London
CNN
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The other grandchildren of Prince William, Prince Harry and Queen Elizabeth II held a vigil on Saturday, as the royal family prepares to bid farewell to Queen Elizabeth II. late monarch at her state funeral.
the brothers I stood watching For 15 minutes atop the Queen’s coffin in Westminster Hall, where it has been shown to the public since Wednesday.
They were joined by Princess Anne’s children, Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, Prince Andrew’s daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and Sir Louise and Viscount Severn, who are Prince Edward’s sons. A royal source told CNN that the Earl and Countess of Wessex were present to support their children because Louise and James are relatively younger than their cousins.
A royal source previously told CNN that Harry wore a military uniform during the appearance at the request of King Charles III. As a non-working member of the royal family, he has appeared on other occasions in a morning suit.
The grandchildren’s vigil followed a similar appearance by Charles and his brothers on Friday. It comes two days before the Queen’s state funeral on Monday. The king died on September 8 after 70 years of rule, which led to a long period of mourning and a number of celebrations across the country.
William and Harry Putting aside long-term tensions To make joint appearances at some events. The two brothers and their wives Catherine, Princess of Wales and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’s exit at Windsor last weekend came as a surprise and had not been announced beforehand. William invited the Sussex family to see the Queen’s remaining memorials and greet well-wishers, a source told CNN.
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie issued a joint statement on Saturday thanking “Dear Granny” and “Dear Queen” and expressing their grief over her passing.
“We, like many, thought you would be here forever. We all miss you deeply,” Prince Andrew’s daughters said in a statement from Buckingham Palace.
“You were our mothers, our guide, our loving hand on our back guiding us through this world. You taught us so much and we will cherish these lessons and memories forever. For now, all we want to say is thank you,” said Eugenie and Beatrice. “The world grieves for you and a salute will really make you smile. They are all so true to the wonderful leader that you are,” the sisters added.
“We are so happy to have you back with my grandfather. Goodbye dear Granny, it has been the honor of our lives to be your granddaughters and we are so proud of you.
Earlier on Saturday, King Charles and Prince William, Prince of Wales, greeted members of the public queuing to see Queen lying in the state Saturday on a surprise tour of London.
the Royal family They were spotted shaking hands with well-wishers near Lambeth Bridge. Prince William appeared in high spirits as he spoke to the crowd and asked several people how long they had been waiting.
Some mourners shouted “Hip-Hop Hooray” and “God Save the King” as Charles died.
A woman carried Charles’ Paddington Bear; The imaginary bear has become associated with the Queen since she appeared in a sketch alongside the character during her platinum jubilee celebrations.
People have been queuing for hours to watch Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin since she began lying in Westminster Hall on Wednesday.
The government said the line approached its full capacity on Saturday. At lunchtime on Saturday, the government queue tracker said the current waiting time is 14 hours.
Charles III also visited the Metropolitan Police headquarters in Lambeth, London, to thank the police and emergency services officials involved in planning and executing events since the late Queen’s death.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Conde, during a media briefing on Friday, said the Queen’s funeral on Monday would be “the largest single policing event” ever undertaken by the Metropolitan Police Force in London.
On Sunday, King Charles will host a reception at Buckingham Palace for “heads of state and official guests from abroad” ahead of the late Queen’s state funeral.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan, were invited to the reception by mistake, a source familiar with what happened told CNN.
On an official state occasion, the palace said the king would be accompanied only by working members of the royal family. The source told CNN they “imagined” an administrative error. The couple was not “excluded” from the reception, as some media reported.
A spokesman for the Sussex family did not comment.
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