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The Queen’s Grandchildren Stand Vigil, Palace Luncheon, Walkabouts, & More

The Queen’s Grandchildren Stand Vigil, Palace Luncheon, Walkabouts, & More

Queen Elizabeth II’s grandchildren stood vigil beside her coffin tonight as the Royal Family had another busy day in London.

Below, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice as they arrived at Westminster Hall for tonight’s vigil.

The eight grandchildren as they came down the steps into the hall.

And made their way across the enormous space. 

The Prince of Wales led the group, followed by the Duke of Sussex, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, the Wessex children, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn, and Zara Tindall and Peter Philips. 

Prince William and Prince Harry were in their Blues and Royals uniforms.

More from Forces News

The Duke of Sussex wore a Blues and Royals No 1 Uniform, KCVO Neck Order and Star, Afghanistan Operational Service Medal, Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilee medals and Army Pilot Wings.

The Prince of Wales also wore the Blues and Royals No 1 uniform but with the Garter Sash, the Garter Star, the Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilee Medals and RAF pilot wings.

Prince William. 

The grandchildren as they are about to step onto the platform holding the catafalque.

Below, Zara Tindall, Lady Louise, and Princess Beatrice.

A brief video. 

James, Viscount Severn, is the youngest grandchild at age 14 and Peter Phillips, 44, is the oldest.

Watching from the balcony, James and Lady Louise’s parents. 

A brief video of the Earl and Countess. 

Princess Beatrice and Prince Harry.

Members of the public continued to file past the coffin during tonight’s vigil. 

I received some questions wondering why the Princess of Wales wasn’t at Westminster. This piece from The Mirror has more.

It is understood that most of the spouses of the Queen’s grandchildren – including the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Sussex – are not in attendance to allow the cousins to come together on their own to mourn.

Mike Tindall, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank are also among the royal spouses not taking part tonight, and they will remain at their respective homes in Windsor. The 15-minute vigil lets mourners continue to file past the Queen lying-in-state, while the royal grandchildren honour their ‘Grannie’ in person.

Peter Phillips and James, Viscount Severn.

The Prince of Wales. 

Zara Tindall.

After fifteen minutes, the grandchildren left their positions. 

The Prince of Wales and Peter Phillips as they were leaving Westminster tonight. 

Here is a 1-minute video from the Royal Family’s Twitter account. 

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Earlier today, the Prince and Princess of Wales took part in a luncheon at Buckingham Palace.

The event was hosted by King Charles for Governors-General of the Realms.

Also at the reception and lunch, the Queen Consort, Princess Anne, and her husband, Vice-Admiral Tim Laurence, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, the Gloucesters, the Duke of Kent, and Princess Alexandra.  

The Queen Consort and Princess of Wales. 

Below, the Princess and Saint Lucia Governor-General Cyril Errol Melchiades Charles.

The King is head of state for 14 Commonwealth realms.

The fourteen realms: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu.

Another view of the Queen Consort and Princess of Wales. 

The King also met with the prime ministers of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, and the Bahamas today. 

With thanks once again to Carly of Kate Middleton Style, it looks like the Princess wore Emilia Wickstead’s Jorgie Gathered Bodice Midi Dress in black. She also wore her Silver Jubilee Diamond and Pearl Earrings, the Nigel Marne pearl bracelet, and a triple-strand pearl necklace worn earlier this week. The necklace is now confirmed to have belonged to the Queen. From the one full-length photo we have, it appears she is wearing her Gianvito Rossi 105 suede pumps.  

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Also today, King Charles and Prince William spent time thanking emergency services personnel handling security operations during the 12-day mourning period following the Queen’s death. 

©Hollie Adams/Getty Images

The pair visited the Metropolitan Police’s special operations center.

More from ITV’s story. 

Officers from other police forces were also in attendance having travelled down to assist from around the country. The King also met personnel from London Ambulance Service, London Fire Brigade, Transport for London and the Army.

The Daily Mail reports, “…the King also met police staff, who he thanked for their planning and delivery of policing in the days leading up to his mother’s funeral, as well as workers at London Ambulance Service, London Fire Brigade, Transport for London and the Army.”

