The eight pallbearers who carried the Queen’s coffin were awarded the silver Royal Victorian Medal in recognition of the important role they played at her funeral.
Spear Sergeant Alex Turner, Spear Corporal Tony Flynn, Spear Sergeant Elias Orlowski, Guard Fletcher Cox, Guard James Patterson, Guard Sergeant Ryan Griffiths, Guard Luke Simpson and Guard David Sanderson were selected to being Pallbearers of the King’s (then Queen’s) Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.
The soldiers were made recipients of the Royal Victorian Order (RVO) honors in recognition of their service to the Queen, as part of a special set of Demise awards.
Awards under the RVO are a gift from the King and are awarded independently of Downing Street to individuals who have served the monarch or the royal family in a personal capacity.
Soldiers carried the coffin draped in the Royal Standard as millions around the world watched the ceremony last September.
The eight pallbearers who carried the Queen’s coffin have been awarded the silver Royal Victorian Medal in recognition of the important role they played at her funeral.
The soldiers were made recipients of honors under the Royal Victorian Order (RVO) in recognition of their service to the Queen, as part of a special set of Demise awards.
Soldiers carried the coffin draped in the Royal Standard as millions around the world watched the ceremony last September.
The unit had a close relationship with the Queen: as a serving monarch, she held the position of company commander and conducted a personal review of the company every decade.
The work of the eight pallbearers was highlighted during the broadcast of the Queen’s funeral, with viewers describing themselves as holding their breath as guards had to carry the coffin up the steps to the West Door of Queen’s Chapel. Saint George.
Former Tory minister Eddie Hughes said: “I held my breath at every step… These guys are amazing.”
Conservative MP Tom Hunt said at the time: “I cannot imagine how difficult and emotionally challenging it must have been to have carried Her Late Majesty’s coffin just once.”
They have done it over and over again this week. With billions watching. They have made His Late Majesty and the country proud.
Carla Lockhart, DUP MP for Upper Bann, said: “In the midst of the spectacle and the occasion, eight young men quietly did their duty.
‘The weight of the world on their shoulders, the glare of the world on them, but they were flawless. ‘They took pride in themselves, their families and our country. Thank you.’
The youngest hero was Fletcher Cox, then 19, from Jersey, who finished ‘top of his class’ as a cadet aged just 15, where he received the highest accolade any young soldier can achieve in the Channel Islands. : Lieutenant Governor’s Medal. and he gave a speech where he said that his The ‘sole ambition’ was to parade for the Queen.
Guardsman James Patterson is a keen bodybuilder, whose strength came in handy as soldiers carried the heavy lead-lined coffin up the steep stairs of St George’s.
Guardsman David Sanderson, then 19, is a British soldier who served in the King’s Guard and lives in Morpeth, Northumberland.
Warden Luke Simpson, from Selston, Nottinghamshire, was eulogized by his former teachers at Ashfield School for his role at the funeral.
The unit had a close connection to the Queen: as a serving monarch, he held the position of company commander and made a personal review of the company every decade.
Pallbearers transfer Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin, wrapped in the Royal Standard, to the State Hearse at Wellington Arch in London.
Guardsman Fletcher Cox, then 19, of the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, was one of eight chosen to carry the coffin of the longest-reigning monarch in British history, and also the youngest.
First Rank Sergeant Jake Orlowski stood in front of Fletcher Cox. He was a star in the London Guards before transferring to the Grenadier Guards.
Sergeant Lance Ryan Griffiths proudly shared a photo of himself carrying the Queen and being praised by a friend who served with him in the Army.
Lance Corporal Tony Flynn was next. He married his girlfriend Hayley in July and they live in Aldershot, the garrison town in Hampshire.
The band of brothers were expertly guided by Company Sergeant Major Dean Jones, an instructor at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, where Prince Harry trained to be an officer.
Famously, the Queen checked on Harry when he was commissioned as an officer in the British Army in 2006, and they both couldn’t hide their smiles.
