London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Aug 11, 2026

William and Harry lead historic coffin vigil

William and Harry lead historic coffin vigil

The Queen's eight grandchildren, including the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex, have stood vigil around her coffin as she lies in state at Westminster Hall.

At King Charles's request, Prince Harry wore military uniform, for the first time since 2020.

Prince Harry has worn civilian clothes at public events since the Queen died.

It is the first time in history that the grandchildren of a monarch have taken part in the ceremony.

The King's sons William and Harry were joined by Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, the children of Princess Anne, as well as Prince Andrew's daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn, who are Prince Edward's children.

At 44, Peter Philips is the oldest of the Queen's grandchildren, while the youngest, James, Viscount Severn, is 14.

In silence and with their heads bowed, the eight cousins stood at different points around the coffin as crowds continued to file past.

Prince William stood at the head of the Queen's coffin with his brother at the opposite end.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex, the parents of Louise and James, looked on from a platform facing the coffin.

Prince Harry wore a Blues and Royals uniform


The grandchildren's vigil started at 18:01 BST and lasted for just under 15 minutes.

On Friday evening, the Queen's children, including the King, took part in a similar vigil, standing guard for about 10 minutes.

Ahead of the vigil, Beatrice and Eugenie paid tribute to their "dear Grannie", saying: "It has been the honour of our lives to have been your granddaughters and we're so very proud of you."

In a joint statement, they said the Queen was "our matriarch, our guide, our loving hand on our backs leading us through this world" and that they already miss her "terribly".

They went on: "Thank you for making us laugh, for including us, for picking heather and raspberries, for marching soldiers, for our teas, for comfort, for joy.

"You, being you, will never know the impact you have had on our family and so many people around the world.

"The world mourns you and the tributes would really make you smile. They are all too true of the remarkable leader you are."

The pair told the Queen they were "so happy you're back with Grandpa" and added that "our dear Uncle Charles, the King, will continue to lead in your example as he too has dedicated his life to service".

The vigil on Saturday was the first time Prince Harry had been seen in military uniform since stepping back as a working royal in 2020.

He served two tours in Afghanistan as part of the Army. He now lives in California with his wife Meghan and their two children.

The Duke of Sussex was wearing the Blues and Royals No 1 uniform, the same uniform as his brother.

Prince William has completed more than seven years of full-time military service, including three-and-a-half years as a search and rescue pilot.

Prince Harry stood at the opposite end of the coffin to his brother, the Prince of Wales


Prince Andrew was also allowed to wear his military uniform as he stood guard on Friday. The 62-year-old stepped down as a working royal in 2019, after facing questions over his relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The prince was later stripped of his military titles.

Earlier on Saturday, Prince William and his father King Charles went to Lambeth, south London to shake hands and greet people queuing to view the Queen lying in state.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex conducted their own walkabout outside Buckingham Palace.

The Queen will lie in state at Westminster Hall until her funeral on Monday.

The queue to see the coffin stretches as far as Southwark Park and has previously seen wait times of over 24 hours. Officials have warned that the queue will be closed before 06:30 BST on Monday, so that people do not join the line and fail to reach Westminster Hall in time.

On Saturday afternoon, organisers announced that the accessible queue has reached full capacity, with all time slots now allocated.


Watch: The Queen's grandchildren take part in the historic vigil


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Manufacturing Output Records Fourth Straight Month of Growth
UK Condemns Russian Torture of Ukrainian Prisoners and Recruitment of Foreign Nationals
Long-Lost Royal Navy Warship HMS Tiger Found in English Channel After 118 Years
Northern Ireland Finance Minister Seeks Urgent Treasury Talks Over Regional Budget Pressures
UK Government Targets Subscription Traps and Misleading Discounts in New Consumer Rules
Alleged Cartel Boss Daniel Kinahan Extradited From Dubai to Face Criminal Charges
AI Chatbots Challenge Traditional News Consumption and Raise Job Concerns
Andy Burnham Government Promises Crackdown on Exploitative Business Practices
UK University Funding Model Faces Growing Pressure From Unsustainable Student Debt
Government Urged to Subsidise Energy Bills for Vulnerable UK Households
UK Military Spending Plans Threaten to Deepen Infrastructure Funding Gap
Israeli Government Rejects US Peace Framework for Gaza
New Labour Government Signals Closer Economic and Strategic Ties With European Union
Amber Heat-Health Alerts Issued Across England as Temperatures Threaten 36 Degrees
UK Economy Expected to Grow Despite Energy and Supply Chain Shock From Iran Conflict
Foreign Social Media Accounts Drove Disinformation During Belfast and Southampton Riots
Record Number of Migrants Cross English Channel in Single Vessel as Smugglers Deploy Mega-Dinghies
Russia’s A7 Builds a State-Linked Payments Network Beyond Western Sanctions
Reports of Mark Zuckerberg-Linked Superyacht Declining Rescue Assistance Draw Maritime Scrutiny
Preserving Three Banksy Artworks in London Has Cost Taxpayers Nearly £150,000
Four Ugandan Athletes Disappear From Delegation After UK Sporting Events
French Authorities Report Channel Interventions as Cross-Border Migration Dispute Continues
Home Office Admits Error in Settled Status Case Involving Long-Term Italian Resident
Unite Calls for Independent Review of UK Budget Watchdog's Fiscal Forecasting Rules
Thinktank Calls for £175 Annual Energy Bill Cut for Low-Income Households
Foreign-Linked Social Media Accounts Amplified Recent Unrest in Belfast and Southampton, Analysis Finds
London Mayor Sadiq Khan Orders Westminster to Drop Proposed Soho and West End Hospitality Ban
Royal Navy Deployments to Monitor Russian Activity in UK Waters Rise 25 Percent
UK Economy Expected to Grow 0.4 Percent in Second Quarter Despite Geopolitical Pressures
Andy Burnham Launches Cost-of-Living Measures Targeting Subscription Traps and Misleading Discounts
Hyper-Realistic Reborn Dolls Draw Collectors Seeking Comfort and Craft
Gen Z Cuts Back on Dating as a Night Out Nears $200
Patients Turn to Artificial Intelligence for Therapy as Psychiatrists Warn of Privacy and Clinical Risks
Couples Embrace ‘Sleep Divorce’ to Protect Rest and Reduce Tension
Meta Ordered to Pay $567 Million and Change Facebook and Instagram Safeguards for Children
Up to only 10 Months in Prison for Swedish Officer’s Murderer Sparks Anger
Success: Nvidia Turned Gaming Chips Into the Engine of the AI Boom
Jorge Messi, Lionel Messi’s Father and Longtime Agent, Dies at 68
AI’s Next Bottleneck Is Power, Not Just Nvidia Chips
Advertising trick: Pepsi’s Harrier Jet Commercial Led to a $700,000 Court Fight
Meta Raises AI Spending Target to as Much as $145bn Despite Pressure Over Returns
Danube Drought Exposes Nazi Wrecks and Pushes Central Europe’s Power System to the Brink
Joe Biden’s Cancer Has Spread Beyond His Bones, Hunter Biden Says
Air Traffic Control Outage Grounded Flights Across the Midwest
Why 2027 Could Be a Strong Year for Stocks—and Why the Forecast Is Fragile
Why Markets May Look Quiet in August After Big Tech Earnings
Partial Solar Eclipse Expected to Draw Interest Across Southwestern UK
UK Graduate Job Postings Fall 7% as Entry-Level Opportunities Remain Scarce
UK Private Sector Returns to Growth as July Activity Reaches Highest Level Since April
UK Summer Drought and Wildfires Raise Pressure for Stronger Environmental Measures
×