The Fan-Favorite Royal Who Was Noticeably Absent From The Queen's Funeral
As the official funeral service began for Queen Elizabeth II, everyone was scanning the crowd to see who was invited, who was attending, and who was absent. The crux of the guest list is the royal family, but beyond them, about 2,000 others were sent invitations to the funeral (via DW). The millions watching from their television screens got glimpses of leaders from other countries including United States President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
And while these leaders are important, many are mainly interested in the family, specifically the children. A few days before the funeral, many of the queen's children and great grand-children were shown paying their respects by visiting her coffin in Westminster Hall, per People. The children stood by their parents to mourn their great-grandmother, but as the day of the funeral approached, many wondered which of those children would be present for the service. At the start of the funeral, one fan-favorite royal was noticeably absent from the proceedings.
The Prince and Princess of Wales' youngest son was not at the queen's funeral
As the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II began on September 19, all eyes were on the attendees. According to Hello!, William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales were followed by their children, Prince George of Wales and Princess Charlotte of Wales. But noticeably absent was their youngest child, four-year-old Prince Louis of Wales.
While many were weary about the decision to leave Prince Louis out of the funeral, it was for good reason. People noted the royals likely felt that Louis was too young to attend the momentous occasion. It may also have something to do with Louis' previous attendance at the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, where he was playful and unable to sit and focus, as most four-year-olds would do (via Hello!). But William and Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales, have not kept their youngest in the dark — Louis reportedly had a heartbreaking reaction to the queen's death. When speaking with children at Windsor Castle, Kate told the crowd that Prince Louis of Wales said "at least Grannie is with Great-Grandpa now," proving his understanding of what is occurring. Hello! reported that Prince Louis was likely with his nanny, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, while the rest of the family attended the service.