King Charles is to stand vigil with his siblings over the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall on Friday evening.
The King, Princess Royal, Duke of York and Earl of Wessex will stand in silence for 15 minutes at the four corners of the catafalque bearing the late Queen’s coffin from 7.30pm on Friday evening.
It has not yet been confirmed whether the Queen’s grandchildren, including Princes William and Harry, will have their own vigil during the period of lying in state before her state funeral on Monday.
Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward made a similar mark of respect to their grandmother, The Queen Mother, at her lying-in-state in 2002 and stood vigil over the Queen’s coffin earlier this week when it lay at rest in St Giles’ Cathedral Edinburgh.
Unlike in previous public displays of mourning over the past week, when he has been dressed in civilian clothing, the Duke of York will wear his Royal Navy uniform for the Vigil of the Princes.
The disgraced prince was stripped of honorary military titles and forced to step back from royal duties because of his association with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The Palace also ruled that only active royals of military rank could wear uniforms for the procession which brought the Queen’s coffin to Westminster Hall.
However, an exception has been made to allow Prince Andrew – who served in the Falklands War – to wear uniform for the vigil “as a mark of special respect” to his mother.
During the lying-in-state, a round-the-clock vigil in six-hour shifts has been held by troops of the Household Division and Body Guards.
