Queen Elizabeth’s Children Stand Guard Around Her Coffin in Somber Vigil

Queen Elizabeth II’s children held a family vigil to honor her memory.

King Charles lll, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward stood beside their late mother’s coffin inside Westminster Hall on Sept.16.

All four of the queen and the late Prince Philip’s children wore their military uniforms. While the Duke of York is no longer a working member of the royal family, an exception was made as a “special mark of respect” for the queen, NBC News reports.

The four family members walked in together, before each one standing along one side of the queen's coffin.

Members of the public, who visited the hall to pay their respects, walked past the newly-crowned king and the Princess Royal, Duke of York and Earl of Wessex.

Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, died Sept. 8 at the age of 96. At the time of her death, she was at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

The four siblings previously followed their late mother’s remains during a procession through Edinburgh, Scotland, on Sept. 12. They were also part of the 38-minute walk behind the queen’s coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on Sept. 14.

Prince Harry and Prince William, as well as well as vice admiral Tim Laurence and the queen’s cousin, Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, and the queen’s nephew David Linley, Earl of Snowdon, were also part of the procession.

Shortly after the queen death was announced, Charles, who ascended to the throne as King Charles III, made a statement saying this is a “moment of great sadness for me and all members of my family.”

The country then went into a period of national mourning, with many events and changes happening within the royal family, including Prince William and his wife, Catherine, Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge, inheriting the titles Prince and Princess of Wales.

As the country and world continue to mourn, the queen’s eight grandchildren, including Prince William and Prince Harry, are expected to stand beside her coffin on Saturday, Sept. 17. The other six grandchildren that will be in attendance are Zara Tindall, Peter Philips, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn.

The queen's coffin will remain at Westminster Hall until her funeral on Monday, Sept. 19.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com