Princes William and Harry have led their cousins in a historic vigil by the Queen’s coffin, the first time a monarch’s grandchildren have taken part in the solemn ceremony.
Known as the Vigil of Princes, the tradition was first performed in 1936 after the death of King George V whose four sons stood by the casket.
Until Princess Anne joined her brothers Charles, Andrew and Edward for their vigil last week, the ceremony has only involved men.
In the great silence enveloping Westminster Hall, Princes William and Harry were joined by cousins Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and Lady Louise Windsor and her brother Viscount Severn.
At the request of King Charles, Harry was given permission to wear military uniform for the first time since the Queen died as he stood at the foot of the coffin for the 15 minute vigil.
Harry, who saw action on the front line during two tours of duty in Afghanistan, has previously been denied the chance to wear his military uniform as he publicly mourns, because he is no longer a working royal.
The Prince of Wales stood guard at the head of the Queen’s lying-in-state as a stream of mourners filed past after queueing for hours.
On Friday evening (local time), the Queen’s children — Charles, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex — took part in their own vigil.
They were all dressed in uniform, with an exception made for disgraced Andrew, who is no longer a working royal, to wear his military uniform as a “special mark of respect” for the Queen.
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie issued a tribute to their “dearest grannie”, saying how much they missed the late Queen Elizabeth and had thought she would be around forever.
“We, like many, thought you’d be here forever. And we all miss you terribly,” the sisters said in a statement.
“You were our matriarch, our guide, our loving hand on our backs leading us through this world. You taught us so much and we will cherish those lessons and memories forever. For now dear grannie, all we want to say is thank you.”
Their message concluded: “We’re so happy you’re back with grandpa.”
“Goodbye dear grannie, it has been the honour of our lives to have been your granddaughters and we’re so very proud of you. We know that dear Uncle Charles, the king, will continue to lead in your example as he too has dedicated his life to service.”
Earlier, King Charles and Prince William made a surprise visit to the lengthy queue of mourners waiting to pay their respects.
People squealed, cheered and broke down in tears after meeting the King and the Prince of Wales at close quarters in central London.
Hundreds of people who had been waiting for more than 10 hours to see the Queen lying in state were warmly greeted by Charles and William beneath sunny skies on Lambeth Palace Road.
The royals arrived unexpectedly at around 12.30pm, sending shockwaves through a tired and bedraggled crowd.
As they emerged, people surged towards the metal barriers, keen to share a few words with the King and the heir to the throne.
-with AAP
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