King Charles III to lead vigil for his mother with his three siblings tonight

The Queen's sons and daughter will stand vigil tonight

Author: Sonia NyathiPublished 16th Sep 2022

Tonight, King Charles III and his three siblings will stand with the Queen's coffin during her official lying in state vigil.

The King, alongside the Princess Royal, Prince Andrew Duke of York and Prince Edward Earl of Wessex will hold a 15-minute vigil in Westminster Hall in honour of their mother.

All the siblings will be in military uniform including Prince Andrew, although he is a non-working royal he has been granted permission to wear his attire out of respect for her Majesty the Queen.

King Charles' children and grandchildren to attend vigil

After the senior royals have attended the vigil, King Charles has requested that the Queen’s eight grandchildren be allowed to participate in the vigil as a mark of respect.

Harry, who was active on the front line in Afghanistan, has so far been denied the chance to wear his military uniform because he is no longer a working royal.

But royal sources said that at the King’s request, both Prince William and Prince Harry will be in uniform at the vigil.

The Prince of Wales will stand at the head of the coffin and the Duke of Sussex at the foot.

William will be beside his cousins Zara Tindall and Peter Philips, while Harry will be with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, with Lady Louise and Viscount Severn at the centre of the coffin.

The Queen will be laid to rest beside her husband

Her Majesty's state funeral will be on Monday morning at 11am and will be broadcast across the world.

After the funeral, the Queen will be laid to rest in King George VI's chapel in Windsor next to her beloved late husband the Duke of Edinburgh.

The Queen & Prince Philip

The Royal Wedding

The newly married Princess Elizabeth and Duke of Edinburgh wave from the balcony of Buckingham Palace on their wedding day. They married on 20 November 1947 at Westminster Abbey, having announced their engagement in July 1946.

The Coronation

Waving from Buckingham Palace, this time as the newly coronated Queen and Consort of the Monarch. The Queen's coronation took place on 2 June 1953, following the death of her father, King George VI the previous year.

Silver Wedding Anniversary

Their Royal Highnesses celebrating their Silver Wedding Anniversary at Balmoral in Scotland in 1972.

The new millenium

Prince Philip kisses the Queen as they celebrate entering a new millennium. In the year 2000, they celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary.

Duke of Edinburgh receives honour from Queen

In 2013, the Queen presented her husband, Prince Philip, with the Order of New Zealand, the country's highest honour. This was awarded alongside the Queen's birthday honours list in 2012, on the advice of the New Zealand Government.

Sharing a smile

The couple have been frequently caught sharing a smile or a laugh when carrying out visits and Royal duties. Their daughter-in-law, the Countess of Wessex once noted that the success of the pair's relationship was founded in laughter and support. She said: "they make each other laugh, which is half the battle, isn't it?"

Prince Philip's funeral

After 73 years of marriage, Prince Philip passed away aged 99. The Queen had to sit on her own for the funeral due to social distancing rules in place at the time. The Queen described the death of the Duke of Edinburgh as leaving "a huge void" in her life.

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