Monday 12 September 2022

Prince Harry Pays a Heartfelt Tribute to "Granny": “Life Consists of Final Partings as Well as First Meetings.”

In a poignant and heartfelt statement, Prince Harry paid tribute to his "Granny" and her "everlasting legacy". The statement read: "In celebrating the life of my grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen—and in mourning her loss—we are all reminded of the guiding compass she was to so many in her commitment to service and duty. She was globally admired and respected. Her unwavering grace and dignity remained true throughout her life and now her everlasting legacy. Let us echo the words she spoke after the passing of her husband, Prince Philip, words which can bring comfort to all of us now: 'Life, of course, consists of final partings as well as first meetings.'

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"Granny, while this final parting brings us great sadness, I am forever grateful for all of our first meetings—from my earliest childhood memories with you, to meeting you for the first time as my Commander-in-Chief, to the first moment you met my darling wife and hugged your beloved great-grandchildren. I cherish these times shared with you, and the many other special moments in between. You are already sorely missed, not just by us, but by the world over.

"And as it comes to first meetings, we now honour my father in his new role as King Charles III.

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"Thank you for your commitment to service.

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"Thank you for your sound advice.

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"Thank you for your infectious smile.

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"We, too, smile knowing that you and Grandpa are reunited now, and both together in peace."

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The statement in its entirety.

The news comes as the Duchess of Sussex has paused her Archetypes podcast during the mourning period for Her Majesty. The couple have also cancelled a scheduled UN event in New York later this month and promotional media appearances by Meghan for the podcast. It's understood both the Duke and Duchess will remain at Frogmore cottage. I imagine efforts are underway to bring the children to the UK -- if this hasn't already happened.


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As I write this, incredibly emotional scenes are taking place in Scotland as the Queen's children follow her coffin from the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the monarch's official residence in Scotland, to St Giles Cathedral.

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A sea of floral tributes outside the Palace of Holyroodhouse.


The Queen's four children joined a procession on the forecourt of the Palace to convey the coffin to St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh.

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'One among the crowd has been calling out "God Bless the Queen" as the procession goes past.

'Among the mourners are Helen Pringle,71 and her daughters Karen and Ashley from Glasgow, there to "pay respects to the Queen - it's a one in a lifetime occasion", writes the Telegraph's Catherine Lough.

Helen said: "This is the first time a monarch has died in Scotland since the 1500s, being part of history, but the main reason is to come and pay our respects to someone who has given a life of service to us".

"One of the things we've had to pick whether we want to be part of the crowd to see the procession on the mile, we had to kind of choose and we've chosen this to come on this avenue - it feels a bit more personal, it's part of history as well, it's a historic moment, as a community and a country," her daughter said.

They had also used the occasion to drop off a few provisions to their granddaughter who has started a history degree at the University.

They added they originally didn't know about the bands. "Its been interesting- it's been quite a long day but its moving quite quickly."

They said they felt the event would boost the union and also give Scottish tourism a boost too, given the footage of Balmoral appearing around the world.'
The hearse was flanked by a bearer party found by the Royal Regiment of Scotland and the King’s Bodyguard for Scotland.

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A wreath of flowers from Balmoral accompanied Her Majesty.

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The route to the service in St Giles’ Cathedral was lined with mourners and well-wishers.

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One little girl held a photo of Paddington with the message: "Thank you, Ma'am."

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The Queen Consort and the Countess of Wessex travelled by car.

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The Order of Service can be viewed here.


The Crown of Scotland was placed on the coffin.


'At the beginning of the service of thanksgiving for the Queen, Reverend Calum MacLeod welcomed the royal family, “representatives of our nation’s life” and “people whose lives were touched by the Queen in so many unforgettable ways”.

Among those attending the service are the prime minister, Liz Truss, as well as Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon.

Present as well are representatives from various Scottish charities that the Queen was a patron of, such as Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, the Royal National Mòd, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the Scottish Football Association.

The service of thanksgiving for the Queen then saw Karen Matheson sing Psalm 118: 17-21 in Gaelic, accompanied by Catriona McKay on harp.

The music throughout the service incorporates material that is European, Anglican and Scottish and is drawn from composers of sacred music - Bach, Byrd, Purcell and Tallis.

It was then followed by a reading of Ecclesiastes 3: 1-15 by Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon.'
Her Majesty's coffin will lie at rest in St Giles' Cathedral, guarded by vigils from the Royal Company of Archers, the King's Bodyguard for Scotland to allow the people of Scotland to pay their respects.

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Tomorrow, the Queen's coffin will leave Scotland for the last time, accompanied by Princess Anne on the journey to London. It's understood the King and Queen Consort will meet the coffin at Buckingham Palace, though there's no word yet if we'll see other members of the family. Below, the full press release:
"Her Majesty The Queen’s Coffin will depart St Giles’s Cathedral for Buckingham Palace tomorrow, Tuesday 13th September 2022.

Having travelled from St Giles’ Cathedral, Her Majesty’s Coffin will depart in a Royal Air Force aircraft from Edinburgh Airport in the early evening, arriving into RAF Northolt.

The Princess Royal accompanied by Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence will travel with the Coffin on its journey.

