Northern Ireland Scouts lend a helping hand ahead of Queen Elizabeth’s state funeral

Kayleigh Finlay from Strangford and Nathan Quee from north Down have been posting blog updates on Facebook.

Kayleigh said she is “honoured” to have been selected, although the early morning starts and hectic schedule have been quite gruelling.

“I can’t emphasise enough how phenomenal the people I met today were – there are far too many to name, but they all thanked me profoundly and asked lots of questions about our duties. I have said it time and time again but fulfilling my final duty for the Queen, as I promised to do, is worth every sacrifice I had to make to be here,” Kayleigh’s social media post said.

Nathan said he is proud of the Scouts’ important role in London.

“We are here to do our duty to our late HM, Queen Elizabeth, so I’ll do whatever it takes to show and tell people how Scouts have been involved since Her Majesty’s coronation right up to her funeral,” he posted.

Among the visitors to Buckingham Palace on Thursday was the mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council in Northern Ireland.

Ivor Wallace, 60, caught a flight into London at 4am to represent the borough which covers most of the northern part of Northern Ireland – after being elected mayor in June of this year.

He queued for six hours to attend the Queen’s lying-in-state at Westminster Hall, something he said was a “very emotional experience”.

Mr Wallace added: “She was just always there and the person that everybody looked up to. She was a grandmother figure to most people.”

Meanwhile, Methodist President Rev David Nixon said he is honoured to be travelling from Northern Ireland for the funeral.

“I am honoured by this invitation to be present and process at the funeral service for the late Queen and pray that for King Charles III and all the Royal Family that this service will bring them peace and encouragement as they move into the next chapter of their lives,” he said.