King Charles III
He gives decorations to sailors for role at Queen’s funeral
King Charles III honors sailors in the Royal Navy for their service.
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They pulled the coffin at the Queen’s funeral: King Charles III. honored members of the Royal Navy with a medal.
King Charles III (74) honored Royal Navy sailors for their service at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022). The monarch drew according to media reports on Tuesday (30 May 2023) around 150 men and women with the Royal Victorian Order at Windsor Castle. Since 1896, the Order has been awarded to people who have personally served the British Regent or a member of the Royal Family.
The Royal Navy sailors accompanied the coffin through London at the Queen’s funeral on September 19, 2022.
Marines have performed this duty since Queen Victoria’s funeral service in 1901. By 1901 horses had pulled the carriage, but at Queen Victoria’s funeral they panicked and bolted. The car with the coffin almost overturned.
Heavily pregnant doctor’s assistant stands out
Charles III walked down the ranks of the sailors to be honored in bright sunshine. He pinned the order to each individual’s chest. The king, according to eyewitnesses, was in a good mood, chatted and joked with the relatives of the recipients of the order.
One person in particular stood out: Paisley Chambers-Smith. The medical assistant is seven months pregnant. Since there is no official clothing for pregnant women in the Navy, she stood among her colleagues in uniform with a light blue maternity dress.
“I couldn’t have imagined doing something like this so early in my career,” the young woman said, according to the media. “The training was so hard, but it was worth it and on the day itself it was a great honor to be there,” she said of her service at the funeral.