The funeral of the late Queen, who died at the age of 96 at the Balmoral Estate in Scotland, will be held at Westminster Abbey in London.
Members of the royal family will all be in attendance, including the Queen’s four children, her eight grandchildren and her husband, as well as several of Britain’s prime ministers, including current and past. What the royal family wears to the funeral will be largely dictated by tradition.
King Charles will wear a full-day ceremonial uniform with medals, and will carry the red velvet and gold Field Marshals Baton, which the Queen presented him in 2012, when he earned that position.
As working members of the royal family, the Queen’s three children, King Charles, Prince Edward and Princess Anne, will all wear military uniforms and medals. According to Buckingham Palace, her grandson Prince William will also be in military uniform.
Women are expected to wear black robes and ceremonial hats, while men will wear black coats. Working members of the royal family traditionally wear military uniforms, while non-working men wear back coats, as seen last year at the funeral of the Queen’s husband, Prince Philip.
Royal dress code decisions prior to this funeral have been the source of some controversy. The Palace initially announced that Prince Harry would not be allowed to wear his military uniform as he decided to step down from his duties, Metro newspaper reported.
When he did so, he was stripped of all military titles. Once a Royal is no longer in active military service, they are considered ‘citizens’, and are therefore not allowed to wear military attire. The report said he is still allowed to wear the medallion in his black suit, as Prince Harry did during the Queen’s mourning procession.
This sparked public outcry as it was announced that an exception would be made for fellow non-functioning royal Prince Andrew, who, unlike Harry, was forced to step down, and would be allowed to wear his military uniform.
Now, the Palace has announced that Prince Andrew will only wear his uniform ‘as a special mark of honour’ at the final vigil at Westminster Hall. The report said that at the request of his father, King Charles, Harry would wear his uniform the following evening under the supervision of the Queen’s grandson.
The mourning period has been reduced these days, but black clothing sticks around. The rule is so strict that members of the royal family must always travel with a black dress in their suitcase, so if a royal dies while family members are abroad, they can wear a suit of another color. Will not be caught in public wearing clothes.
Black was briefly retired in 1938, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II’s grandmother, the Countess of Strathmore. One photo shows the Queen Mother wearing a white dress designed by Norman Hartnell to honor her mother’s passing.
CNN said in a report that the concept of “white mourning” followed the example of Mary of Scots, who was depicted in a white mourning dress after losing several family members in the 16th century.
Queen Victoria is known for popularizing the mourning dress. After the sudden death of her husband, Prince Albert, in 1861, she began wearing black. and continued to do so every day for the next 40 years, until her own death.
Since then, black has been a strict part of the royal mourning dress code. On Monday, members of the Royal Family will wear black, as has been the case since the Queen’s death was announced.
Long, dark, face-covering veils are also a common sight at state funerals, a tradition believed to have originated with Queen Victoria. For women, this means black knee-length dresses or coats and a black hat. ABC News reported that for men who are not in military attire, this means a black coat in the morning.
For Princess Grace of Monaco’s funeral in 1982, Princess Diana wore a black straw hat with a black veil.
The report said that for the Queen’s funeral, female members of the royal family are likely to follow the tradition of wearing a black veil – known as a mourning veil – that covers their face completely or partially. cover, the report said.
This story has been published without modification in text from a wire agency feed. Only the title has been changed.
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