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Along with people up and down the country, the Chelsea Pensioners have been mourning the loss of HM Queen Elizabeth II. Her death has a particularly profound significance for them, because – as former soldiers – each one swore an oath of allegiance to her. Not only did a number of them pay their respects at the monarch’s lying in state, eight of them – along with our Governor, General Sir Adrian Bradshaw KCB OBE DL – were honoured to attend her funeral.

Here Alan and David , who were fortunate enough to be selected by ballot to attend, share their recollections of this momentous occasion.

Moved to tears

The news of The Queen’s death moved many of the Chelsea Pensioners to tears. David was at the Special Forces Club when he heard:

“I just broke down. There were a lot of people there, but I didn’t care. Seventy years of my life had come to an end. To the Army, she was always there. There’s a constant reminder, simply because of our cap badge – mine is EIIR with a crown and laurel leaves on top. And she wasn’t just our Queen, we mustn’t forget that she’s a war veteran too and did her part to free Europe.”

Two Pensioners from each of the Royal Hospital’s companies were selected to attend the funeral. When David learned he was one of them, he found it hard to believe that he was going to be part of this historic occasion. Alan was overwhelmed when his name was called:

“I actually burst into tears and walked back to my berth to compose myself. I felt very privileged, honoured – and disbelieving really. I’m 70 years old, so I was born 22 days after the King died. I haven’t known anyone else as a Monarch. Although I was only about 15 months old, I was at the coronation and now I was going to her funeral.”

Preparing to say goodbye

The night before the funeral, Alan says he woke in the early hours, aware of just how momentous the next day would be:

“I know it was a sombre event, but I had that feeling children get on Christmas Eve.”

David focused on practical preparations:

“I’m always polishing and ironing my kit and I found myself polishing and ironing what had already been ironed and polished!”

Details like this are very important to those in the services, as David observed:

“It was good to see the military people take their berets out, put them on and salute the coffin.”

Kings, queens and presidents

Before the funeral, the Chelsea Pensioners attending joined the Governor and the Chaplain to greet the dignitaries and royalty travelling with them from the Royal Hospital to Westminster Abbey.

“Every which way you turned, there was someone famous. I saw kings and queens and presidents from around the world. My grandparents were Norwegian, so it was moving to see King Harald of Norway”, David recalls.

Alan was standing next to the Emperor of Japan and New Zealand’s prime minister. He greeted Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, who introduced him to his wife:

“She said, ‘I’m Sophie, thank you for your service’. I said, ‘I’m happy to accept that on behalf of the veteran community’ – and I saw tears in her eyes.”

Our Queen – their mother

On arriving at the Abbey, the Chelsea Pensioners followed Commonwealth prime ministers and presidents in procession, to the south transept, where they were seated. Alan describes their entrance:

“It was a very humbling experience. We had to walk a long way with the congregation watching us quietly. Then we filed through the nave past Gordon Brown, Tony Blair, Sir John Major to our seats. The organist played and the Royal family were led to their places. The choir sang and we stood as the Procession of the Coffin entered the Abbey. As the coffin was placed on the catafalque, I felt a wave of emotion.”

David describes the service as “a celebration of Her Majesty’s life” but was aware that for her family, this was a personal loss:

“I thought to myself, ‘This is a big parade but there are four children there mourning their mother’. We, the general public, may have lost sight of the fact that her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were mourning a relative, because the Queen is ours as well. The organisers found that balance perfectly.”

Alan says that everything faded into the background for him, as he contemplated the coffin:

“As far as I was concerned, it was just me and The Queen’s coffin. There were thousands of people around me, but it was a very personal time for me.” 

Compared with the coronation, it felt “less highbrow” and humanised by personal touches, like the modest bunch of The Queen’s favourite flowers on the coffin.

The end of an era

For Alan, the most moving moment was towards the end of the service and seemed to symbolise The Queen’s departure from our world:

“The piper played Sleep, Dearie, Sleep and piping faded into the background as he walked away.”

David was deeply moved when the coffin was taken out after the service:

“That was our Queen going now. She would be taken up to Windsor where she’d be laid to rest next to her husband. With that, an age was gone. She had seen the world change so much and played a part in it. The King died six weeks after I was born, so The Queen has reigned for virtually all my life. I still can’t believe she’s gone.”

Alan too finds it hard to believe. Just last summer, when he first came to the Royal Hospital, he saw The Queen on her visit to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show:

“As I look out of my berth window I can see over towards the gate on the East Road before you go into the gardens. That’s where I was standing on my very first day when The Queen arrived at the flower show. She was absolutely radiant in her pink outfit. It’s unreal that we’re not going to see her again.”

Long live King Charles III

Despite their deep sadness at The Queen’s death, the Chelsea Pensioners welcome the reign of the new King – namesake to our founder. 

“I sat next to his treasurer in Westminster Abbey and he was telling me what a lovely kind man he is. I have high hopes”, Alan says.

David echoes his sentiments:

“I think King Charles is going to make a great King. He will appeal to the modern day. He was ahead of his time and still is. The oath of allegiance we made to The Queen doesn’t expire. That allegiance carries on to the King.”

A spirit of unity

For Alan, David and our community, The Queen’s funeral was not only a magnificent and moving occasion, it helped to bring people together, following the challenges we have faced in recent years:

“Already, Princes William and Harry are talking to each other. I think it has united the world. I’m sure some of the countries that were thinking of getting rid of their monarchies will be thinking again” David says.

Alan says that when he and David returned to Westminster after the funeral to mingle with the crowds they noticed a spirit of unity:

“There was a sense of togetherness. She has brought the United Kingdom back together again and her family too. The King did just that in his speech too. Let’s hope that all the positive things it has brought will continue.”