Ten Welsh Guardsmen have been transferred from security patrols in Northern Ireland to be the bearer party to carry the coffin at the funeral of the Princess of Wales tomorrow, the British army in the North announced yesterday.
The soldiers from the 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards will be responsible for removing the coffin from the gun carriage and taking it into Westminster Abbey. The coffin will be carried by six guardsmen drawn from The Prince of Wales's Company, the senior company of the regiment, which has been stationed in Crossmaglen for the past six months.
The bearer party, all over six feet tall, will be commanded by the adjutant, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, Capt Richard Williams MC. He was awarded the Military Cross for protecting more than a hundred civilians from Khmer Rouge guerrillas in Cambodia in 1993 during which he was held hostage for five days.
He received his MC from the Prince of Wales in December 1994 for the courageous action while serving as a volunteer United Nations observer during a seven-month tour of duty in the troubled region.
The 10 soldiers were airlifted from the Northern Ireland Border region earlier this week and are preparing for their task at the Welsh Guards regimental headquarters, Wellington Barracks, close to Buckingham Palace in Birdcage walk.