Yeoman Warders share their Queen's vigil memories with Commons Speaker one year on
14 September 2023
Beefeaters - who watched over the Queen’s coffin during her Lying in State – returned to Parliament a year later for a special "thank you" from the Speaker of the House of Commons.
Yeoman Warders from the Tower of London kept 20-minute vigils through the night between 14 and 19 September 2023, as hundreds of thousands of mourners visited Westminster Hall to pay their respects to the UK’s longest-reigning monarch.
During a visit to Speaker’s House, seven of the Tower’s Yeoman Warders told how nervous they had been supporting the 24-hour watch – and how emotional they felt to return 12 months later.
Yeoman Sergeant John Donald, formerly of the Royal Armoured Corps, said: "It was probably the most moving duty I have taken part in during my 38 years of being in uniform.
"Despite our background – and all of us have served at least 22 years in the Armed Forces – we were very nervous."
Yeoman Warder and ex-RAF Aircrew Spike Abbott said: "I wasn’t prepared for the emotion from the public filing past us. They were openly grieving and crying in front of us.
"Returning to Westminster Hall brought back the fear we felt then, and that feeling that “I’m going to make a mistake.”’
Yeoman Warder Tam Reilly, formerly in the RAF Regiment, said: ‘As people passed, they whispered to us:
“Thank you for your service.” I had to keep my emotions in check because it had such an effect on me.
"These people had queued for nine hours to pay their tribute to the Queen, and seeing her coffin brought all that emotion out."
Raven Master Chris Skaife, formerly of the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment, said he had only just recovered from knee replacement surgery when he offered to take part in the vigil. "I just had to do it – it was an honour – and thankfully, my knee held out," he said.
During their return to Parliament, the Yeoman Warders visited the Elizabeth Tower and the House of Lords and were given a tour of Speaker’s House by Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle.
"No one will forget the incredible duty carried about by servicemen and women in guarding the Queen’s Lying in State – none more so than the Yeoman Warders from the Tower of London," he said.
"Hearing how nerve-wracking the experience was, yet how proud and dutybound they were to carry out the vigil was deeply humbling – so it was an honour to be able to thank them personally one year on."