Cabinet ministers guard the Queen: Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Scotland Secretary Alister Jack stand vigil over the late monarch’s coffin in Westminster Hall in ceremonial role as members of the Royal Company of Archers
- Scottish Secretary Alister Jack and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace stood vigil
- They are part of Royal Company of Archers, sovereign’s bodyguard in Scotland
- Unit also watched over the coffin while it was in St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh
- The Queen’s funeral: All the latest Royal Family news and coverage
Two members of Liz Truss’s Cabinet stood vigil at the Queen’s coffin today as she lay state in Westminster Hall.
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace stood solemnly in dark uniforms on Thursday at the raised platform on which the coffin rests.
Both men are members of the Royal Company of Archers, which functions as the sovereign’s bodyguard in Scotland.
The unit also watched over the coffin while it was in St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh earlier in the week.
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace stood solemnly in dark uniforms on Thursday at the raised platform on which the coffin rests.
Both men are members of the Royal Company of Archers, which functions as the sovereign’s bodyguard in Scotland.
The unit also watched over the coffin while it was in St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh earlier in the week.
Historic members of the unit have included Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott.
The two men have got closer to the monarch’s coffin than most politicians, who have been allowed to jump the miles-long queue to visit Westminster Hall.
Theresa May and her husband Sir Philip also came to see the Queen’s coffin after the former prime minister described the ‘tremendous privilege’ of knowing the monarch and even barbecuing with Her Majesty. She dipped into a final low curtsey as they reached the casket.
Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson cried as she joined similarly emotional mourners in the affectionately-named ‘Elizabeth Line’ of tens of thousands of people queuing for more than four miles to see the Queen’s coffin.
Britain’s greatest Paralympian wiped away tears in Westminster Hall as awestruck others from Britain and abroad wept, prayed and saluted after queuing for up to 48 hours to pay their respects.
After the Queen’s death at Balmoral in Scotland, Mr Wallace said she had ‘dedicated her life to serving her nation’.
Speaking about the Queen after her death was announced, Mr Jack said: ‘Her long reign was defined by hard work and dedicated public service, earning her the respect and devotion of her citizens.’
The Queen’s coffin is being guarded in Westminster Hall at all hours by units from the Sovereign’s Bodyguard, the Household Division or Yeoman Warders of the Tower of London.
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