At Edinburgh Airport, The Coffin will be conveyed onto the aircraft by a Royal Air Force Bearer Party and a Guard of Honour will be found by The Royal Regiment of Scotland. There will be a Royal Salute as the Coffin arrives. The Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland will also be present on the apron. 

As the aircraft leaves, the Guard of Honour will give a final Royal Salute. The Band will play one verse of the National Anthem.

At RAF Northolt, the Bearer Party and Guard of Honour will be formed by The Queen’s Colour Squadron (63 Squadron RAF Regiment). The Bearer Party will convey the Coffin to the State Hearse.

The Guard of Honour will present arms on the arrival of Coffin and remain in that position until the State Hearse has departed the airfield.

The Queen’s Coffin will rest in the Bow Room at Buckingham Palace overnight."
I do expect we'll see the Duke and Duchess of Sussex amidst a large family gathering on Wednesday. At precisely 2.22 pm, the coffin will leave Buckingham Palace and members of the family will join a procession to Westminster Hall arriving at 3pm, where the royals will attend a a short service. The Queen will then lie in state so members of the public will have the opportunity to file past until the morning of the funeral on Monday.

15 comments:

  1. Fortunately, the "thanks" are not exhausted: thank you once again Charlotte for this article always so well treated and touching.
    My God! Why things with Harry are always so touching, felt, shared, so moving.. .this tribute from Prince Harry supported by this selection of photos...I shed tears.
    As I always say so sincerely, I never really appreciated Elisabeth 2 for certain points of which I think a better management would have avoided this outpouring of gratuitous hatred, but it's extraordinary how Harry makes his grandmother adorable to me through his words and their painful and joyful experience. And it touches me all the more because I am convinced that it is a tribute conceived with his wife Meghan: a mark of tolerance that I applaud in view of the deep wounds caused.

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  2. This was indeed beautiful and satisfying with the special photographs. Even though we knew it, it's lovely to think that both Archie and Lilibet received a hug from the Queen. :) I do hope the spirit of family continues even when H&M have to go back to making a living. They have contracts to fulfill, too. I believe that Meghan is involved is their finances more than 50% and that is always a worry for the spouse who has to ensure their livelihood.

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  3. I admit to being a bit haunted by how Meghan looked and I saw the following news item -- it may not be possible to have her children fly over just yet: "Flash floods and mudslides took at least 13 lives in Montecito, an unincorporated coastal area of about 9000 residents just east of Santa Barbara. Heavy overnight rains cascaded onto hillsides denuded by catastrophic fire in December, leading to the floods and mudslides."

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    1. The deaths may be from 3 years ago but there was flooding and mudslides with helicopter rooftop rescue. With any luck, the kids may be in the UK by now.

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    2. The deaths caused by flooding in Montecito occurred in 2018, not now, I believe.

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    3. You're right about the deaths -- I clicked too fast. But the hurricane has caused a lot of trouble coming on top of the wildfires -- I guess flooding is just a concern now. I apologize for the incorrect information.

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  4. Dear Charlotte
    Thank you for interspersing Harry’s eloquent text with heartwarming photos which perfectly underscore his words. I think I detect a bit of wordsmithing influence from Harry’s darling wife!
    Renee

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  5. Sweet words for his grandmother, filled with love and compassion. ♥
    And it is great to see all these pictures between Harry and Her Majesty, especially the one during his childhood.

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  6. Charlotte this is a beautiful tribute to his granny. it brought tears to my eyes and I miss HM The Queen so very much can't imagine how Harry and Wills and her 4 children feel right now with the whole world watching. I watched the procession and was sad to hear someone scream out that Prince Andrew was a sick old man. I am not a fan of Andrew at all but this was not the place and made it very disrespectful to HM. I watched the sorrow of her children as her body lay in state. I am really enjoying the coverage by the BBC they are doing a great job as so are you Charlotte! thank you for all your time and effort on this.

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    1. I was going to comment , but Melissa you have said all an said it well. Charlotte, your thoughtful posts and respectful point of view is deeply appreciated .

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  7. Harry has so much love in his heart. He must be crushed that he is the only member of the family who will not be allowed to wear his military uniform to honor his Granny and "commander-in-chief."

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    1. There are several members of the family who have served but are no longer working Royals who will not be in uniform. Andrew saw active service and served for about twenty years as well as some of the Queen's cousins.

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  8. Thanks for your coverage of all this, Charlotte. I feel like much of the internet has been a festival of nastiness the last four days and it's nice to read a humane writer. I've been following you here and over on your Duchess Kate blog and will continue to do so. I feel for all members of the family, but particularly for Harry and William, again having to publicly grieve what must be another foundational loss. I really hope this helps them build a bridge over their recent difficulties.

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  9. Something that has struck me through all of the public outpouring of grief is the image of Princes William and Harry standing over yet another bower of flowers, reading notes, continuing their duty while deeply grieving themselves. No man is an island, but together they must feel like they are an island. And this duty must dredge up such difficult memories of that other time they performed this duty together. How challenging that must be. These words from Harry are as touching, reverent and sweet as William’s and I still pray that their public outing together indicates a private healing of sorts (even if it’s small and just a start). This blog and its sister site for the new Princess of Wales are so well done. Thank you Charlotte for your tender care with words and photos during this important time in history.

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