The Princess Royal has met members of the British armed forces who were involved in the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
Although still in a period of Royal Mourning, Princess Anne visited both Portsmouth and Aldershot on Thursday, 22nd September, to thank members of the military who helped in the funeral of her late mother.
Princess Anne’s first stop was Portsmouth Naval Base where she met Royal Navy personnel who pulled The Queen’s coffin on the state gun carriage in the funeral procession.
Her Royal Highness and her siblings, including The King, walked behind the sailors as they pulled the coffin from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey for the service.
Afterwards, the sailors once again pulled the coffin from the Abbey to Wellington Arch before the coffin was transferred to a hearse for Windsor.
The tradition that sailors pull the coffin at State Funerals dates back to 1901 at the funeral of Queen Victoria.
On this occasion, horses pulling the coffin misbehaved. As such, at all subsequent State Funerals, starting with that of Edward VII in 1910, sailors have bourn the carriage in place of horses.
Princess Anne has been Commodore-in-Chief, Portsmouth, since 2006 – an honorary appointment which was bestowed by the late Queen.
After her visit to Portsmouth, Princess Anne travelled 46 miles north to St Omer Barracks in Aldershot.
As Colonel-in-Chief of both the Royal Logistic Corps and Royal Corps of Signals, Her Royal Highness met with personnel from across the Corps who took part in te State Funeral.
The Princess thanked them for their role in providing logistical support for the funeral and other associated ceremonial duties.
