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Original poster

Princess Anne the only female behind the hearse

538 replies

jeanne16 · 18/04/2021 07:35

While the funeral was beautiful, I couldn’t help feeling annoyed that Princess Anne was the only female to walk behind the hearse. Surely all the grandchildren could have been included. Instead we see Beatrice, Eugenie and Zara tottering along on high heels. It would have been so much better to see them take an equal place with the men.

OP posts:
MakingPlans21 · 18/04/2021 07:37

Princess Anne is often voted the hardest walking royal.

Meredusoleil · 18/04/2021 07:38

I thought it was because she's PP's only daughter?

lljkk · 18/04/2021 07:39

Was it just the descendants who had military service (or titles) who walked behind hearse?

ElphabaTheGreen · 18/04/2021 07:39

I did wonder why it wasn’t more ‘one in, all in’ with the grandchildren. Why just the three oldest?

And why was Princess Anne’s husband the only spouse? Why not Camilla and Sophie? Earl of Snowdon was a random inclusion to outsiders as well, but presumably PP’s wishes.

I wondered why they didn’t just keep it to the four children (ie Charles, Anne, Andrew, Edward) as all us plebs will do is speculate wildly (and probably inaccurately).

WhatWouldPhyllisCraneDo · 18/04/2021 07:40

Well unless we know why they didn't walk then it's moot surely?
Is it because they aren't equal? Or is it because 2 of them have fairly recently given birth and felt the walk was too much? It's easier to have no granddaughters than some granddaughters. Maybe they chose to go in the cars. I know I would.

ElphabaTheGreen · 18/04/2021 07:40

@lljkk

Was it just the descendants who had military service (or titles) who walked behind hearse?
Nope - Peter Phillips has neither.
FuckingFabulous · 18/04/2021 07:40

Because otherwise all of the guests apart from the Queen would have been walking.

Westfacing · 18/04/2021 07:41

I noticed that. Why for example was Peter Phillips there but not his sister Zara?

Arbadacarba · 18/04/2021 07:42

Why just the three oldest?

Elders taking precedence is the fundamental principle on which the Royal Family operates.

Dozer · 18/04/2021 07:44

The funeral did have a lot of examples of weird and IMO outdated UK royal rules / traditions.

JamMakingWannaBe · 18/04/2021 07:45

I don't know enough about royal protocol but presumably she wanted to / he wanted her to.

They were all due to be driven back after the service but walked instead.

If all the grandchildren had walked behind the coffin their non royal husbands would have been driven which would have been weird.

JustWonderingIfYou · 18/04/2021 07:45

I noticed that but assumed it was prince phillips choice. They did say he planned the funeral to a tee. You could imagine him discussing it with people, maybe anne specifically wanted to or it was limited numbers.
There were other spouses in the ceremony.

Oncemoretwicemore · 18/04/2021 07:45

@ElphabaTheGreen

I did wonder why it wasn’t more ‘one in, all in’ with the grandchildren. Why just the three oldest?

And why was Princess Anne’s husband the only spouse? Why not Camilla and Sophie? Earl of Snowdon was a random inclusion to outsiders as well, but presumably PP’s wishes.

I wondered why they didn’t just keep it to the four children (ie Charles, Anne, Andrew, Edward) as all us plebs will do is speculate wildly (and probably inaccurately).

Camilla and Sophie were there!
bettybattenburgs · 18/04/2021 07:47

If they had all walked then nobody would have been in the chapel with the queen until the coffin arrived.

ElphabaTheGreen · 18/04/2021 07:48

@Oncemoretwicemore

ElphabaTheGreen
I did wonder why it wasn’t more ‘one in, all in’ with the grandchildren. Why just the three oldest?

And why was Princess Anne’s husband the only spouse? Why not Camilla and Sophie? Earl of Snowdon was a random inclusion to outsiders as well, but presumably PP’s wishes.

I wondered why they didn’t just keep it to the four children (ie Charles, Anne, Andrew, Edward) as all us plebs will do is speculate wildly (and probably inaccurately).

Camilla and Sophie were there!

Yes, but we’re talking about who did/didn’t walk behind the hearse. Why was Anne’s the only spouse to walk was what I’m saying.

Thatwentbadly · 18/04/2021 07:49

@Oncemoretwicemore Camilia in the high lights video I saw on the bbc

ineedaholidaynow · 18/04/2021 07:49

@Oncemoretwicemore think that poster is saying why did Princess Anne’s husband walk but other (female) spouses didn’t

terrywynne · 18/04/2021 07:52

As with many things involving the royal family, I would guess tradition...

State/ceremonial funerals have been updated and adapted over the centuries but you can trace elements of them back to the 'heraldic funerals' of the 15th and 16th century. One feature of those was that you would have a smaller number of 'mourners' following immediately behind the hearse in the procession and that they would always be the same sex as the deceased. This necessarily meant that you could end up with close relatives excluded in favour with more distant connections of the right sex.

I haven't looked at the procession of every funeral since then (!) but George VI for example only had two men walking behind the hearse for the final part of his procession.

Obviously this is now the 21st century so I imagine you would do longer automatically exclude the deceased daughter but I suspect the same principal of having a restricted number of mourners immediately behind the hearse in the procession (instead of every relative) still applies.

terrywynne · 18/04/2021 07:53

As to who makes up that restricted number of mourners that probably comes down to personal choice of the Queen/Prince Philip and the family members involved.

FlyingBurrito · 18/04/2021 07:55

@Dozer

The funeral did have a lot of examples of weird and IMO outdated UK royal rules / traditions.
It seemed to be mentioned many times that Prince Philip had planned every bit of the funeral so presumably he had reasons for his choices. I don't so any of it matters if the family were all happy to carry out his wishes.
MakingPlans21 · 18/04/2021 07:57

How long was the walk? Did the celebs walk that very long path in heels for Meghan’s and Harry’s wedding?

GlencoraP · 18/04/2021 07:57

Because those are the people Prince Philip wanted to walk behind his coffin.

katiedidnt · 18/04/2021 07:58

@jeanne16

While the funeral was beautiful, I couldn’t help feeling annoyed that Princess Anne was the only female to walk behind the hearse. Surely all the grandchildren could have been included. Instead we see Beatrice, Eugenie and Zara tottering along on high heels. It would have been so much better to see them take an equal place with the men.
Haven't two of those only recently given birth?

Sure, let's make the new mums march... That won't at all be uncomfortable for them.

Sparklingbrook · 18/04/2021 07:59

Maybe it was because there would have just been too many people walking? Could be Covid or security related.
I don’t see how it matters at all.

Kitkat151 · 18/04/2021 07:59

@Dozer

The funeral did have a lot of examples of weird and IMO outdated UK royal rules / traditions.
When you die you can have the funeral you want.....like PP had what he wanted....fuck all to do with anyone else