Since Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8, the United Kingdom, the royal family, and the world have been plunged into a mourning period so deep that it will take weeks to go back to normal.
The scenes of mourners leaving flowers, cards, and stuffed animals at the gates of Buckingham Palace are reminiscent of Princess Diana’s death in August 1997. While Diana’s death obviously came as a bigger shock, it seemed as if nobody was really prepared for the Queen to die.
Despite being 96, and experiencing deteriorating health since the death of her beloved husband Prince Philip in April 2021, it felt like the Queen would live forever.
Unfortunately, that was not to be, and the royal family was united in grief this week as they walked behind the Queen’s coffin, where she will lie in state at Westminster Hall until her funeral on Monday.
In a surprisingly vulnerable moment, Prince William revealed his feelings about the procession to mourners who were lined up at Sandringham where he and his wife Kate Middleton did a walkabout.
The new Prince and Princess of Wales looked to be in better spirits than a few days ago, this time even laughing and smiling with the crowd. However, behind their smiles was clearly heartbreak at the death of William’s beloved “granny.”
Prince William reportedly told mourners it was ‘very difficult’ to walk behind the Queen’s coffin
William reportedly told a well-wisher that walking behind the Queen’s coffin “brought back a few memories,” and that it was “very difficult.” He later said, “Don’t cry now, you’ll start me off”.
It brought back memories for everyone watching as well, who may remember much younger versions of Prince William and Prince Harry as they silently walked behind their mother, Princess Diana’s coffin, 25 years ago, almost to the day.
Anyone who follows the royal family, or even picks up a newspaper these days, knows that Prince William and Prince Harry are not on good terms (and that is putting it mildly). Yet, they were united in grief as they walked side-by-side behind their father, King Charles III behind Queen Elizabeth’s coffin.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have lobbed ‘truth bombs’ at the royals since ‘Megxit’
Harry and his wife Meghan Markle quit the royal family and fled the United Kingdom to live in their own version of a palace in Montecito, California in 2020. In a move that was dubbed “Megxit” by the British press, the couple unceremoniously made their announcement via Instagram, shocking the royal family, who was not quite expecting it.
Since then, they’ve lobbed “truth bombs” across the Atlantic, starting off with an explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey in which they accused the royal family of racism.