William and Harry to reunite with Charles today to march behind Queen's coffin in heartbreaking echo of Diana's funeral
13 September 2022, 22:35 | Updated: 14 September 2022, 10:25
Princes William and Harry will unite with the King in a solemn walk behind the Queen's coffin as it proceeds from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, in an echo of the funeral of Princess Diana 25 years ago.
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The trio, along with the Queen's other children - the Duke of York, the Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex - will follow the coffin on foot as the Queen leaves the palace for the final time.
Princess Anne's son Peter Phillips and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence will also walk in the procession, as well as the Duke of Gloucester and the Earl of Snowdon.
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The Queen Consort, the Princess of Wales, the Countess of Wessex and the Duchess of Sussex will travel by car.
The procession will leave the palace at 2.22pm and is expected to arrive at Westminster Hall at 3pm.
A service lasting around 20 minutes will then be led by the Archbishop of Canterbury accompanied by the Dean of Westminster.
The scene will likely remind many of the funeral of Princess Diana.
Prince William and Prince Harry, aged 15 and 12 respectively, walked behind the coffin of their mother along with their father Charles.
The decision to have the youngsters playing such a key part in the funeral was very controversial.
Prince Harry has since said the experience was traumatic for him.
It comes after William and Harry put on a united front with their wives during a walkabout on Saturday.
The brothers put their strained relationship to one side last week when the death of their grandmother saw them unexpectedly come together to view floral tributes left to the late Queen at Windsor Castle.
William, Kate, Harry and Meghan arrived in the same vehicle and greeted well-wishers for around 40 minutes before William hopped into the driver's seat of the Audi with his wife in the passenger seat, and his brother and sister-in-law in the back.
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In his televised address to the nation on Friday evening, the King talked of his love for Harry and Meghan, saying: "I want also to express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas."
Then in Harry's tribute to his grandmother, released on Monday, Harry said he wanted to honour his father at the start of his reign as King.
The last time Charles and his two sons were all seen together in public was at the service of thanksgiving for the Queen in St Paul's Cathedral during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June.
The Queen's coffin arrived at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday night, after its final journey down from Edinburgh.
Mourners cheered and clapped as the hearse travelled down Constitution Hill and around the Queen Victoria Memorial before driving through the gates of the palace and through the central arch into the quadrangle.
Outriders stopped with their heads bowed at the end of the journey, while a police officer at the gate saluted.
The coffin was received by King Charles and the Queen Consort, who were also joined by Prince William, Kate and Harry, among other royals.
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Tomorrow Her Majesty will be brought to Westminster Hall to lie in state from 5pm on Wednesday.
The coffin will be borne in Procession on a Gun Carriage of The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery from Buckingham Palace.
The procession will travel via Queen’s Gardens, The Mall, Horse Guards and Horse Guards Arch, Whitehall, Parliament Street, Parliament Square and New Palace Yard.
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Mourners have already joined the queue to attend the Queen's lying in state
It will continue until 6.30am on September 19 - the day of the Queen's funeral.
Government guidance says the queue is expected to be very long, with people standing for "many hours, possibly overnight" and with very little opportunity to sit down.
