The news of Queen Elizabeth II’s passing on September 8 sent shockwaves across the globe and ushered in a time of grief for people all over the world, including those who had known Her Majesty personally as well as those who looked up to her as a role model.
A tweet from royal writer Charlie Proctor suggests that over the course of the next four days, there will be around 750,000 visitors paying their respects at the queen’s casket. According to MyLondon’s reporting, large crowds have also gathered outside Buckingham Palace since Queen passed away, which has resulted in the closing of a nearby metro station.
Flight searches from the United States to London have increased by over 50 percent after it was revealed that the late king had passed away. Mourners from all over the world are expecting to be able to pay their respects in the United Kingdom (per Reuters).
Obviously, a terrible event has brought together hundreds of thousands, or perhaps millions, of people all across the globe, and it has also brought members of the royal family closer together. After engaging in a rivalry over the course of the previous several years, the grandsons of the queen, William, Prince of Wales, and Harry, Duke of Sussex, reunited on September 10, and it was a sad occasion for both of them. Both of them, together with Catherine, Princess of Wales, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, welcomed the throng that had gathered outside of Windsor Castle. Catherine is the Duchess of Wales. Meghan is the Duchess of Sussex.
Now, in memory of their late mother, the queen’s children have gotten together to form a group as well.
According to Express, it seems as if Queen Elizabeth II’s children have been keeping their distance from one another for many years. To begin, there is a significant age difference between the eldest and youngest members of the royal family, King Charles III, Anne, Princess Royal, Andrew, Duke of York, and Edward, Earl of Wessex. The gap between the ages of the oldest and youngest members of the family is around 16 years. In addition, MailOnline mentions the competition and divergences in interests that have caused Elizabeth’s children to become estranged from one another. And of course, Prince Andrew’s position in the royal family has been destroyed as a result of the sexual assault case that he was involved in. This event most certainly increased the distance that already existed between him and the rest of his siblings.
However, in a manner reminiscent of the recent reconciliation between William, Prince of Wales, and Harry, Duke of Sussex, the four of them came together to form a guard of honor around the casket containing the queen. A funeral procession was led through Edinburgh by King Charles III and his three younger siblings as they made their way to St. Giles Cathedral to pay their respects to their deceased mother (via AP News). At this location, the King, Anne, Andrew, and Edward all took part in what was known as the “Vigil of the Princes,” during which they paid their respects to the deceased by standing in a line alongside the coffin (a historic moment for Princess Anne).
According to Hello!, Charles and Anne were the only ones present at the time of their mother’s loss, while Andrew and Edward arrived shortly after (Charles and Anne were reportedly the only two present at the time of their mother’s loss). The four reportedly came together once news broke of the queen’s deteriorating condition.