HUGO VICKERS: At 12.20pm that Thursday, the Brigade Major of the Grenadier Guards received a phone message that sent a shiver of shock through him. The Garrison Sergeant Major asked the deceptively simple question: 'Is everything quiet in the headquarters?' 'I knew instantly there was only one reason why he would ask that question,' said Lieutenant Colonel J.N.E.B. Shaw (bottom left). 'And with that the most intense 11 days of my life began.' The GSM's words, though not official code, were enough to signal the impending death later that afternoon of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. What follows here are the astonishing stories from senior guardsmen who were at the heart of the preparations for the funeral (right) of our beloved monarch a year ago. Brigadier James Stopford of the Irish Guards was at his daughter Izzie's wedding in Corfu, where his phone had been buzzing for several hours with warnings of an impending announcement. Also required to make an immediate return were members of the Bearer Party (main picture) from the Queen's Company, Grenadier Guards, who were deployed on Operation Shader in Iraq. The Archers were commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Alistair Irwin (top left).
澳洲幸运5开奖结果体彩-2023澳洲幸运五开奖历史号码-澳洲5查询168官方网站 'Is everything quiet in HQ?': On the first anniversary of the Queen’s death, HUGO VICKERS reveals how one innocuous question sparked all Her Majesty's men to race back from across the globe for the funeral we’ll never forget
