Soldiers from the Queen’s Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, were chosen to carry the coffin during the service at Westminster Abbey and Windsor Castle. Although a senior officer assumed day-to-day control, the ex-sovereign’s relationship with her men was strong and they paid tribute to her while on duty. The Queen’s Society retained its name until the monarch’s repose, and would later change to reflect the new King. Major Adrian Weale, a former British army soldier, told the PA news agency: “They became the Queen’s company soon after George VI died and the Queen has been in command ever since. “Their role is to protect her body, both in life and in death, remaining the Queen’s Company until King Charles decides otherwise. “Their duties will then be transferred to the next monarch.” The coffin will be taken from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey for the service at 11am. A public procession started at 12.15 pm. as Her late Majesty’s coffin made the 1.5 mile journey from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch in London. It was then taken by the state hearse to Windsor in Berkshire, where the late Queen was laid to rest. Major Johnny Hathaway-White, 36, from Wiltshire, laid the Captain of the Queen’s Company Camp Color at Windsor Castle after placing it on a catafalque – a raised platform.
