‘They did our country proud’: Eight pallbearers who carried the Queen’s coffin as millions around the world watched are awarded Royal Victorian Medal for their role in Her Majesty’s funeral
- RVO Awards are the King’s gift and bestowed independently of Downing Street
- The soldiers carried the coffin draped in the Royal Standard as millions watched
The eight pallbearers who carried the Queen’s coffin have been awarded the silver Royal Victorian Medal in recognition of the important role they played at her funeral.
Lance Sergeant Alex Turner, Lance Corporal Tony Flynn, Lance Sergeant Elias Orlowski, Guardsman Fletcher Cox, Guardsman James Patterson, Lance Sergeant Ryan Griffiths, Guardsman Luke Simpson, and Guardsman David Sanderson were selected to be pallbearers from the King’s Company (then Queen’s), 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.
The soldiers were named as recipients of honours under the Royal Victorian Order (RVO) in recognition of their service to the Queen, as part of a special set of Demise awards.
Awards under the RVO are in the King’s gift and are bestowed independently of Downing Street to people who have served the monarch or the royal family in a personal way.
The soldiers carried the coffin draped in the Royal Standard as millions of people around the world watched the ceremony last September.
The eight pallbearers who carried the Queen’s coffin have been awarded the silver Royal Victorian Medal in recognition of the important role they played at her funeral
The soldiers were named as recipients of honours under the Royal Victorian Order (RVO) in recognition of their service to the Queen, as part of a special set of Demise awards
The soldiers carried the coffin draped in the Royal Standard as millions of people around the world watched the ceremony last September
The unit had a close connection with the Queen – as the serving monarch she held the position of company commander and made a personal review of the company every decade.
READ MORE: The Queen’s hero pallbearers who carried the ‘responsibility of a nation’ at the funeral
The work of the eight pallbearers was highlighted during the broadcast of the Queen’s funeral, with viewers describing themselves as holding their breath when the guardsmen had to carry the coffin up the steps to the West Door of St George’s Chapel.
Tory former minister Eddie Hughes said: ‘I held my breath for every step… These lads are amazing.’
Fellow Tory MP Tom Hunt said at the time: ‘I can’t imagine how hard and emotionally challenging it must have been to have carried Her Late Majesty’s coffin just once.
‘They’ve done it time and time again this week. With billions watching. They’ve done Her Late Majesty and the country proud.’
Carla Lockhart, Upper Bann’s DUP MP, said: ‘Amidst the pageantry and occasion, eight young men silently went about their duty.
‘The weight of the world on their shoulders, the glare of the world on them, but they were flawless. ‘They did themselves, their families and our country proud. Thank you.’
The youngest hero was Fletcher Cox, then 19, from Jersey, who finished ‘top of his class’ as a cadet aged just 15 where he was handed the highest accolade any young soldier can achieve on the Channel Islands – the Lieutenant-Governor’s medal – and gave a speech where he said his ‘sole ambition’ was to parade for the Queen.
Guardsman James Patterson is a keen bodybuilder – whose strength was useful as the soldiers carried the heavy lead lined coffin up the steep stairs of St George’s.
Guardsman David Sanderson, then 19, is a British soldier who has served in the King’s Guard and lives in Morpeth, Northumberland.
Guardsman Luke Simpson, from Selston, Nottinghamshire, was praised by his former teachers at Ashfield School for his role in the funeral.
The unit had a close connection with the Queen – as the serving monarch she held the position of company commander and made a personal review of the company every decade
The work of the eight pallbearers was highlighted during the broadcast of the Queen’s funeral, with viewers describing themselves as holding their breath when the guardsmen had to carry the coffin up the steps to the West Door of St George’s Chapel
Pallbearers transfer the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard, into the State Hearse at Wellington Arch in London
Guardsman Fletcher Cox, then 19, from the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, was one of eight chosen to carry the coffin of the longest-reigning monarch in British history – and also the youngest.
Lance Sergeant Jake Orlowski was in front of Fletcher Cox. He was a star of the London Guards before being transferred to the Grenadier Guards.
Lance Sergeant Ryan Griffiths proudly shared a picture of himself carrying the Queen and praised by a friend who served with him in the Army.
Lance Corporal Tony Flynn was next. He married his sweetheart Hayley in July and they live in Aldershot – the garrison town in Hampshire.
The band of brothers were expertly guided throughout by Company Sergeant Major Dean Jones, an instructor at The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, where Prince Harry trained to be an officer.
Famously the Queen reviewed Harry when he was commissioned as an officer in the British Army in 2006 – with both unable to hide their grins.
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