at the head and in uniform

The rumor that has accompanied the visit of the British to the room where the body of Elizabeth II is found has suddenly ceased when eight of Elizabeth II’s grandchildren have solemnly entered to guard the body his grandmother.

To the head, Prince William and his brother Harrydressed in military uniform, and behind them the princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, daughters of Andrew; the two sons of the Earls of Wessex, Louise and James; and the retinue was closed by the offspring of Princess Anne, Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips. The latter is the oldest of the grandchildren (44 years old) compared to only 14 for James, Viscount Severn.

When they have reached the place where the coffin is, Guillermo has occupied the head and Harry has been placed right at the back of the coffin. Keeping the mourning and with the head bowed, the eight grandchildren of Isabel II wanted to show the respect of the whole family towards their grandmother. The vigil lasted 15 minutes.

[Decenas de miles de personas rinden tributo a la reina Isabel II: las imágenes de la capilla ardiente]

On Friday afternoon, his parents, Elizabeth II’s four children, participated in an identical ceremony around the coffin of the monarch. This is the first time in history that the grandchildren of a sovereign carry out what is known as the Vigil of the Princes.

One of the biggest questions was whether Harry would wear military uniform, since in the ceremonies for Isabel II he has not carried it as he is not a member of royalty with official tasks, despite having spent ten years in the Army and having participated in operations in Afghanistan. Finally, at the request of his father, he wore a military uniform at the vigil, like his brother Guillermo.

“You were our matriarch”

The princesses Beatrice and Eugeniegranddaughters of Queen Elizabeth II, honored this Saturday the memory of their grandmother, who died at the age of 96, whom they described as her “matriarch”.

“We, like many people, thought you were going to be here forever. We are going to miss you terribly. You were our matriarch, our guide, the gentle hand on our backs that led us through this world“, expressed the princesses in a joint statement.

The daughters of prince andrew They stressed that they had not been able to “express in words” many of their emotions since they learned of the queen’s death on Thursday, September 8.

Since then “there have been tears and laughter, silences and conversations, hugs and loneliness, and a collective sense of loss for our dear queen and our dear granny“, declared Beatriz, 34, and Eugenia, 32.

“All we want to say to you is thank you. Thanks for making us laugh, for including us, for picking heather and raspberriesfor the military marches, for our teas, for the warmth, for the joy”, is added in the note of the princesses.

Both emphasize that his “dear uncle Carlos, the king”, will continue the “example” of Elizabeth IIsince “he too has dedicated his life to service”.

mass bath

Charles III and his eldest son, Prince William of Wales, went this Saturday to two points in London to greet and speak with thousands of people who have been waiting for their turn for hours in the long queue to say goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II.

Both the 73-year-old monarch and the 40-year-old heir to the throne spoke slowly and shook hands with numerous people who were lining up on the south bank of the River Thames.

“Thank you for waiting so long in the queue. It’s incredible, “Guillermo expressed to one of the groups with whom he stopped to chat. “They’re already more than halfway there, they’ve almost arrived, thank you very much,” he added.

The authorities warned early this Saturday that the journey from Southwark Park, where the line begins, to the Palace of Westminster, where the remains of Elizabeth II lie since Wednesday, could be lengthened up to 24 hoursalthough the live monitoring carried out by the Ministry of Digital Affairs and Culture calculated a waiting time of 14 hours at noon.

It is estimated that when the burning chapel closes its doors on Monday morning, before the state funeral for the British sovereign for seven decades, they will have passed in front of the coffin about 400,000 people.