It was one of the most emotional moments of the days following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Two years ago, King Charles solemnly led his siblings into Westminster Hall for the ‘Princes’ Vigil’.
Charles and Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward stood in stoic silence around their late mother’s coffin for ten minutes as her body lay in state.
Four days earlier, they had performed the same ritual at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, where Queen Elizabeth’s coffin initially rested following her death on September 8.
The tribute dates back to the death of King George V in 1936, when the monarch’s four sons stood guard around his coffin.
The day after Charles’ tribute alongside his brothers, the Queen’s eight grandchildren, including the warring Princes William and Harry, held their own vigil.
King Charles III holds a vigil with his siblings for their mother, the late Queen Isabel
Charles leads his siblings Princess Margaret, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward into Westminster Hall on September 16, 2022
Prince William leads vigil for the Queen’s eight grandchildren on September 17, 2022
Charles wore a Navy admiral’s uniform, Anne wore a colonel’s uniform of the Blues and Royals and Edward wore the uniform of an honorary royal colonel of the Royal Wessex Yeomanry.
Unlike the previous vigil, where Andrew wore a morning suit, the outcast Duke of York, who was stripped of his armed forces patronages in early 2022, was dressed in the full uniform of a Royal Navy vice-admiral.
He was given special permission to wear the military uniform as a “last sign of respect” for his mother.
The Queen’s coffin had been lying in state since September 14, after being brought from Scotland.
Charles stood at the head of the coffin while Edward and Anne (the first royal woman to hold the vigil) guarded the sides and Andrew stood at the foot.
The brothers then stepped forward before turning around to stand guard with their heads bowed for about 10 minutes.
Charles wears a Navy admiral’s uniform while his brothers follow him, also in military uniform.
Prince William stands at one end of the coffin while the other grandchildren stand on either side and Harry stands at the other end.
Prince Harry, who wears military uniform for the first time as a non-working royal, follows his brother
Meanwhile, the public continued to file past the coffin.
The following evening, Prince William led Prince Harry, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Zara Tindall, Peter Phillips, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn, in a final royal vigil.
At 6 p.m. on September 17, they descended the steps one by one and took their places around the coffin.
Everyone was dressed in black, with Prince William and Harry wearing military uniforms.
Harry has previously not been allowed to wear his uniform to public mourning events because he is not a working royal, but sources said the King decided his youngest son could wear military fatigues for the vigil.
Both he and William wore a Blues and Royals uniform, while the Duke also displayed the KCVO Order of the Collar and Star, the Afghanistan Operational Service Medal, the Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilee medals and the Army Pilot’s Wings.
Standing with their heads bowed, the eight grandchildren maintained a 15-minute vigil.
Prince Harry, Princess Eugenie and James, Viscount Severn, pay their respects to their grandmother.
Prince William wore the Garter Sash, the Garter Star, the Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilee Medals and RAF Pilot’s Wings.
There was silence as the audience watched, the only sound being the grandchildren’s footsteps on the stone.
Prince William was at one end of the coffin while Prince Harry was at the other, the remaining grandchildren taking their places along the side.
All eight bowed their heads in respect as the mourners continued to move around the room in silence.
The then Earl and Countess of Wessex also attended the vigil for their grandchildren.
At 6.15pm, three bells rang out and the grandchildren ended their vigil, marching out in synchronised steps with Prince William leading the way.
The then Earl and Countess of Wessex look on as their grandchildren hold a vigil.
Prince Harry stands at the end of his late grandmother’s coffin.
The Queen remained awake until the morning of 19 September and hundreds of thousands of people queued through the night to pay their respects to the late monarch.
At its peak, the queue was 10 miles long, of which 6.9 miles was the distance between Westminster and Southwark, plus a three-mile zigzag queue in Southwark Park.
Both Britons and foreigners embraced the long, slow procession through central London to enter the solemn hall amid freezing temperatures.
David Beckham, who queued for 14 hours to pay his respects, was among the celebrities waiting in line.
Also in attendance was a 96-year-old war veteran who watched the funeral of the Queen’s grandfather, George V, in 1936.
