Fans of the royal family were reduced to tears as the Queen's eight grandchildren held a vigil around her coffin. The Prince of Wales led his brother the Duke of Sussex, as well as his cousins Zara Tindall and Peter Philips, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn into Westminster Hall early on Saturday evening (September 16).
William, who is now the Prince of Wales after the new King Charles passed down his title to his eldest son, was followed in by Harry, with the Duke of York’s daughters, the Earl of Wessex’s children and the Princess Royal’s children behind them.
Harry, who turned 38 earlier this week, was notably wearing his uniform in Westminster Hall, ahead of the Queen’s state funeral on Monday. The prince, who saw action on the front line during two tours of duty in Afghanistan, has previously been denied the chance to wear his military uniform as he publicly mourns, because he is no longer a working royal.
But royal sources say it was the King who decided his youngest son could wear his uniform during the emotional vigil. Queen Elizabeth II's grandchildren appeared sombre as they made their way down the steps before taking their positions, where they then stood with bowed heads for 15 minutes.
After a brief pause, members of the public were able to continue filing past the late monarch's coffin, paying their final respects while witnessing the royal family's very public grief.
As they watched the poignant scenes unfold, royal fans shared their thoughts on social media. @c0rrad0 tweeted: "Heartbreaking seeing the queens grandchildren having to go through this." @MLM67013469 commented: "I’m watching the grandchildren guarding and just have chills! Very moving."
@welshie1975 posted: "The queen's grandchildren, I'm not crying it dust." @nippy_sweeti said: "The Queen would be very proud of her grandchildren." @martin_youldon shared: "That’s me gone, the grandchildren’s vigil has broke me." @crowndefensx added: "Can we just put everything aside and think for a second how hard it must be for each and every one of Her Majesty's grandchildren to do this right now? My heart breaks."
It comes after the Queen’s children – Charles, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex – took part in their own vigil on Friday evening. The King, Anne, Andrew and Edward had solemn looks on their faces as they stood vigil around their mother’s coffin, with their heads bowed throughout as members of the public filed slowly past them.
READ NEXT:
- Man who rushes at Queen's coffin tackled to the ground by police and security guards
- King Charles and Prince William surprise people waiting to see Queen's coffin
- Emotional David Beckham wipes tears away as he pays respects to Queen after 12 hour queue
- Queen's funeral to be aired on three massive screens in Manchester city centre
- Tears on Channel 4 Gogglebox from Jenny and Mary as cast share reaction to Queen's death while viewers issue complaint
