarch’s lying-in-state for 15 minutes. William, the Prince of Wales, will stand at the head of the coffin, while Harry, the Duke of Sussex, will stand at its foot.
“At the King’s request, they will both be in uniform,” the spokesperson said, according to Reuters.
Harry, who shed his honorary military titles after stepping down from royal duties two years ago, had not worn his military uniform at prior events during the mourning period this week.
Thousands of mourners have been lining up to pay their final respects to the nation’s longest-reigning monarch. On Friday, the British government was forced to temporarily stop people from joining the five-mile-long line.
“The queue is currently at capacity and entry is currently paused,” a government notice read. “Please do not attempt to join until it resumes.”
A request for comment from Buckingham Palace wasn’t immediately answered on Friday.
The announcement about William, 40, and Harry, 38, came two days after they walked with their father, King Charles III, and other members of the royal family, behind the queen’s coffin as it left Buckingham Palace on its way to Westminster Hall.
Tensions between the two sons of Charles, 73, and the late Princess Diana grew after Harry began dating former “Suits” star Meghan Markle, and later married her. William, who’s now the heir to the British throne, reportedly told Harry that their romance was moving too fast.
On Thursday, a spokesperson for the royal family said that the beloved queen will be buried next to her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, on Monday in a private ceremony at Westminster Abbey at 7:30 p.m. local time.
King Charles and his three siblings — Princess Anne and Prince Andrew and Prince Edward — will pay tribute to their mother on Friday, holding a silent 15-minute vigil around the queen’s coffin at 6:30 p.m.
Queen Elizabeth II died earlier this month at the age of 96, surrounded by her family at her home in Scotland.
———
