With the eyes of the world on them, the eight soldiers from the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards lifted and lowered the Queen’s 500lb lead coffin at least 10 times on its journey from Westminster Hall to St George’s Chapel in Windsor. That feat alone, which at one point saw them carry the coffin up the steep steps of the 450-year-old chapel, was enough to earn them high praise – with fans across Britain declaring: “They have done our nation proud and Her Majesty. .’ But after the cameras had turned off and the Queen’s coffin had been lowered into the vault where her beloved Prince Philip lies, the hero guards had one more task – perhaps the most important of the day. According to General The Lord Dannatt, former UK Chief of the General Staff, their final task was to carry the Queen to her final resting place next to her beloved Prince Philip – 11 days after her death at Balmoral. Singling them out for praise in an op-ed in the Daily Telegraph, in which he praised Armed Forces personnel for their involvement in yesterday’s funeral, he wrote: “These young guards deserve special praise. “Even when the cameras are off at the end of the day and the last private engagement service is held at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, their task will not be over. “Deep in the Royal Vault beneath the chapel, the pallbearers will have one last unseen task – to carry the late Queen’s body to her final resting place near her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, and her father, King George VI . Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin is carried by passengers leaving the State Funeral at Westminster Abbey The Grenadier Guards carried the Queen’s coffin seamlessly yesterday, taking it safely to every point of the funeral and procession King Charles, Camilla, Queen Consort, Anne, Princess Royal, Rear Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, Sophie, Countess of Wessex follow behind from the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II with the Imperial State Crown resting on top of it being carried by passengers as it departs from Westminster Abbey The group of eight Grenadier Guards walked up the steps of St George’s Chapel in Windsor, followed by members of the Royal Family Hand in hand, the veterans made their way up the steps of St George’s Chapel as the crowd held their breath At the front, a ninth, was Staff Sergeant Dean Jones (pictured left), in exemplary fashion. The tall warrant officer, resplendent in ceremonial red cassock, walked in front of Her Majesty’s oak casket which weighed more than 500 pounds due to its lead. The married father-of-one assembled his young squad of veterans, which included 19-year-old Fletcher Cox (pictured right). The teenager, from Jersey, was at the back of the coffin both at yesterday’s funeral and during the procession with the Queen’s coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall – where the late monarch was in state for four days. According to General The Lord Dannatt (pictured), the former chief of the UK General Staff, the soldiers’ final duty was to finally lay the Queen’s body to rest – 11 days after her death at Balmoral Last night the Grenadier Guards paid their own tribute to Her Majesty following yesterday’s events. In a Facebook post, they said: “It is with a great sense of privilege, but also great sadness, that hundreds of soldiers and officers attended Her Majesty the Queen’s funeral in London and Windsor today. All eyes were on them as Queen Elizabeth II lay to rest. Once it’s all done, then these young men can relax and reflect on their very hard work, extremely well done.” The eight soldiers, at least five of whom were serving in Iraq just weeks ago, were from the 1st Guards Grenadier Battalion. At the front, leading in exemplary fashion, was Company Sergeant Dean Jones. The tall warrant officer, resplendent in ceremonial red cassock, walked in front of Her Majesty’s oak casket which weighed more than 500 pounds due to its lead. The married father-of-one assembled his young squad of veterans, which included 19-year-old Fletcher Cox. The teenager, from Jersey, was at the back of the coffin both at yesterday’s funeral and during the procession with the Queen’s coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall – where the late monarch was in state for four days. Cox was a member of his school’s Army Cadet Force and was awarded the Lieutenant-Governor’s Medal in 2018 – the highest honor that can be given to a Jersey cadet. He left the Channel Islands aged 16 to undertake military training in the UK and is now in the ranks of the Grenadier Guards. Of the group of Guardsmen who took part in the historic spectacle, five are said to have flown back from a deployment in Iraq just hours after it was announced that the Queen had died, on Thursday September 8 The herculean effort of lifting Her Majesty’s coffin and carrying it so gracefully throughout the day – without fail – left people on social media stunned. Photo: Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin is carried to St George’s Chapel for her funeral at Windsor Castle, Britain The contracting party were all the Grenadier Guards of the 1st Battalion of The Queen’s Company. The unit had a close relationship with the Queen – as the monarch’s handmaiden she held the position of company commander and personally reviewed the company every decade With the eyes of an estimated 4.1 billion people from around the world on them, the anonymous soldiers performed flawlessly, garnering the admiration of people across social media, including celebrities, who praised their professionalism. Photo: Britain’s Queen Elizabeth’s coffin arrives outside St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle The 96-year-old monarch’s custom-made lead-lined oak coffin is believed to weigh more than 500 pounds. Guards were reportedly given specially made rubber boots to stop them slipping on the smooth stone steps of the chapel, which is more than 500 years old The choir sang as pallbearers from the Grenadier Guards carried the coffin into St George’s Chapel in Windsor for the Queen’s committal The royal family and European royals watch as the coffin is carried to the altar Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin is carried into St George’s Chapel along the nave to the catafalque Pallbearers carry the coffin of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II into St George’s Chapel for a ceremony at Windsor Castle The royal family’s official Twitter account shared this heartwarming image of the last service to honor the Queen at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Jersey’s Army Cadet Force Sergeant Laura Therin told ITV last week that his former trainers were delighted and proud of all he has achieved since then:
One of Queen’s veterans is a 19-year-old Grenadier Guardsman from Jersey with a ‘passion’ to serve in the Armed Forces
One of the Grenadier Guards chosen to be a pallbearer for the Queen’s coffin is a teenager from the island of Jersey. Fletcher Cox was part of a group of the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards. The former Grainville pupil was a member of the local Army Cadet Force, where he was awarded the Lieutenant-Governor’s Medal in 2018 – the highest honor that can be bestowed on a Jersey cadet. Speaking to ITV, Jersey Army Homes Force Sergeant Laura Terrin said of Cox: “We were all surprised – seeing him was not something anyone expected of us but we are all so incredibly proud of Fletcher and his achievements. “I’ve known Fletcher since he started with the Cadets. He was always a very organized young man who lived and breathed Cadets. “He always knew he wanted to do this work – it’s always been his passion and it’s so great to see it pay off.” He said: “We were all surprised – seeing him was not something anyone expected of us, but we are all so incredibly proud of Fletcher and his achievements. “I’ve known Fletcher since he started with the Cadets. He was always a very organized young man who lived and breathed Cadets. “He always knew he wanted to do this work – it’s always been his passion and it’s so great to see it pay off.” People held their breath as the eight soldiers meticulously climbed the steep steps of St George’s Chapel, Windsor, carrying the 96-year-old monarch on their shoulders yesterday. But their day had started much earlier, even before their first public appearance at 10.30am. when they left Westminster Hall – where the Queen had been in state for four days. Her coffin was carried seamlessly into a carriage, which carried the late monarch to the state funeral at Westminster Abbey. Once outside, the soldiers resumed action to carry the coffin down the aisle of Westminster Abbey for the service. With no hint of a slip, they then carried the coffin out of the Abbey and back to the carriage, where it was carried in procession down The Mall and up Constitution Hill to Wellington Arch. With their enormous task not yet complete, the soldiers returned again to transfer the coffin to hearses to be driven to Windsor, where they undertook perhaps the most difficult task of the day – carrying the coffin up the steps to more than 500 chapel of Agios Georgios. After the coffin was lowered, the soldiers were on hand once again, helping to carry Her Majesty to her final resting place, next to her beloved Prince Philip, who was the last to die…
