Bear Grylls has apologised to those who saw him attending the Queen's funeral as he chronicled the day as one “we will never forget”. The TV star and Chief Scout, shared a touching message having joined VIPs, dignitaries and members of the royal family as Queen Elizabeth II was laid to rest.
The royal family were among the 2,000 people in the Abbey who came together to remember their mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother as billions are predicted to have watched the televised service across the globe. The Queen died 'peacefully' at Balmoral on September 8 and was laid to rest at St George's Chapel in Windsor in a moving committal following a poignant service at Westminster Abbey on Monday, September 19.
Bear, who was made an OBE by the Queen in 2019, attended the ceremony as a representative of the Scouts for the service. Following the ceremony, alongside a series of pictures, he tweeted: “It’s a day we will never forget… a truly beautiful testament to our Nation’s Sovereign, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. Rest in Peace. Your duty done. Long Live King Charles…"
READ MORE: Royal fans work out Meghan Markle's entire funeral outfit was tribute to Queen
The late monarch was patron of the Scout Association. A tweet from the Scouts ahead of the funeral on Monday said: “Chief Scout, @BearGryll, will represent Scouts at State Funeral today and pay final respects to our Patron, HM The Queen. Our thoughts are with the Royal Family."
Bear was pictured arriving at the ceremony wearing a black morning jacket with a white shirt, black tie and grey pinstripe trousers. In a selfie prior to the service, he commented: "Lovely to be with my sister Lara before the service... And special to see our cameraman on running wild @mungothecameraman selected to film the entrance to the service."
However, he issued an apology after he was snapped smiling and waving as he made his way into the sombre event. He went on: "It was him that I was acknowledging when I waved. I'm so sorry if it looked cheery when it is such a solemn day. I didn't mean that."
Bear was appointed as Chief Scout in 2009, aged 34, making him the UK’s youngest ever Chief Scout at the time, the official Scouts website says. He went on to become the first-ever Chief Ambassador of World Scouting in 2018, which sees him responsible for promoting Scouting values to a global audience.
Following the Queen’s death, he told the PA news agency that the Scouts family were “united in sorrow for the loss of our Patron” and that she leaves a “bright legacy of hope and promise for future generations”. He said the Queen had told him several times how she loved volunteering and remembered it as a young girl during the war.
He added that she "championed" young people in the UK throughout her life and was "especially proud" when girls were first able to join the Scouts in the 1970s. Bear said that the Queen was also “so generous” to the Queen’s Scouts – the highest award Scouts can receive – every year at Windsor Castle.
READ NEXT:
- Tired and emotional Prince George wipes eyes as royal fans heap praise on him and sister Princess Charlotte
- Royal fans spot Princess Anne's moment of concern for brother Charles as he sheds tears during Queen's procession
- Kate's touching gesture to Prince George as he's put on world stage at Queen's funeral
- Princess of Wales' nod to the Queen as she holds hands with daughter at state funeral
- Queen's funeral viewers distracted by 'exceptionally tall man' in coffin procession
