Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral took place yesterday and saw her pallbearers receive widespread praise for how well they did their jobs.
It’s now been revealed that the heroic Grenadier Guards finished their epic 12-hour shift with a final, touching act for Her Majesty.
Heroic pallbearers at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral
Yesterday saw the Queen‘s pallbearers become something of national heroes following their incredible shift during the funeral.
The team of troops from the Queen’s Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards carried her coffin into Westminster Abbey without fault.
Over the course of their 12-hour shift, they lifted and put down Her Majesty’s coffin several times.
What makes this even more incredible is the fact that the lead-lined coffin reportedly weighed 226kg.
One moment yesterday saw them lift Her Majesty’s casket up the steep stairs of St George’s Chapel in Windsor.
This feat alone saw them receive widespread praise, with some saying that they’d done the nation proud.
The pallbearers’ job didn’t finish when the cameras stopped rolling though.
They had one more, important, task to complete before their shift was over.
Pallbearers’ last task at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral
According to General The Lord Dannatt, the UK’s former Chief of the General Staff, the pallbearers’ final task was to move the Queen into her final resting place.
The Queen was laid to rest alongside her late husband, Prince Philip, inside in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, which is a small building within St George’s Chapel.
This move comes 11 days after her passing at Balmoral in Scotland.
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Lord Dannatt said that the pallbearers deserve praise.
“Even when the cameras are switched off at the end of the day and the final private service of committal is being held at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, their duty will not be over,” he said.
“Deep in the Royal Vault under the chapel, the pallbearers will have one final unseen duty — to move the late Queen’s body to its final resting place close to her husband, The Duke of Edinburgh, and to her father, King George VI,” he continued.
“Once all is complete, then these young men too can relax and reflect on their very difficult job, extremely well done.”
Nation praises pallbearers
The pallbearers – some of whom were flown back from active duty in Iraq following the Queens’ passing – received widespread praise.
“The parents of those young pallbearers carrying the Queen’s coffin this morning must be immensely proud,” one royal fan tweeted.
“Possibly the first coffin they have ever carried, they must be so nervous but doing an amazing job as with all those young men in uniform there today.”
“Amidst the pageantry and occasion, eight young men silently went about their duty. The weight of the world on their shoulders, the glare of the world on them, but they were flawless. They did themselves, their families, and their country proud. Thank you,” another said.
“These lads were faultless – such a difficult duty carried out impeccably,” a third wrote.
Some even called for the pallbearers to be knighted following their impressive shift during yesterday’s funeral.
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