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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Russell Myers & Sam Elliott-Gibbs

William and Kate tell Commonwealth troops how 'strange' it is to go from Jubilee to funeral

The new Prince and Princess of Wales have been spending time with soldiers from across the Commonwealth telling them that the Queen will be "looking down" on her funeral service they are preparing for.

They also explained to them how 'strange' it feels to go from the Queen's Jubilee to her funeral.

Will and Kate have been speaking with troops at Army Training Centre Pirbright, Surrey. The servicemen and woman have been deployed to the UK to take part in Monday's ceremony for the late monarch.

Most will be in the frontline for the emotional event as preparations step up with the eyes of the world watching. They chatted to the soldiers this afternoon after travelling to the base where they have been carrying out rehearsals.

William, talking with troops from Australia, was heard saying the difference between the celebrations in June and the funeral preparations shows "the highs and lows of it all".

They spoke to more than 100 members of the Australian Defence Force, the Canadian Armed Forces and the New Zealand Defence Force, who will join the military procession through central London.

William was heard speaking with troops from the New Zealand Defence Force about how the Queen would be keeping an eye on Monday's proceedings.

Greg Gifford, 31, said: "One of the key things I took away from what he said was how the Queen will definitely be looking down on the whole funeral service.

"He said she would be interested in the detail of the soldiers, how the drill is carried out, it's precision, our dress, things like that."

They spoke to troops from Canada, New Zealand and Australia and thanked them for their service (Tim Rooke/REX/Shutterstock)
Kate was at the base late last year, undertaking drills to later mark Armed Forces Day (PA)

The mourning royals shared a joke with members of the squadron as the couple were told further details of the funeral preparation.

The Prince could also been heard discussing rugby with some of the visiting soldiers as he smiled when the conversation turned to sport.

Their presence at the funeral underlines the importance of the Commonwealth and its armed forces who serve on the frontline alongside UK servicemen and women.

Her Majesty the Queen was also Colonel-in-Chief of a number of regiments from these countries, such as the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery, the 48th Highlanders of Canada and the Corps of Royal New Zealand Engineers.

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrived at 3.30pm at Pirbright to be met by the Lord Lieutenant of Surrey.

William was wearing a dark blue suit adorned with his three service medals (PA)
His wife Kate wore a full length black coat with black hat and matching shoes (Tim Rooke/REX/Shutterstock)

They were also treated to a traditional Haka by the New Zealand contingent.

Kate, 40, is no stranger to the base. She was at the Army Training Centre in November as she celebrated Armed Forced Day.

Yesterday, the couple travelled to Norfolk to greet crowds and view tributes that members of the public had left there to the Queen.

Thousands of people visited the estate, where the Queen traditionally spent Christmas, to pay their respects, with tributes having piled up by the Norwich Gates since news of the Queen’s death was announced last Thursday.

The Queen’s grandchildren are also expected to honour her memory by mounting a vigil at her coffin with the Duke of Sussex wearing his military uniform on Saturday.

They chatted to the visiting soldiers this afternoon in Surrey (REUTERS)

The Prince and Princess of Wales discussed how "strange" it has been going from the Queen's Platinum Jubilee to her funeral in a matter of months.

Meanwhile, Kate, who was speaking with Canadian military personnel, said: "Going from that (the Jubilee) to this in a few months is very strange."

She was also heard discussing "lack of sleep" with the troops.

On Thursday, Prince William confessed he was haunted by memories of his late mother Princess Diana’s funeral when he joined the procession behind the Queen’s coffin this week.

He admitted he was still close to tears as he met members of the public at Sandringham.

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