The King and Prince William spent time greeting people near Lambeth Bridge.

More from The Telegraph’s coverage

Mourners squealed, cheered and broke down in tears after meeting the King and the Prince of Wales at close quarters during their surprise appearance at the public queue in central London.

Hundreds of people who had been waiting for more than 10 hours to see the Queen lying in state were warmly greeted by Charles and William beneath sunny skies on Lambeth Palace Road.

The royals arrived unexpectedly at around 12.30pm, sending shockwaves through a tired and bedraggled crowd waiting to pay their respects to the Queen.

The Prince shakes Paddington’s paw. 

Here is a video. 

I believe this is the same group with Paddington seen just above; upon seeing the bear, the King asked, “Has he got the marmalade?” I also wanted to show the gentleman with the Canadian flag and say hello to our friends across the border. 

The King seemed to thoroughly enjoy himself. 

From The Daily Mail’s coverage. 

Hundreds of people in line along the South Bank near Lambeth, south London cheered and applauded as Charles and William emerged, with many shouting ‘hip hip hooray’ and ‘God Save the King’ as the royals passed by. Many took photographs and pressed against the metal barriers, eager to exchange a word with the King and the heir to the throne as they shook hands with those closest. 

As the Prince of Wales shook the hands of mourners, he said: ‘It means an awful lot you’re here. She [the Queen] would never believe this. You’ll make some friends for life [those who have met in crowd’. Revealing that his wife Kate Middleton and children George, Charlotte and Louis were ‘ok’ and ‘all united in grief’, William also said that he became emotional seeing his grandmother’s corgis, adding: ‘They are being looked after – they have gone to a very good home’. 

We return to The Telegraph’s piece.  

The late Queen would “never have believed” the sight of the queue to see her lying in state, the Prince of Wales has said, as he praises the unity and new friendships forged through mutual grief.

The Prince…said seeing the number of people wanting to pay their respects was “quite emotional”. 

“She would never have believed all this,” he told wellwishers of his grandmother. “It seems to be uniting everyone and bringing everyone together.”

One more photo from the walkabout. 

And a screengrab of a social media post from the Kensington Palace Twitter account this afternoon.  

Here is the Queue Tracker as of 6pm EDT. 

And the scene at Tower Bridge. 

Overnight rehearsals continue for Monday’s State Funeral. Below, members of the Grenadier Guards at Victoria Barracks after taking part in a full ceremonial rehearsal early this morning.

Almost 6000 UK armed forces are taking part in Monday’s events.

In a social media post, the British Army noted, ” It has never been more important for our soldiers to look their best than for Her Majesty The Queen’s funeral. Every soldier and unit involved rehearsed last night to ensure Her Majesty receives the honour she deserves.”

The line for breakfast at Victoria Barracks following the rehearsal. 

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Also today, a statement from Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice. Here is the text of their full statement.  

VIDEO

The Telegraph offers full coverage of tonight’s vigil in this 25-minute video. 

Here is six minutes of coverage coverage of the grandchildren’s vigil. 

Heads of state are paying their respects to Her Majesty. This video includes Justin Trudeau (Canada) and Anthony Albanese (Australia) at Westminster Hall. 

This video shows a rehearsal on Thursday, I believe. 

 

Just one element of the military operation is covered in this video about preps for the service, with thanks to Patricia Treble for the tip

Four minutes+ coverage of the overnight rehearsal. 

A video as Royal Family members left today’s luncheon at Buckingham Palace. 


 

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Emily

Sunday 18th of September 2022

Kate looks amazing, and I love that she's wearing those pearls. There's just something undefinable about wearing pearls that have been loved and cared for so well--they gleam in a whole different way. The Wessex family has always been one of my favorite royal families, but they've risen into the stratosphere of my estimation this week. I loved Louise's horse head necklace tribute to her Granny.

ElizaMo

Sunday 18th of September 2022

There is so much to keep up with and I deeply appreciate your comprehensive and responsible reports. There is some wild stuff going round out there and it is a great help to come here for a rational approach.

