Skip to main contentSkip to footer

Prince William and Princess Kate meet soldiers assisting with Queen's funeral in poignant event

The Commonwealth soldiers will feature in a procession


prince william kate middleton army base© Photo: Getty Images
Matthew Moore
Online News Writer & Diversity and Inclusion Lead
Updated: September 16, 2022
Share this:

The Prince and Princess of Wales had a poignant task on Friday as they travelled to the Army Training Centre Pirbright, Surrey.

DISCOVER: Who will attend the Queen's funeral - see names

The royal couple headed to the training centre in order to meet soldiers from the Commonwealth who will be assisting with the Queen's state funeral on Monday. Soldiers from the Commonwealth will form part of the procession as Her Majesty's coffin is taken from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch, where the minute gun salute will take place.

WATCH: What can we expect from the Queen's state funeral?

William wore a blue suit that had been adorned with his military medals, while Kate looked incredibly elegant in a black overcoat, finished off with matching headpiece.

kate middleton black© Photo: Getty Images

William and Kate met soliders from Australia, Canada and New Zealand, where the Queen was colonol-in-chief of the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery, the 48th Highlanders of Canada and the Corps of Royal New Zealand Engineers.

prince william kate middleton soliders© Photo: Getty Images

As they met junior soliders, the Prince and Princess of Wales were treated to a traditional Haka by members from the New Zealand regiment.

prince william kate middleton haka© Photo: Getty Images

Speaking to soliders, William said that his grandmother would be "looking down on Monday, hoping it all goes well".

prince william soliders

Their outing came after they took part in a similarly emotional one on Thursday, as they headed to the Queen's Sandringham home to view tributes that had been left for her.

While there, William spoke to a member of the public about walking behind the monarch's coffin on Wednesday as it was moved to Westminster Hall.

He compared the emotions of the day to when he had to walk behind his mother Princess Diana's coffin at her funeral in 1997.

The Prince of Wales will take part in another emotional event on Saturday, as he and the Queen's other grandchildren mount a vigil at her coffin.

William will stand at the head of the coffin and will be joined by brother Prince Harry and cousins, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Zara Tindall, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn.

Make sure you never miss a ROYAL story! Sign up to our newsletter to get all of our celebrity and royal news delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up to HELLO! Daily for all the latest and best royal coverage

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

More Royalty

See more