Who are the Queen's pallbearers? 8 members were flown back from Iraq
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: The Queen took her last journey from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, being carried by pallbearers from the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, whose company commander was the late monarch
The eight soldiers, who had been on placement in Iraq, carried the Queen's coffin, although normally six soldiers would be sufficient. The coffin is reportedly made from oak with brass fittings and lead lining and weighs anywhere between 250kg and 317kg, so two additional soldiers were needed. Her oak casket was fashioned about 30 years ago.
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The Grenadier Guards, the oldest unit in the army, was founded in 1656 as Lord Wentworth's Regiment to guard Charles II while he was in exile. The Queen was taken to Westminster Hall on Wednesday, September 14, by the guardsmen to lie in state for four days.
Ben Tubuna, a young Fijian soldier who was specifically picked to be one of the pallbearers for the service in Edinburgh last week, was the only guard whose identity could be determined. Tubuna was spotted assisting in carrying the coffin as it entered St Giles' Cathedral outside the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
Tubuna, a resident of Inverness and a soldier in Edinburgh's Royal Regiment, hails from the Rewa province. The 21-year-old expressed gratitude for the opportunity to take part in the historic event. He told Fiji Times, "I felt blessed that being a Fijian, I was given such an important task. But I accepted it with humility because this is my job – it is a role I have to fulfil as a soldier."
Proud moment for this young lad from Rewa Ben Tubuna pic.twitter.com/FHCmks5slF
— Teresa Mendoza (@aintyocuppatea) September 11, 2022
The Queen will remain in Westminster Hall until her funeral on Monday, September 19. She is now formally lying in state. A rotating team of bodyguards will maintain a constant guard over her coffin over the following days. Public mourners are allowed to walk past the Queen's coffin in silence and with respect, but they are required to maintain a certain distance.
After her funeral on September 19, Queen Elizabeth II will be reunited with her husband and former family members when she is laid to rest. Queen Elizabeth will be buried at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. For the first time, cameras will be permitted inside a British monarch's burial on Monday. The procession of King George VI's funeral, although not the service itself, was broadcast on television in 1952.
