George & Charlotte WILL attend Queen’s funeral after Wills & Kate intervened giving kids chance to say goodbye
PRINCE George and Princess Charlotte will be at the Queen’s funeral today — their chance to say goodbye to the woman they called “Gan-Gan”.
Their late inclusion is believed to be the idea of parents William and Kate who believed it important they attend the historic occasion.
George, nine, and Charlotte, seven, will be the youngest mourners at their great-grandmother’s state funeral in Westminster Abbey.
They will walk behind their parents — and in front of Harry and Meghan — as they follow the Queen’s coffin inside.
New details of the ceremony — which will be watched by four billion people worldwide — were released last night, along with a never-before-seen photograph of the smiling Queen.
Before the service, a tenor bell will be tolled every 60 seconds for 96 minutes — the number of years the Queen lived.
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It was revealed the coffin will be carried on a Gun Carriage from Westminster Hall, where it will leave at 10.44am after Lying-in-State there for four days.
The procession will be led by King Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort and followed by senior royals.
It will arrive at Westminster Abbey’s west gate at 10.52.
A bearer party will carry the coffin into the Abbey – which was also the venue for the Queen’s wedding in 1947 and her coronation six years later.
An 84-strong procession will then follow the coffin inside, including flag-bearers, pallbearers, religious leaders and 18 members of the Queen’s family.
The King and Queen Consort will walk directly behind the coffin.
They will be followed by Princess Anne, her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, Prince Andrew, and the Earl and Countess of Wessex.
Other members of the family who were not in the first procession — including George and Charlotte — will then join at the door of the Abbey.
Charlotte will walk in behind her mum and in front of Meghan. On Charlotte’s right-hand side will be George who will be behind his dad and ahead of his uncle Harry.
A late decision was made to include George and Charlotte, who attended hand-in-hand with their parents at the thanksgiving service for Prince Philip in March.
A source told : “As parents they have, of course, thought long and hard about whether their children should accompany them.
“Of course little Louis is too young, but they think George and Charlotte are up to it.”
Their names appear in the order of service which The Sun reprints today so readers can follow the historic service from home.
They are also expected to attend the committal service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle at 4pm today, but have not yet been named on the order released last night.
Their younger brother Louis, four, will not be at either service.
The entire funeral ceremony will be screened live on television to an estimated worldwide audience of four billion people.
The 2,000 mourners inside include heads of state, foreign royals and nearly 200 key workers and volunteers.
They have been asked not to take photos or videos while a new relaxed dress code allows women to wear trouser suits.
Those serving in the Armed Forces are required to wear ceremonial uniform, with mourning bands, but must not bring their swords.
Harry and Andrew cannot wear military uniform after being stripped of their titles.
The service is due to start at 11am. It will be conducted by The Very Reverend David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster.
He will tell those gathered of the Queen: “With gratitude we remember her unswerving commitment to a high calling over so many years as Queen and Head of the Commonwealth.
“With admiration we recall her life-long sense of duty and dedication to her people. With thanksgiving we praise God for her constant example of Christian faith and devotion.
“With affection we recall her love for her family and her commitment to the causes she held dear.”
A specially commissioned choral piece called “Like as the hart” — inspired by the Queen’s Christian faith — will be performed before PM Liz Truss gives a reading.
That will be followed by the hymn, “The Lord’s my Shepherd” which was sung at the Queen’s wedding to Prince Philip in 1947.
At 11.55am, the Last Post will be sounded by State Trumpeters, followed by a two-minute silence across the UK.
God Save The King will be sung before a lament, played by the Queen’s Piper, brings the service to an end at around 12pm.
The funeral procession will then make its slow and sombre way through London past thousands of grieving well-wishers at Buckingham Palace and onto Wellington Arch.
Last night a never-before-seen photograph of the smiling Queen was released by her family on the eve of her funeral.
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She is seen wearing her Aquamarine Clip Brooches, a gift on her 18th birthday by her father King George VI.
It was taken in May for a collection to mark her Platinum Jubilee celebrations for serving 70 years on the throne.