King Charles III Distributes Medal Awards To Seafarers On Duty At Queen Elizabeth II Cemetery

King Charles III during the ceremony gave awards to sailors who contributed at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. (Twitter/@RoyalFamily)

JAKARTA - King of England Charles III paid tribute to the sailors who served in Queen Elizabeth II's funeral at a ceremony at Windsor Castle.

About 150 men and women from the Royal Navy received a Royal Victorian Order medal which was awarded on the sidelines of an outdoor ceremony on Tuesday.

The recipients included naval personnel who pulled the queen's coffin during a procession aboard a 123-year-old train using ropes, a tradition derived from Queen Victoria's funeral.

All these sailors played a key role in the important funeral, where any mistakes would be seen and spread throughout the world in seconds.

The striking sight of sailors in their distinctive uniform with blue and white collars and white hats, marching simultaneously and acting as the Sovereign's Guard, is one of the decisive picture of the funeral.

King Charles III personally presented the medal, in recognition of his duties as a tribute to his late mother.

One of them is Medical Assistant Paisley Chambers-Smith, who was awarded the Royal Victorian Medal for pulling a train with his colleagues.

"It's not something I imagined I would do in my career soon. The training was very difficult but commensurate, and on that day, it was a great honor to be there," he recalled, as reported by The National News May 31.

His Royal Marine colleague, Sergeant Stephen Leonard, is also on duty, one of the officers standing at Parliament Square as the queen's coffin passes.

"(It's) great to be there," said Chambers-Smith.

"The pride of taking over as you walk on the streets of London and only knowing that you are there and are part of history forever," he said.

Commenting on his brief chat with King Charles III, he said: "He asks how training for funerals, which is very difficult, very difficult and new boots make your feet hurt."

Chambers-Smith, who is pregnant, said the king also "asked when the baby was born and how it was, standing in the midst of hot weather".

🏅In a special parade and ceremony at Windsor Castle, The King today presented @RoyalNavy personnel with Royal Victorian Order honours, in recognition of the role they played in Queen Elizabeth II’s Funeral Processions.🔗https://t.co/77OmvwtHow pic.twitter.com/33wNvndzEz

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) May 30, 2023

🏅In a special parade and ceremony at Windsor Castle, The King today presented @RoyalNavy personnel with Royal Victorian Order honours, in recognition of the role they played in Queen Elizabeth II’s Funeral Processions.🔗https://t.co/77OmvwtHow pic.twitter.com/33wNvndzEz

In the summer hot summer, six people were evacuated out of the parade field after apparently collapsing, but two of them came back to receive their awards.

Meanwhile, Class One Warrant Officer Eddie Wearing, a state ceremony training officer for the Royal Navy who arranged funeral planning on September 19, 2022, was appointed a member of the Royal Victorian Order.

"Everyone is called back and training starts. We have 10 days from start to finish to get everyone in uniform and trained at the right level for funerals on the 10th day," WO1 Wearing said.

"This is something from a command perspective that we have trained... it's just preparing the people and that's what takes time, but I personally think that we're really ready."

Royal Navy personnel were appointed members of the Royal Victorian Order by King Charles in March as part of the Death Honorary list, traditionally published after the death of a king, to reward those who have provided personal services to the late rulers.

Accompanied by a military band, they paraded into a quadrilateral field at Windsor Castle through the George IV Gate, and headed towards a quadrilateral where the king received royal respect.

King Charles III accompanied by First Sea Lord, gives medals to each recipient individually.

It is known that the Royal Victorian Order award is a personal gift for the king, was given independently from Downing Street, and was awarded services to the British royal family.