The Queen’s grandson James, Viscount Severn, remained stoic as he stood guard over Her Majesty’s coffin tonight, prompting some royal fans to draw comparisons between him and a young Prince William.
The display, and his sandy blond hair, prompted some royal watchers to point out a likeness between James and a 15-year-old Prince William at Princess Diana’s funeral.
One tweeted: ‘Young James Viscount Severn looks so much like Prince William when he was of a similar age and having to go through so much pain publicly, such a brave young man #Respect.’
Another posted: ‘Is it me, or does James, Viscount Severn look like a young Prince William here. Reminiscent of Diana’s funeral, walking behind the coffin.’
Another posted: ‘Is it me, or does James, Viscount Severn look like a young Prince William here. Reminiscent of Diana’s funeral, walking behind the coffin.’
A third added: ‘James Viscount Severn looks so much like: William, Edward, Phil, Harry, even the Queen. My eyes were glued to him that whole time.. at 14 to do that so stoically, fair play.’
Mourners come together in a period of national and international grief
A group of friends have epitomised the unity shown over the last ten days since the death of the longest serving British monarch.
Last night, the friends were seen handing out hot drinks to mourners as they queue to see the Queen lying in state at Westminster Hall.
The current queue length is at least 15 hours with warnings issued about cold conditions over night.
Last night, the Queen’s grandchildren stood vigil for around 15 minutes, led by Prince William and Prince Harry.
Queen will be carried on same 123-year-old carriage that Victoria’s coffin almost toppled off of
The Queen’s coffin will be carried to Westminster Abbey on a 123-year-old gun carriage towed by 98 Royal Navy sailors, in a tradition dating back to the funeral of Queen Victoria.
On the day of Victoria’s funeral in 1901, her coffin was to be carried on the gun carriage through the streets of Windsor but, in the bitter cold of that February day, the horses which were going to pull it panicked and reared, threatening to topple the coffin from the carriage.
Captain Prince Louis of Battenberg, the future First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy, intervened and suggested to the new king, Edward VII, that the senior service should step in.
Once this was agreed, the horses were unharnessed and improvised ropes were attached to the gun carriage, which weighs 3,000kg (2.5 tonnes), and the team of sailors was brought in to ensure the coffin was carried safely for the rest of the route.
Only nine years later, at the funeral of Edward VII, the new routine became enshrined as a tradition which has been followed at all state funerals since, including those of kings George V and VI, Sir Winston Churchill and Lord Louis Mountbatten – the son of Captain Prince Louis of Battenberg.
