Queen: Russell Myers explains timings of coffin procession

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Prince Andrew will wear military uniform for the last vigil at the Queen’s coffin as the late monarch lies in state at Westminster Hall. Unlike other senior royals, the Queen’s second son, who served as an officer in the RAF during the Falklands War, will not wear military uniform at the funeral on Monday. It is understood the Duke of York will wear military uniform as a mark of respect for the Queen, who as monarch was head of Britain’s Armed Forces.

Prince Harry has said he will not be wearing military uniform as he honours his grandmother.

A spokesperson for the Sussexes said: “Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex will wear a morning suit throughout events honouring his grandmother.

“His decade of military service is not determined by the uniform he wears and we respectfully ask that focus remain on the life and legacy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.”

Only working royals are being allowed to dress in uniform at ceremonial occasions marking the death of Britain’s longest serving monarch. Andrew’s wearing military uniform today is believed to be an exception.

The Imperial State Crown and a wreath of flowers will be placed on top of the Queen’s coffin as Her Majesty is taken in a procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall where she will lie in state.

King Charles III will follow the coffin on foot, joined by the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Sussex, the Duke of York, Princess Anne and the Earl of Wessex.

William and Harry’s participation in the procession will be a poignant walk for the brothers who as children followed the coffin of their mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, afer she died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.

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It is also another occasion where the siblings will have appeared together in public after they reunited for a walkabout in Windsor with their wives on Friday.

The Queen’s coffin will be placed on a gun carriage of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery and taken through central London to Westminster Hall, a building dating back to 1097 and the oldest on the parliamentary estate.

King Charles will walk in silence behind the carriage with members of the Royal Family.

William’s wife Kate and Harry’s wife, Meghan, will travel by car as will King Charles’ wife Camilla, who is now Queen Consort.

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With much of central London closed to traffic, large crowds are expected to line the route to watch the procession, which will be accompanied by guns firing every minute at Hyde Park. Parliament’s Big Ben bell will also toll.

When the cortege reaches Westminster Hall, the coffin will be carried inside by soldiers from the Grenadier Guards and placed on a catafalque.

There will be a short service led by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Four days of lying in state will then begin until the funeral on Monday, September 19.

As many as 750,000 mourners are expected to file past the coffin during its period of lying in state with people already queuing to pay their final respects.

The Government has warned people they face a long wait.

Today’s event comes after King Charles and his siblings held a silent vigil at the side of the Queen’s coffin as it lay at rest in Edinburgh’s St Giles Cathedral on Monday.

Ahead of that vigil, the King, Princess Anne, the Earl of Wessex and Prince Andrew followed their mother’s coffin along the Royal Mile to the cathedral.

While Andrew was dressed in a mourning suit, his siblings wore military uniform. A senior palace official described Wednesday’s event as relatively small and personal.

The full-scale, ceremonial procession on the day of the Queen’s funeral is likely to be one of the biggest the country has ever seen.

A host of world leaders, royals and dignitaries have confirmed they will attend the funeral. These include US President Joe Biden, Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern, Canada’s PM Justin Trudeau, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain and Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland.

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