The Queen’s pallbearers were brought back from Iraq to take part in her procession.
Pallbearers from the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards carried Her Majesty into Westminster Hall after she made her final journey from Buckingham Palace.
The eight guards – whose company commander is the Queen – are all soldiers who have served in Iraq.
Usually only six soldiers carried a coffin, but because of the lead lining, an extra two were needed to carry the Queen.
The Grenadier Guards are the highest-ranking regular army regiment and date back to 1656 – formed as Lord Wentworth’s regiment to protect Charles II in exile.
The oak coffin was made about thirty years ago, and today the Guards brought the Queen to lie in state for four days at Westminster.
While we don’t know everyone who carried the Queen’s casket, a young soldier from Fiji was specially chosen to be one of the pallbearers at last week’s ceremony in Edinburgh.
Ben Tubuna was seen helping to carry the coffin outside the Palace of Holyroodhouse as it entered St Giles’ Cathedral.
Tubuna, from the province of Rewa, lives in Inverness and is part of the Royal Regiment in Edinburgh.
The 21-year-old acknowledged the privilege he has been given to be a part of the momentous event.
He told the Fiji Times: “I felt blessed that, being a Fijian, I was given such an important assignment.
“But I took it with humility because that’s my job — that’s a role I have to play as a soldier.”
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