Celebs who attended Queen Elizabeth II’s state burial on Monday at Westminster Abbey included Bear Grylls and Sophie Winkleman.
Before the monarch’s burial ceremony at 11 am, 48-year-old TV personality Grylls was spotted waving to the crowd of observers that had gathered outside the Abbey.
Following Her Majesty’s passing on September 8 at the age of 96, Harry gathered with other Royals and international leaders inside the chapel to say her last goodbye.
Before being named an Officer of the British Empire in 2019, Grylls, who had multiple encounters with the Queen as a result of his job as Chief Scout, had already paid respect to the Royal.
I was fortunate to meet the Queen on a variety of times, from the wonderful nights she threw for Explorers at Buckingham Palace to sitting next to her at supper one time when she bestowed my OBE, the man stated.
“Whenever we engaged in Scouting activities, she brightened up the most when I first met her.” I believe she was most pleased to represent that organization.
I particularly recall taking her up and down the lines in 2012 as she examined every Queen’s Scout,” he said.
‘At this point, all that could be seen on her face was a large, beaming grin. She just liked watching young people get opportunities and training based on timeless principles like compassion, loyalty, friendship, and respect.
The celebrity, who was 35 years old when selected as the youngest Chief Scout ever, has been in that position since 2015, for a second term.
Grylls joined the first attendees of the Queen’s state funeral as tens of thousands jammed the path of the procession, which reached capacity shortly before 8.30 am.
In addition to her husband, Lord Frederick Windsor, 43, and his mother, Princess Michael of Kent, 77, Peepshow actress Sophie Winkleman, 42, also attended the burial.
As they entered the church, Sophie, who portrayed Big Suze in the comic series on Channel 4, clasped arms with her heartbroken husband.
Three hours before the commencement of the service, at 8 am, the opulent oak doors of the most significant church in the UK—where Her Majesty wed Prince Philip and received her coronation—opened.
As billions were witnessed, Her Majesty’s state burial, 2,000 royals, international leaders, and hundreds of members of the public started coming into Westminster Abbey.
The majority of the VIPs travelled by coach, gathering at the Royal Hospital Chelsea before boarding a bus to Central London. Needham Zahawi, Ben Wallace, and Jacob Rees-Mogg were among the first visitors, along with other former and current British officials. However, US Vice President Jo Biden rode in The Beast, his bomb-proof vehicle, to the Abbey.
Tom Parker Bowles, the son of the Queen Consort, Camilla, came for the ceremony two hours after his mother and father, Michael and Carole Middleton, who are the parents of Kate, the Princess of Wales. Despite their tight ties to the Royal Family, they were on a bus together as well.
Myrtle, a traditional element of royal bouquets, was utilized in the funeral flowers at the abbey. Asiatic lilies, gladioli, alstroemeria, eustoma, and the leaves of English oak, weeping birch, and myrtle sprigs were among the enormous white and green displays of blossoms.
The four towering yellow candles that typically surround the burial of the unidentified warrior at the medieval church’s entryway will be placed around the coffin.
Hardy royal supporters even disregarded the city’s ban on sleeping outdoors, setting up tents, deck chairs, and even a makeshift minibar to get prime seats for the event that will draw 2 million people to the capital. By 8.30 am, the public was informed that the procession route was occupied and that people were being diverted to Hyde Park to see on the large screens.
The Queen passed away on Thursday, September 8, at the age of 96.
According to a spokeswoman at Buckingham Palace, “The Queen passed away quietly at Balmoral this afternoon.” The King and the Queen Consort will spend this evening and tomorrow in Balmoral before flying back to London.
The passing of my cherished mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a time of the deepest sorrow for me and all of my family, stated King Charles III.
“We deeply lament the loss of a beloved mother and beloved sovereign. I’m certain that the nation, the Realms, the Commonwealth, and a huge number of people all over the globe will be devastated by her passing.
“My family and I will be comforted and supported by our awareness of the respect and great love in which the Queen was so universally regarded throughout this season of loss and transition,” said the king.
For many, the greatest Briton in history and unquestionably the most recognized lady on the planet, tributes flooded in for Her Majesty. She was the ultimate embodiment of Britishness to billions of people worldwide.