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Members of the Caerphilly branch of the Royal Welsh Veterans Association paid their respects to The Queen by laying a wreath on the morning of her state funeral at Caerphilly town’s war memorial.

David Lancaster, from the branch, said: “We all served in the forces and at the end of the day, she was the boss – we all ‘took The Queen’s shilling’.

“Quite a few of the group had actually met Her Majesty on quite a few occasions and the majority of them have been in her presence at some time or another.”

He added: “She was always at the head of the table and she always took her duties very seriously – she was very committed to her subjects.”

The Queen was Colonel-in-chief of the Royal Welsh regiment and its predecessor the Royal Welch Fusiliers.

The funeral

The State Funeral for Her Majesty The Queen took place at Westminster Abbey on Monday, September 19, at 11am.

The Queen’s coffin had been Lying-in-State since the evening of Wednesday, September 14, and ended at 6.30am on the morning of the funeral.

At 10.44am the coffin made its way in procession from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey on the State Gun Carriage of the Royal Navy

Immediately following the coffin was The King, members of the Royal Family and members of The King’s Household.

The State Funeral Service

The State Funeral Service was conducted by the Dean of Westminster and The Sermon and the Commendation were given by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

During the Service, the Prime Minister and the Secretary General of the Commonwealth read Lessons.

The Archbishop of York, the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and the Free Churches Moderator said prayers.

To mark the end of the service, The Last Post sounded, followed by a national two minutes’ silence.

The state funeral service was attended by around 500 heads of state and foreign dignitaries

Also attending were recipients of the Victoria Cross and George Cross medals and representatives of the UK’s devolved parliaments – including First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford.

Also attending was 16-year-old Andrew Millar – a member of the Welsh Youth Parliament, representing Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney.

Speaking to the BBC before the funeral, he said: “It is such an incredible opportunity and something that I cannot thank my peers enough for.

“It’s life changing, a once in a lifetime experience. I was very excited, then there was that realisation of how sombre the occasion would be.”

Almost 200 people who were recognised in The Queen’s Birthday Honours earlier this year also joined the congregation, including those who made extraordinary contributions to the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and have volunteered in their local communities.