Will the children go to the funeral?

[bestbefore]

It's often a topic on MN but what do we think about the smaller great-grandchildren attending the Queens funeral? Always a personal choice for parents but this seems so different to a normal GP funeral, I wondered if there was an official etiquette?

I wondered if they might be there but somehow not filmed (don't know how practical that is) or whether they just wouldn't go?

I think George might attend the funeral, but not Charlotte and Louis.

No he didn’t. He wasn’t live on tv and I’m front of thousands and thousands.

out of everything, the boys at Diana’s funeral is the biggest, most inexcusable mistake made by the royal family. Harry wasn’t even a teenager.

Grandchilden only and Sophie will be on hand to support her DC although they both did really well today.

My kids have been to family funerals since they were young, but the major difference is that we are more like the Royle family than the Royal family. Our funerals are full of warmth and love, they aren't something with a million bits of etiquette to get wrong and countless photographers. I hope the young kids are kept well away from it all.

There was film footage and many in the crowd. Not fair to say he had it easier, different but not easier.

There was certainly a big crowd and your talking about his young neice, nephew and an unnamed baby born on the flight.
Horrific. Certainly not any easier than what William and Harry had to deal with.

The older ones maybe, not the younger ones (including George). It's too public and solemn to subject young children to.

‘They’ didn’t MAKE them. William himself said it was a collective family decision. And Philip said if they wanted to walk, he would walk beside them. In hindsight they might have regretted it, but they may have regretted it more if they didn’t. But they weren’t forced to do it.

Get your facts straight.

Harry was almost a teenager - he turned 13 the week after Diana's funeral

Hard to know what is right/wrong. If they had excluded Harry from walking - is it possible he would also have regretted that as well?

Yes. Of course there was a family meeting in which the 12 and 14 year olds viewpoints were given equal weight to everyone elses. Including the queen who was facing the biggest public relations disaster of her reign. yes of course if was a collective family decision. No, no, nothing from the marketing department (whatever the royal family calls that) or the UK governments. No. just equal weight to the young boys views.

Like how thick to you have to be to believe this?

Everyone knows that those boys - very young boys - were sacrificed on the altar of the reputation of the british royal family.

Honestly nobody really knows what was said in those discussions. But maybe they'd have regretted not walking, letting their Dad and Uncle walk while they were just like every other onlooker, thinking thats my mum?

The funeral might be too long and her death too recent. The older great grandchildren children attended Philip's memorial and behaved impeccably but it wasn't nearly as long as a state funeral.

They definitely will have something alone for the family so they can grieve alone without people watching and judging their every move.

Louis is now at school, though. Not saying it’s appropriate for him to attend the funeral, but he will now be very well versed in behavioural expectations, no doubt. His exuberance at the Platinum Jubilee events was very normal for a slightly bored pre-schooler, I think.

Snort

Isn't there a private family bit where the coffin is put into the vault or something? I would imagine they will do a family thing with the kids at that point

Lolz. If they do, no doubt we’ll hear about it in a year or so’s time. Might need Oprah to facilitate.

Are you not thinking about Edwards children, James and Louis?

I don't remember seeing any of the GGC.

At Philips the cameras diverted to the piper while the coffin was lowered but nothing really private. We saw before and after.

I hope they just go down to Grandchildren, with James as the youngest. It's a lot! And there's no reason they can't involve the great grandchildren in something private.

😂😂😂 you win!

Being really odd, is there not a plan to move PP somewhere else once HMQ died and them going to a burial or different vault together 🤔

Maybe the GGC will attend that on private?

Technically you're correct, Louis is now at school, but it was hits FIRST DAY, the day his Great Grandmother (who he was close to) died. He's FOUR. It's a mere few weeks since the Jubilee.

there's no way the poor wee thing can be expected to sit behaving himself impeccably for hours at such a serious occasion.

I think it's too much to Expect from George & Charlotte too. The family's service at Windsor is enough for them.

im sure there will be plenty of opportunities for photos of Charles, William & George.

I think it will probably be deemed to long and too public for such a emotional event for all of the great-grandchildren, but it wouldn't be too surprising if Savannah, Isla, George, Mia and Charlotte attend the funeral at Westminster or the committal at St Georges. Louis, Lena, Archie, August, Lucas, Lillibet and Sienna are definitely far too young.

I hope the great-grandchildren, who are old enough to be aware of what has happened, have the chance to say goodbye in private - maybe a much shorter service after the committal service but before just before the actual interment.

@Dinoteeth yes PP’s coffin will be moved to where the Queen and her parents coffins are together with her sister’s ashes in the family vault. My understanding is that Margaret asked to be cremated so that there would be space for her