Prince William has said walking behind the Queen's coffin brought back memories of his mum's funeral.
The new Princes of Wales walked side-by-side with his brother Harry during yesterday's procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall. William, who is now heir to the throne, and his brother appeared solemn as they followed the Queen's coffin, which was sat atop a gun carriage.
Her Majesty's coffin arrived at Westminster Hall yesterday afternoon and it will now lie in state until the monarch's funeral on Monday (September 19).
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The procession took place just over 25 years after William and Harry walked behind their mother's coffin during her funeral. William was just 15-years-old when Princess Diana passed away, with Harry aged 12.
William previously said he tried using his fringe as a "safety blanket" when walking behind his mother's funeral cortege. In a new BBC documentary, William spoke about hiding behind his hair as he processed past thousands of mourners, some wailing and sobbing, following the coffin of his mum Diana.
The Duke of Cambridge and his brother also said the decision for them to walk behind the cortege was a joint one, with Prince Harry saying he was "glad" he did it, the Mirror reports.
William described the procession as the "hardest thing" and a "very long, lonely walk," and added there was a balance "between me being Prince William and having to do my bit, versus the private William who just wanted to go into a room and cry, who'd lost his mother."
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He said: "But I just remember hiding behind my fringe basically, at a time when I had a lot of hair, and my head's down a lot - so I'm hiding behind my fringe. It was kind of like a tiny bit of safety blanket if you like. I know it sounds ridiculous, but at the time I felt if I looked at the floor and my hair came down over my face, no one could see me.
"Sounds ridiculous now, but at the time it was important to me to get through the day."
Harry and William put on a united front as they came together once again for the solemn procession. On Thursday, Prince William is said to have told a mourner at Sandringham how walking with the Queen's coffin during a procession in London brought back memories of his late mother Diana's funeral.
The Prince of Wales told Jane Wells the Queen’s procession has been "particularly difficult", reminding him of following his mum’s coffin. Another crowd member told the emotional Prince she was close to tears, to which he replied: “Don’t cry now - you’ll start me.”
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