Prince William couldn't miss out on some football banter as he stoically met well-wishers as they queued to see his grandmother lie in state. The new Prince of Wales joined his father, King Charles, as they went to thank those waiting to pay their respects to the Queen at Westminster Hall.
Hundreds of people in line at Lambeth, south London, cheered and applauded as Charles and William emerged on Saturday afternoon. One woman offered the King her condolences as he shook her hand, and another shouted: “I can’t believe this.” Dozens shouted “hip hip hooray” as the King and Prince moved down the line, stopping for a few moments with each person.
Several people called their friends and relatives on the phone to tell them what they had just witnessed. Others also shouted “God save the King” and “God save the Prince of Wales” as each passed. William could be heard discussing how long people had waited and whether they were able to keep warm.
Several people cried after meeting him, and one woman told him: “You’ll be a brilliant king one day.” Charles left before William, who stayed shaking hands and chatting for at least half an hour. They were later joined by the Princess of Wales and the Queen Consort at a Buckingham Palace for lunch with governors-general from the Commonwealth realms.
But one moment captured on camera by Sky News saw William engaging in football chat with a young boy who asked: "What football team to do support?" William told him that he is an Aston Villa fan before the boy, and other youngsters in the crowd, confirmed they were Manchester United supporters.
"Are you all United supporters," the prince asked to a chorus of "yeahs". He then turned to the first young boy, seen in a green hoodie, placed his hands on both his shoulders and said: "We can't all be perfect," to a few laughs.
"Lovely to see you guys," William said with a smile before moving on to greet more of those who had already been in the queue for hours to pay their last respects to the Queen.
William will be seen again on Saturday night as the Queen’s grandchildren stand guard around her coffin after their parents held an emotional vigil in the Palace of Westminster. He'll be joined by his brother, the Duke of Sussex, who will notably be wearing uniform in Westminster Hall, ahead of the Queen’s state funeral on Monday.
Prince Harry, who saw action on the front line during two tours of duty in Afghanistan, has previously been denied the chance to wear his military uniform as he publicly mourns, because he is no longer a working royal. But royal sources say the King has decided his youngest son can wear uniform for the vigil, saying he will stand at the foot of the coffin, with William at the head.
William will be flanked by his cousins Zara Tindall and Peter Philips, while Harry will be with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, with Lady Louise Windsor and her brother Viscount Severn at the middle of the coffin. It comes after the Queen’s children – Charles, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex – took part in their own vigil on Friday evening.
The King, Anne, Andrew and Edward had solemn looks on their faces as they stood vigil around their mother’s coffin, with their heads bowed throughout as members of the public filed slowly past them.
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