Prince George and Princess Charlotte will join other members of the Royal Family – and 2000 invited guests – for Queen Elizabeth II's funeral this morning. It will no doubt be a somber experience for the young royals, who also attended a memorial for their great-grandfather, Prince Philip, earlier this year.
Previously, royal fans had questioned whether the Wales children would be in attendance at the funeral, given their age. However, it was confirmed overnight that nine-year-old Prince George and seven-year-old Princess Charlotte would be at the service to say their goodbyes to their great-grandmother. The pair will also form part of a procession with the Royal Family, following the Queen's coffin as it enters the church at Westminster Abbey.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte's younger brother, four-year-old Prince Louis, is not expected to attend the funeral service. Similarly, there has been no official word on whether Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children – three-year-old Archie Harrison and the Queen's namesake, Lilibet Diana – will be there either.
At the service, the newly-appointed Prince and Princess of Wales will walk ahead of George and Charlotte, who fondly called the Queen "Gan Gan". They will be followed by their uncle and aunt, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, along with other members of the Royal Family including Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
Over the weekend, the Queen's grandchildren held a history-making vigil at Westminster Hall, where Her Majesty's coffin had been lying-in-state since Wednesday. For 15 minutes, Prince William – who is now first-in-line to the throne – stood at the head of the coffin, while Prince Harry stood at the foot. Both brothers wore full military uniform after a "dramatic u-turn" on the decision to prohibit Harry from doing so.
The pair were joined by their cousins, the Queen's six other grandchildren – Zara Tindall, Peter Phillips, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn. The scene marked the first time in British history that the grandchildren of a monarch have taken part in the vigil ceremony, according to the BBC.
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On Friday evening, a similar vigil was attended by Her Majesty's four children: King Charles III, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, who all dressed in their military uniforms.
Our thoughts are with all those mourning Her Majesty at this emotional time.
