Wednesday 14th September 2022
The overnight coach bearing the Lord Lyon, Officers of Arms, Ceremonial Officer and the Duke of Hamilton arrived at our hotel in Fleet Street at 3 a.m. thanks to the skill and patience of our peerless driver, Wayne Logie.
At 8a.m. we had a meeting with our brethren at the College of Arms during which we were talked through the arrangements for the reception of Her Late Majesty's coffin at Westminster Hall. Getting through security to St James's Palace, where our English brethren were vested, and then to Westminster Hall took large parts of the day but Fiona, our Ceremonial Officer was able to negotiate us through all of the roadblocks.
When we arrived at the Palace of Westminster, we met the Archbishop of Canterbury going in and we were put into an undercroft until Falkland and March, who had arrived a day before the rest of us to rehearse with the Earl Marshal, led us into that magnificent hall, built in the reign of William Rufus nine centuries ago, where the combined choirs of Westminster Abbey and the Children of the Chapel Royal were waiting, along with most of the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
When HM's coffin arrived, we formed a procession and led it to the catafalque, taking up position in front ot the choir, which was chanting a lovely setting of psalm 139 by the Abbey's Master of the Music, James O'Donnell. The Archbishop said some prayers and then the Choir sang the anthem, Jesu the very thought of Thee by Edward Bairstow before the service concluded and the royal party withdrew, the army taking up position to guard the coffin for the vigil. We all, including the parliamentarians and ladies-in-waiting stood motionless for a further twenty minutes, this being our Vigil, before processing off and starting the lengthy negotiations with security and police to get us back to base at St James's Palace.
We had been present at the departure of Her Majesty's coffin from Edinburgh on Tuesday and now witnessed its arrival at Westminster: the extraordinary privilege of this was brought into relief by seeing the hundreds of thousands of people queuing in silence to pay their respects. It was quite unforgettable, as indeed the whole momentous week has been, and greatly enhanced by the cordiality and professionalism of our opposite numbers at the College of Arms.
