The grandchildren of
Queen Elizabeth II gathered around her coffin on Sept. 17 to pay their last
respects to the beloved monarch and matriarch ahead of her funeral on
Sept. 19.
All eight of Elizabeth’s
grandchildren, including King Charles’ sons, Prince William and Prince
Harry, stood vigil for 15 minutes at Westminster Hall, where the queen lies in
state.
William, the newly titled
Prince of Wales, stood at the head of the coffin with Princess Anne’s
children, his cousins Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, each standing by his
side.
Harry, Duke of Sussex, stood
at the foot with Prince Andrew’s daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess
Eugenie, flanking him. Meanwhile, the children of Prince Edward, Lady Louise and
James, Viscount Severn, each stood to the sides of the coffin.
When the vigil was completed,
the grandchildren filed out of the hall behind William, moving in perfect
synchronization.
NBC News royal contributor
Suzannah Lipscomb noted that this was the first time the grandchildren have
done a vigil like this.
“It is a real honor that
they are giving to their grandmother,” she said.
At the request of the king,
both William and Harry wore their military uniforms to the solemn event — which
marks a change from prior funeral plans.
As a non-working royal,
Harry, like Andrew, won’t be wearing his uniform at the funeral. In fact, he
wasn’t expected to wear his uniform at all, as a spokesperson for the
prince announced earlier this week, until the king’s request.
“(Harry has) been asked
by the king to wear (his) uniform as a mark of respect for the queen,”
Lipscomb said. “The uniform is conveying honor on the monarch (he is)
revering and whose vigil (he is) carrying out, as opposed to the wearer.”
