Ironically, the place in front of the grieving King Charles III. (73) remained free at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022). However, this had nothing to do with a last-minute cancellation, according to “Express” there is a royal protocol behind it that leaves nothing to chance.
It was planned from the outset that the seat before Charles III. and next to his brother Prince Edward (58) remains free. As a gesture to the deceased, for which a place is symbolically reserved, this has nothing to do with it. Instead, there is a very pragmatic reason behind it: This ensures that the king has a full view of his mother’s coffin and the ceremony that is taking place at all times.
In fact, this has already been observed at various ceremonies. For example, at the royal weddings of Princess Eugenie (32) with Jack Brooksbank (36) or Prince Harry (38) and Duchess Meghan (41). At the funeral of Prince Philip (1921-2021), however, numerous places remained free for another reason: to comply with the minimum distances applicable at the time due to the corona pandemic.
