The Important Role The Guard Of Honor Plays In Queen Elizabeth's Funeral
It's been a busy few days for the U.K. troops following the heartbreaking death of Queen Elizabeth II. Her death signaled the beginning of a series of protocols and events, and a core part of it involved the Royal Regiment of Scotland and the British Army.
On Monday, September 12, the Royal Regiment participated in ceremonies to transport the queen's coffin from Balmoral Castle to Edinburgh. Nick Borton, Lieutenant General, Royal Regiment of Scotland, noted that when the soldiers found out about Her Majesty's death, they had "dropped everything" to return to Edinburgh to start practicing their drills in preparation for the ceremonies. "It's been a tremendous honour. It's been very hard work. The soldiers have been working tremendously hard since Friday to gather together all the right uniform, and then relentlessly practise [sic] their drill to the high standards required in order to provide the ceremonial surroundings for the events that are going on," he told The Independent. He added that, to them, it wasn't mere work.
"For us, it's not just a military task, we're saying goodbye to our Commander in Chief and our Colonel." The British Army also noted that the regiment formed a Guard of Honour to deliver their farewell salute to the queen.
Britain's military is preparing for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II
Now that Queen Elizabeth II's remains are in London, British soldiers are pulling all the stops to prepare for the funeral taking place on September 19 — which can be watched through various platforms. The soldiers are gathering in the wee hours of the morning dressed in full uniform to conduct a complete rehearsal of the event while the general public is asleep. The troops have reportedly been rehearsing non-stop for days to ensure that everything will be perfect. "For everybody on parade it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," major general Christopher Ghika told The Guardian. "It's a very sad day but it's our last opportunity to do our duty for the Queen, and our first opportunity to do our duty for the King."
Per Insider, the funeral will involve a procession that takes 25 minutes to walk, with 500 members of the military confirmed to take part. The whole affair will be televised as the queen's coffin travels to St. George's Chapel in Windsor, where she will be laid at her final resting place alongside her husband, Prince Philip.