It was an emotional time for royal family members as they walked behind the Queen’s coffin which was taken from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on Wednesday in a solemn procession. Prince William and Prince Harry, Kate and Meghan attended the 20-minute service at Westminster Hall before leaving the building and being escorted off the premises. It was not just the Queen’s grandchildren who were mourning her death but their spouses too. The Princess of Wales, 40, and the Duchess of Sussex, 41, seemed to be blinking back tears before Her Majesty’s coffin was raised on a catafalque reports PEOPLE.
The Duchess of Sussex also paid a subtle tribute to the late monarch at the procession. Meghan paired her black ensemble with a pair of pearl-and-diamond earrings, which were gifted to her by Her Majesty. The Queen presented Meghan with a jewelry piece in honor of their first solo outing together in 2018. At the time, the duo spent the night together aboard the royal train to Cheshire, some 200 miles away from London, where they met with community leaders and watched a performance by local school children, reports PEOPLE.
The Suits actress revealed that she enjoyed meeting the Queen and after meeting her a couple of times she described her as an “incredible woman” to BBC. She said, “It’s incredible, I think, you know, a) to be able to meet her through his lens, not just with his honor and respect for her as the monarch, but the love that he has for her as his grandmother, all of those layers have been so important for me so that when I met her I had such a deep understanding and of course incredible respect for being able to have that time with her. And we’ve had a really – she’s – she’s an incredible woman.”
Following the death of his grandmother, Prince shared a moving statement on the Archewell Foundation website. “In celebrating the life of my grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen—and in mourning her loss—we are all reminded of the guiding compass she was to so many in her commitment to service and duty. She was globally admired and respected. Her unwavering grace and dignity remained true throughout her life and now her everlasting legacy. Let us echo the words she spoke after the passing of her husband, Prince Philip, words which can bring comfort to all of us now: ‘Life, of course, consists of final partings as well as first meetings.'”
The Duke reminisces the times his grandmother was part of many milestones in life addressing her saying, “Granny, while this final parting brings us great sadness, I am forever grateful for all of our first meetings—from my earliest childhood memories with you, to meeting you for the first time as my Commander-in-Chief, to the first moment you met my darling wife and hugged your beloved great-grandchildren. I cherish these times shared with you, and the many other special moments in between. You are already sorely missed, not just by us, but by the world over. And as it comes to first meetings, we now honor my father in his new role as King Charles III.” The 38-year-old also thanked his grandmother for her “commitment to service,” her “sound advice” and her “infectious smile” He concluded the statement writing, ” We, too, smile knowing that you and grandpa are reunited now, and both together in peace.”
The Queen passed a little over a year, 15 months to be precise, after her consort, Prince Philip, aged 99, passed away. The two had been married for 73 years, reports ABC News. Queen Elizabeth II will be buried in the King George VI Memorial Chapel at St George’s Chapel in Windsor. Her husband’s body will be moved from the Royal Vault so that the late couple can be laid to rest together. The late Queen’s family including her father King George VI and the Queen Mother are buried there, too along with the ashes of her sister Princess Margaret.
