Prince Willian, the new heir apparent in Britain, was seen on Wednesday in a familiar situation as one the world witnessed more than two decades ago. He, along with his younger brother, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, walked behind yet another coffin – their grandmother Queen Elizabeth II.
Speaking about the moment, William told his well-wishers that walking his grandmother’s coffin was challenging and brought back old memories. As a boy, William and Harry had captured the world’s attention when they walked in sync, with their heads bowed down, behind their mother – Princess Diana’s casket on the way to her funeral.
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On Wednesday, William and Harry walked alongside their father, Britain’s new monarch – King Charles III, behind the Queen’s coffin in the funeral procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall.
Talking to members of the public, who were sympathising with him over his loss while he viewed flowers laid outside the Sandringham Estate in eastern England, William – the new Prince of Wales, told them that the “walk yesterday was challenging”, Reuters reported.
“Brought back a few memories,” he is heard saying in a video footage of the exchange on Thursday, Reuters reported.
William and Harry were aged 15 and 12 when their mother died.
The more than 30-minute-long funeral procession on Wednesday saw Charles along with his siblings Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward walk together behind their mother’s coffin. William, Harry and their cousin Peter Phillips – Princess Anne’s son, walked behind the Queen’s children.
Peter, Harry and Prince Andrew were seen in a morning suit and not the ceremonial garb that the rest wore. Harry, who served in the British Army, including two tours of duty in Afghanistan, was not allowed to wear the military suit. He and his wife Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, stepped down as senior royals in 2020 and now reside in the United States, with their two children – Archie and Lilibet.
William and Harry, whose relationship has become strained in recent years following the bombshell interview the Duke of Sussex and his wife gave to Ophrah Winfrey in March last year, have in the past spoken openly about the lasting trauma they endured after their mother’s death at such a young age. They had said their walk behind Diana’s casket was a stoical facade they maintained despite being grief-stricken.
The Queen’s coffin currently lies in state at the Westminster Hall for the public to pay their last respects. Her funeral will be held on September 19, and several arrangements have been made for the same. Many world leaders such as US President Joe Biden, New Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Indian President Droupadi Murmu, are expected to be present at the funeral ceremony.
