Seating arrangements during the Queen’s ceremony at St George’s Chapel on Monday September 19, which followed a state funeral at Westminster Abbey in London attended by 2,000 mourners, saw the king sit in the front row of the second series alongside his wife Camilla. , Queen Consort. The King’s seat was normally paid for by the Queen, who sat in the second row for notable events such as the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in May 2018 and the wedding of Princess Eugenie to Jack Brooksbank in October 2018. The British monarch, who has ruled for 70 years, also sat in the dais during her husband Prince Philip’s funeral. During the ceremony, which took place on April 17, 2021, the Queen followed Covid precautions as she sat alone in the second row. The seat in front of the Queen, and now King Charles, has been left empty due to royal protocol so as not to block the view of the proceedings. Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams previously told the Independent: “The seat in front of the Queen is always empty and she has a favorite place in St George’s Chapel” after it was left vacant during Princess Eugenie’s royal wedding. Following the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Mr Fitzwilliams also clarified that the vacancy is not a tribute to a departed loved one, as many have suggested. The Queen sat alone in her seat during Prince Philip’s funeral (Getty Images) “During Harry and Meghan’s wedding, some mistakenly thought the empty seat was intended as a tribute to Diana,” Fitzwilliams said. The Queen was known to prefer the second row seat (Getty Images) During the Queen’s time at St George’s Chapel, King Charles and the Queen Consort were joined by his sister Princess Anne and brother Prince Andrew and their respective families. Prince Harry and Meghan joined the Prince and Princess of Wales, and their two eldest children, Prince George, nine, and Princess Charlotte, seven, in another pew. Prince William and Prince George’s seats, which were next to each other and closer to the altar, indicated their status as the two next in line to the throne, according to People. The seating arrangement during the engagement comes after Prince Harry and Meghan sat in the second row, behind other members of the royal family, during the Westminster Abbey service for the Queen earlier in the day. After the engagement ceremony, the Queen’s coffin was lowered into the royal vault.
