A royal biographer has claimed “everything went wrong” during the only rehearsal for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022 and was buried more than a week later on September 19. She was laid to rest next to her husband, Prince Philip, who died the year before. The royal couple are buried in George VI Memorial Chapel, Windsor. However, Elizabeth’s final journey may not have gone so smoothly if there hadn’t been a rocky complete practice run, according to a new book.
Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral rehearsal was a ‘comedy of errors’
Robert Hardman writes in his new book, King Charles, Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story, about the practice run. He says many things were “out of step” from the very beginning. It was so bad that one of the queen’s bodyguards, a Gentlemen at Arms, was nearly crushed during the procession. The funeral was rehearsed in the dark hours of September 19, which may not have helped matters.
Hardman claimed, “everything that could go wrong … go wrong.”
He was told by Garrison Sergeant Major “Vern” Stokes, who was in charge of the ceremonial and military parts of the end-of-life celebration for the monarch, the rehearsal was “a comedy of errors.” This is because there was only time for one full run-through before the actual event.
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The guardsmen and the Royal Navy recruits, who were carrying the two-tonne gun carriage, had different step speeds. This caused the procession to separate from the coffin. This was further complicated when one of the bodyguards went the wrong way and was almost crushed to death between the carriage and Wellington Arch.
Hardman added: “It was a minor miracle there were no major glitches on the funeral day itself.”
What did the royals say about Queen Elizabeth II’s death?
Following Queen Elizabeth’s death and throughout the 10 days of mourning, including the funeral, her family paid their respects to her in social media posts and statements. The king made a speech on TV, while his son William released a statement.
The Prince of Wales and Kate Middleton shared a short and sweet tribute to their grandmother and grandmother-in-law following her passing. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), they wrote: “Goodbye to a Queen, a mother, a grandmother and a great grandmother.”
In a lengthier statement, Prince William opened up about losing his grandmother.
He said: “She was by my side at my happiest moments. And she was by my side during the saddest days of my life. I knew this day would come, but it will be some time before the reality of life without Grannie will truly feel real”.
Meanwhile, Charles, 75, said in a brief but heartfelt statement: “The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family.
“We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.”
Meghan Markle ‘wasn’t allowed to see the queen’ on her deathbed
Prince Harry has claimed, as the Queen fell ill, his wife was refused to accompany him to Balmoral. In his explosive memoir, Spare, he claims it was down to his father not wanting Meghan Markle there.
He penned: “He [Charles] said I was welcome at Balmoral, but he didn’t want… her. He started to lay out his reason, which was nonsensical, and disrespectful, and I wasn’t having it. Don’t ever speak about my wife that way.”
According to reports by the Daily Mail, the now monarch believed it would be “nonsensical and disrespectful” to allow Meghan to see Her Majesty in her final hours at Balmoral, Scotland. He is later said to have apologized, but Meghan did not travel with Harry, 39, to Scotland.
However, the Duke also wrote his father explained Kate was also not attending, explaining no ‘wives’ were making the trip to Scotland.
At the time of her passing, Harry shared a statement of his own which read: “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.”
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