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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Alice Peacock & Sophie Buchan

Queen Elizabeth II: Royal procession changed as 'favourite grandson' moved

The Queen's funeral is set to take place next Monday (September 19) at 11am and already millions of mourners up and down the country have been paying their respects.

On Wednesday (September 14), the Queen's coffin made its way from Buckingham Palace for the last time to be brought into Westminster Abbey, where she will lie in state.

Members of the Royal Family walked united following the cortege with Prince Harry and William standing side by side.

READ MORE: Queen's favourite TV show that she liked so much she could even 'recite one-liners'

On April 9 of last year, Prince Philip passed away at the age of 99 and during his funeral, the brothers were separated by their cousin and son to Princess Anne, Peter Phillips. However this year there was a change to allow them to stand together.

Peter, the Queen's eldest grandchild, keeps a low profile compared to his cousins Prince William and Prince Harry with the 43-year-old said to be the Queen's 'favourite' grandson, according to claims by Royal insiders and as reported by the Mirror.

Directly behind the coffin during its transportation to the Abbey, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex walked to the left, with Prince Andrew, the Duke of York to his right, Princess Anne to Andrew's right and Charles III, Britain's new King, beside Anne.

The second row of the royal procession comprised Peter Phillips on the far left, with Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex in the middle and Prince William, the new Prince of Wales, to his right.

King Charles III expressed his love for Meghan and Harry as he addressed the nation following the death of his mother, the Queen. (PA Media.)

Anne's husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, walked behind Peter Phillips, while Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, walked behind Harry and David Armstrong-Jones, the second Earl of Snowdon, was behind Prince William.

The Queen Consort, Princess of Wales, Countess of Wessex and Duchess of Sussex travelled by car. The pace and route were carefully mapped out to allow the procession to reach Westminster Hall at precisely 3pm.

Silence fell among the thousands-strong crowd as King Charles, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex appeared solemn as they walked behind the coffin. The royals moved in time to the imposing funeral marches, in step with one another and the troops.

Charles, in his Field Marshal uniform, held onto the end of his Field Marshal Baton, which was presented to him by his mother when he became Field Marshal in 2012. The coffin was wheeled along The Mall on a gun carriage as the procession made its way to Westminster Hall.

A crown was placed on a purple cushion on top of the coffin which glistened in the afternoon sunshine. (PA Media.)

The crown was positioned in front of a wreath made up of white roses, spray white roses, white dahlias and a selection of foliage, including pine. And as the procession moved onto The Mall in central London, the grieving public threw yellow roses into the road as the gun carriage passed them.

The procession poignantly passed the statue of the Queen’s parents King George VI and the Queen Mother which overlooks The Mall.

Prince William and Prince Harry's stance side-by-side will also echo scenes from Princess Diana's funeral, when the pair were pictured standing together with their heads bowed in grief.

William, Kate, Harry and Meghan arrived in the same vehicle and greeted well-wishers for around 40 minutes before the new Prince of Wales stepped into the driver's seat of the with his wife in the passenger seat, and his brother and sister-in-law in the back.

In his televised address to the nation on Friday evening, the King talked of his love for Harry and Meghan saying: "I want also to express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas."

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