At the tender ages of 9 and 7, Prince George and Princess Charlotte joined their parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and other family members in following Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin into Westminster Abbey Monday for her globally televised state funeral.
William and Kate are said to have thought long and hard about whether to bring their two oldest children to the funeral, where they would be in the presence of world leaders and seen around the world. The Telegraph said their appearance at the funeral would mark “the biggest moment of their young lives.”
The couple decided the children were ready after senior palace advisers told them that it would send a powerful symbolic message for the future of the monarchy to have them attend, The Daily Mail reported. That’s especially the case for George, who became second in line to the throne with the queen’s death at age 96 on Sept. 8. Charlotte is now third in line to the throne.
As the Daily Mail said, George just overcame “the daunting prospect” of starting a new school. Now he is “the future of the monarchy.”
Attending Monday’s funeral would also give George and Charlotte a chance to say goodbye to the queen, who they affectionately called “Gan Gan,” the Daily Mail said.
George and Charlotte arrived at Westminster Abbey with their mother. She gently touched their shoulders as she directed them inside. Mother and daughter also wore special jewelry to honor the queen. Kate wore a triple-string pearl choker that was part of the queen’s personal jewelry collection, while Charlotte wore a small brooch in the shape of a horseshoe; the queen was known for her lifelong love of horses.
At the Great West Door of the Abbey, George and Charlotte “waited in perfect stillness” with Kate as the slow procession of the queen’s coffin made its way inside, accompanied by their father and their grandfather, King Charles, The Telegraph reported. As the coffin arrived, they bowed and curtsied.
George and Charlotte also joined other royal family members in procession behind the coffin, flanked on either side by their parents. George seemed to occasionally nudge up against his father, as if for reassurance, The Telegraph said. They also walked ahead of Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Charlotte, at age 3 and through no fault of her own, was at the center of a widely reported row between her mother and Meghan over which woman made the other cry at her bridesmaid’s dress fitting ahead of Meghan and Harry’s 2018 royal wedding.
The children maintained their composure throughout the service, but Charlotte was seen breaking down afterward, as her great-grandmother coffin was moved from the Gun Carriage that bore it away from Westminster Abbey to a hearse. She was comforted by her mother.
George and Charlotte have become increasingly visible at official events in the past year, as their parents and grandfather, the new King Charles, were no doubt preparing for the time when the widely popular queen would die and the U.K. would have to transition to a new monarch.
The children attended a memorial service at Westminster Abbey in March for their great-grandfather, Prince Philip, who died in 2021, and were seen at events celebrating their great-grandmother’s Platinum Jubilee in June. Their younger brother, Louis, 4, whose antics charmed the crowd at the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June, was said to be too young to attend the funeral.
On Monnday, George and Charlotte donned black like everyone else at Westminster Abbey, with George wearing a tailored black suit and tie, and Charlotte in black coat, hat and tights. They joined the 2,000 mourners, including hundreds of world leaders and foreign royalty as well as U.S. President Joe Biden, who gathered to reflect on their great-grandmother’s life and reign.
As millions watched around the world, the service included readings from Liz Truss, the new prime minister, and a selection of the queen’s favorite hymns and music. George and Charlotte could be seen joining others in singing the hymns.
The Archbishop of Canterbury described the children’s “Gan Gan” as having touched “a multitude of lives” and being a “joyful” figure for many, while the Most Reverend Justin Welby said the outpouring of emotion over her death “arises from her abundant life and loving service, now gone from us,” the Times UK reported.
George and Charlotte are somewhat younger than William was when he attended the funeral for his mother, Princess Diana, in 1997 at the age of 15, walking behind her coffin through London.
William revealed that the ceremonial procession of the queen’s coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall last week reminded him of the same ritual following the death of his mother, People reported.
“He said how difficult it was yesterday and how it reminded him of his mum’s funeral,” said mourner, Jane Wells, who spoke to the prince, The Telegraph reported. “Catherine said it’s just been such a difficult time for all of them, for the whole family.”
At a 40-minute walkabout outside Windsor Castle on Sept. 10, William also spoke to another well-wisher about how his children were doing with their great-grandmother’s death, People reported. Elaine Gee, a teacher from Wokingham, told William about how it had been difficult explaining the queen’s death to her primary school students.
“I told him how I work at a school and how it’s been a strange year celebrating the Jubilee and now it’s all changed and we are talking about this,” Gee told People. “He spoke about George, Charlotte and Louis, saying that they were trying to keep some sense of continuity for them at school and keep things as normal as possible.”
At the walkabout, Kate told another well-wisher that Louis had a sweet reaction to the news of Queen Elizabeth’s death, saying, “At least Grannie is with Great-Grandpa now,” The Sunday Times’ royal editor Roya Nikkhah tweeted.