The Countess of Wessex was moved to tears on Saturday evening as she and Prince Edward watched their two children stand vigil at the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II.
Lady Louise, aged 18, and Viscount Severn, aged 14, joined their six cousins in Westminster Hall to stand vigil while the late Queen is Lying-in-State.
An emotional Countess watched on as her children stood at either side of the coffin in remembrance to the monarch of 70 years.
The Wessex children are the two youngest of The Queen’s grandchildren.
They were joined in the vigil by the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Sussex, Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
This is the first time the grandchildren of a monarch have ever stood vigil. They were following in the footsteps of their parents, King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward, who stood vigil in Westminster Hall on Friday evening.
Their vigil lasted fifteen minutes during which hundreds of people who had been queuing for hours filed slowly past the catafalque, some bowing their heads, others crossing themselves and many just standing for a few moments in contemplation.
On top of the coffin, the Imperial State Crown and the Orb and Sceptre glowed in the candlelight next to a wreath of white flowers.
The whole family will come together to mourn Her Late Majesty on September 19th 2022 at her State Funeral. There will later be a Service of Committal at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor followed by a private burial service later that day.
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