Princes William and Harry reunite alongside Queen’s other grandchildren for emotional vigil

London: The late Queen’s eight grandchildren,led by heir to the throne Prince William,have staged a moving vigil in Westminster Hall as members of the public filed past the late monarch’s coffin.

The Prince of Wales stood guard at the head of the casket as the eight grandchildren surrounded the catafalque in an emotional tribute which matched the efforts of their parents - the Queen’s four children – the previous evening.

It was the first time the 15-minute ceremony known as the Vigil of the Princes had been held by a sovereign’s grandchildren. It was first carried out in 1936 when King Edward VIII and his three brothers,Princes Albert,Henry and George,stood by the coffin of their late father,King George V.

Prince Harry,who undertook two tours of Afghanistan,was granted permission by his father,the King,to wear his military uniform during the 15-minute appearance.

It was previously announced that the Duke of Sussex,who served in the army for 10 years and rose to the rank of Captain,would be denied the right to wear uniform at all ceremonial events during the mourning period given he is no longer a working member of the royal family.

The Prince of Wales led his brother and cousins Zara Tindall and Peter Philips,Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie,and Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn into Westminster Hall.

William wore the Blues and Royals No 1 uniform,the Garter Sash,the Garter Star,the Golden,Diamond and Platinum Jubilee Medals and RAF pilot wings. He completed more than seven years of full-time military service,training as a search and rescue pilot in 2009.

He was followed in by Harry,with Beatrice and Eugenie behind. The two young children of Prince Edward,the Earl of Wessex and his wife Sophie,the Countess of Wessex,followed. At the end of the procession were the two children of Princess Anne,the Princess Royal and Queen’s only daughter.

Beatrice and Eugenie,the daughters of Prince Andrew and Sarah,the Duchess of York,were both dressed in black. The pair had earlier released a deeply personal letter to their “dearest Grannie”,thanking the late Queen for cherished memories from teatimes to picking heather.

The pair said they had cried and laughed while remembering their grandmother in the week since she died at Balmoral,in the Scottish Highlands,aged 96.

“You were our matriarch,our guide,our loving hand on our backs leading us through this world. You taught us so much and we will cherish those lessons and memories forever,” they said.

“Thank you for making us laugh,for including us,for picking heather and raspberries,for marching soldiers,for our teas,for comfort,for joy. You,being you,will never know the impact you have had on our family and so many people around the world.”

Mourners in London have remained undeterred and prepared to wait as long as it takes to see the Queen lying-in-state,amid warnings of a 24-hour queue and government warnings not to travel into the city.

The lying-in-state ends at 6.30am on Monday ahead of the Queen’s state funeral at Westminster Abbey later that morning.

Those waiting in the queue faced temperatures of 7 degrees just before 7am on Saturday,at which time the official queue tracker advised the public not to make the journey. Despite regularly checking the tracker,mourners went against advice to travel to pay their respects to the late monarch.

London Ambulance Service figures showed in the 12 hours to midnight on Friday evening,275 people were treated,with 39 of them taken to hospital.