It looks as if Catherine is making those superb pearls her own, I love how different the look on her from when the Queen wore them. They are most eye-catching in a respectable way on a plain black dress, though once again Catherine doesn't hesitate to adopt some subtle tailoring details to relieve the monochrome. The pictures of her in animated discussion with our new Queen are a delight.

I was very moved by the beautiful vigil with grandchildren. I think young James may have stolen the show. It was a great achievement for the family to pull this small ceremony with such dignity at this time. It was also an inspired move by the King and the Prince of Wales to greet members of the incredible Queue.

DuchFan

Sunday 18th of September 2022

I'd had a question about whether Prince George might attend HM's funeral, and a CNN analyst just reported that this had been discussed but no decision made yet. I think I can see both sides: he's very young, and overwhelm is such a possibility or likelihood. Yet I wonder if many would love to look back and see that Her Majesty, King Charles, the Prince of Wales, and Prince George had all been together on this momentous day in the history of the current royal family, the House of Windsor, the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth, and indeed the world. Maybe my inner history buff is shushing my inner mom!

Susan

Sunday 18th of September 2022

@DuchFan, Prince George and Princess Charlotte will attend the Windsor service, but will not have any official role.

Mrs Cambridge

Sunday 18th of September 2022

@DuchFan, Both Prince George and Princess Charlotte will be there. They won't walk in the long street procession, but will ride in a car with their mother and the Queen Consort. Once they get to the cathedral, they will walk in with their parents following the coffin. Whether they also will attend the committal service at St. George's is yet to be determined.

Emily

Sunday 18th of September 2022

@DuchFan, He's going. The order of service has been released, and for the funeral he's walking in procession with Charlotte (procession into the abbey proper, I believe), behind their parents and ahead of the Sussexes. I'm glad they're both going.

Katie

Sunday 18th of September 2022

Thank you for your coverage! At a later date when you do a post about fashion, I was hoping for your insight into the granddaughters at the Vigil of the Princes. Do you think there was a reason all four of them chose headbands instead of other headpieces? Or just a coincidence?

BethE

Monday 26th of September 2022

@Katie, I don’t think it’s a coincidence, and it’s something I’ve been pondering since the event. I think great care was put into the “optics” for photos of them individually and as an ensemble from every angle. A couple of thoughts: They stand with their heads bowed during the vigil. So, while the event is certainly not about being “seen”, headbands keep their individual faces visible. This is an historic moment that will be documented in so many ways. I think being able to see the faces was important to them. In the ensemble processing in and out, the headbands keep everyone’s silhouette roughly similar, promoting a cohesive look among the men and the women. A single broad-brimmed hat could throw off the symmetry of the procession visually. And 4 of them would certainly make the gentlemen look like uneven negative space. Again, this is purely from a composition / optics consideration of the ensemble. It’s not a question of etiquette, since hats of all sorts have been worn to formal events. Regardless of the “why”, it is almost certainly a coordinated choice.

Katie

Tuesday 20th of September 2022

@Larissa, I read an article (can't remember where or I would link it) that said black hats and headpieces were in short supply or completely sold out across London. I haven't had the time to examine everyone's hats closely from all the different events, but I was curious if there was any sharing of hats among the royal ladies for all the different events. If I remember correctly, the article said Lady Louise was wearing a hat Kat has worn in the past for several engagements.

Larissa

Monday 19th of September 2022

@Katie, I was also wondering the same. It certainly seemed like a coordinated effort. I would also love to know more about Beatrice's coat – it looked so familiar.

admin

Sunday 18th of September 2022

That's a terrific question, Katie, one I have not yet pondered.🤔

Marina Konst

Sunday 18th of September 2022

Thank you Susan for the amazing work you are constantly doing in this site. Through the last weeks with all these very busy and hectic events going on simultaneously, this has been the only site where I can find perfect accurate holistic and moving information all at once. Excellent coverage. Good luck with the day that's following. And my heart is to those waiting for so long at the queue.

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