The Queen 's 'favourite grandson' took a side step in the royal procession behind Her Majesty's coffin to allow for Prince Harry and Prince William to stand shoulder to shoulder. The brothers were seen following the cortege in a sign of unity as the coffin made its way to Westminster Abbey.
The brothers were previously separated by their cousin and Princess Anne's son, Peter Phillips, as they walked behind Prince Philip's coffin at his funeral in April last year.
Directly behind the coffin during its transportation to the Abbey, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex walked to the left, with Prince Andrew, the Duke of York to his right, Princess Anne to Andrew's right and Prince Charles III, Britain's new King, flanking Anne. The pace and route have been carefully mapped out to allow the procession to reach Westminster Hall at precisely 3pm, the Mirror reports.
The order of the procession marks a change from the cortege walking behind Prince Philip's coffin last April, when Prince William reportedly asked for Peter Phillips to act as a human buffer walking between him and Harry. The Duke of Edinburgh's death came at a time of upheaval for the royal family, shortly after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made accusations of racism and a lack of support against their family in their bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview.
The grandchildren were subsequently separated by Peter, the son of Princess Anne as they walked behind the coffin at Windsor Castle during Philip's funeral procession. A insider has also claimed that Peter was chosen by the Queen to "act as mediator" on the day. Ahead of the funeral Peter was seen hanging back slightly allowing Harry and William to walk at the same pace.
Peter, the Queen's eldest grandchild, keeps a low profile compared to his cousins Prince William and Prince Harry. He is the first grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and the late Prince Philip - and royal insiders claim he is the monarch's "favourite" grandson.
The 43-year-old and his sister Zara have never held HRH status. The trio also walked together behind the Queen Mother's coffin at her funeral, in the same order they walked in on Wednesday afternoon.
Silence fell among the thousands-strong crowd as a muffled drum draped in black was beaten at 75 paces per minute. King Charles, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex appeared solemn as they walked behind the coffin.
The royals moved in time to the imposing funeral marches, in step with one another and the troops. William stared straight ahead as he processed directly behind his father the King, in keeping with his place as the new heir to the throne.
Charles, in his Field Marshal uniform, held onto the end of his Field Marshal Baton, which was presented to him by his mother when he became Field Marshal in 2012. The coffin was wheeled along The Mall on a gun carriage as the procession made its way to Westminster Hall.
A crown was placed on a purple cushion on top of the coffin which glistened in the afternoon sunshine. The crown was positioned in front of a wreath made up of white roses, spray white roses, white dahlias and a selection of foliage, including pine.
The sun shone as the procession moved onto The Mall in central London and members of the crowd threw yellow roses into the road as the gun carriage passed them. A number of people could be seen wiping away tears as the Queen’s coffin made its way down The Mall.
Members of the public held up their phones to film and take pictures of proceedings, with a number standing on their tip-toes to catch a glimpse of the procession. The coffin was draped in the Royal Standard, with the Imperial State Crown on a velvet cushion with a wreath of flowers atop, and carried on a gun carriage of King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery.
The Band of the Scots Guards and the Band of the Grenadier Guards are playing funeral marches throughout the procession, starting with Beethoven’s Funeral March No.1. A wreath made of pine from the gardens at Balmoral and lavender from the grounds of Windsor adorned the coffin.
Among the foliage were also white roses and dahlias, as well as rosemary and pittosporum. The procession poignantly passed the statue of the Queen’s parents King George VI and the Queen Mother which overlooks The Mall.
The Imperial State Crown, worn by the Queen on the way back to Buckingham Palace after her Coronation, glittered in the daylight as the crowds held aloft their phones to capture the scenes. At Horse Guards Parade, crowds of mourners, many in tears, applauded as the Queen’s coffin and procession entered the vast ceremonial parade ground, with the bells of Big Ben continuing to sound every minute.
The Queen’s coffin moved under the Arch of the Horse Guards briefly out of the sunlight before arriving on Whitehall. There are 10 pallbearers, found from service equerries to the Queen.
A Guard of Honour formed by the King’s Guard mounted on the paved area in the forecourt of the palace. A detachment of the Life Guards, as well as household cavalry and the household of the Queen, walked in front of the coffin.
Crowds on Parliament Street were eagerly waiting for the procession to walk past. People could be seen standing on a raised part of the His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs’ building.
The windows and balconies along the street were also filled with onlookers. The crowd applauded once the procession had passed through the gates into the Palace of Westminster. Royal family members saluted as they made their way past the Cenotaph while the Duke of Sussex bowed his head.
The Duke of York turned his eyes to the right to look upon the Cenotaph as the procession made its way past. Also forming part of the procession were loyal members of the late Queen’s staff, including two of the Queen’s Pages and the Palace Steward, who walked directly in front of the coffin.
The Pall Bearers were 10 former and serving armed forces equerries to Elizabeth II, who were at her side in uniform throughout her reign, supporting her at engagements and organising her public diary.
Other devoted members of the Queen’s household who processed included her top aide, private secretary Sir Edward Young. There too was the Master of the Household at Buckingham Palace, Vice Admiral Sir Tony Johnstone-Burt.
After the procession had passed, the crowd outside Buckingham Palace erupted into applause. Prince William and Prince Harry's stance side-by-side will also echo scenes from Princess Diana's funeral, when the pair were pictured standing together with their heads bowed in grief.
The procession following Queen Elizabeth's coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey was to leave the Palace at 2.22pm and was expected to arrive at Westminster Hall at 3pm. A 20-minute service is being led by the Archbishop of Canterbury accompanied by the Dean of Westminster.
Princes Harry and William have a well-documented troubled relationship but the death of their grandmother saw them unexpectedly come together when they viewed floral tributes left to the late Queen at Windsor Castle. William, Kate, Harry and Meghan arrived in the same vehicle and greeted well-wishers for around 40 minutes before the new Prince of Wales hopped into the driver's seat of the Audi with his wife in the passenger seat, and his brother and sister-in-law in the back.
In his televised address to the nation on Friday evening, the King talked of his love for Harry and Meghan, saying: "I want also to express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas." Then in Harry's tribute to his grandmother, released on Monday, Harry said he wanted to honour his father at the start of his reign as King.
The last time Charles and his two sons were all seen together in public was at the service of thanksgiving for the Queen in St Paul's Cathedral during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June. But on that occasion, Harry and Meghan were seated some distance from Charles and William on the other side of the aisle in the second row, behind the Wessex family and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
This was Harry and Meghan's first public appearance alongside the Windsors since they stepped down as senior royals in 2020 amid the Megxit storm.
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