Prince William, Britain's new Prince of Wales, on Thursday, spoke of the "challenging" walk behind his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II's coffin as he met crowds of well-wishers gathered at the royal Sandringham Estate in eastern England.
Prince William, during a walkabout with his wife, Kate, Princess of Wales, was observing the floral tributes left for the late monarch since she passed away in Scotland last Thursday.
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Referencing his walk behind the coffin of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, as a teenager 25 years ago, the royal said the procession on Wednesday from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall where the Queen now lies in state "brought back a few memories".
"Doing the walk yesterday was challenging, it brought back a few memories," William was heard telling a group of mourners. "It's one of these moments where you kinda think to yourself I've prepared myself for this but I'm not that prepared. It's this weird kind of thing... Because we knew she was 96," he said.
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Thousands of people have been gathering at royal estates around the UK, including the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. Sandringham House has been a royal residence for more than 150 years and has traditionally been where the Queen spent her Christmas break.
Over the weekend, William and Kate joined his younger brother Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle for a similar walkabout at Windsor Castle, the first time the foursome united since reports of a family rift.
Meanwhile, the Queen is Lying-in-State at Westminster Hall in London, where thousands have been queuing since earlier this week to file past the coffin to pay their respects before the funeral of Britain's longest-reigning monarch on Monday.
(With IANS inputs)
