The Queen honours Sir Edmund Hillary
In the aftermath of the death of Sir Edmund Hillary at the age of 88, the Queen has offered to honour the explorer by holding a special memorial service for his family at Windsor Castle.
Sir Edmund Hillary being honoured by Nepal
New Zealander Sir Edmund was the first man to conquer Mount Everest as part of the British 1953 expedition team. The news of the triumph came through just before the Queen’s Coronation and added considerable sparkle to the beginning of the new Elizabethan Age.
Mount Everest — world’s highest peak
His recent passing has “deeply saddened” the Queen who sent a personal message of condolences from herself and the Duke of Edinburgh to the Hillary family.
The service is expected to be held at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, on a date to be fixed in April.
Hillary started out as a bee farmer before becoming one of the world’s most famous explorers. He was made a Knight of the Garter, which means the Windsor ceremony will include the “laying up” of his banner in the chapel. His family will meet the Queen personally after the service.
Sir Edmund has been granted the rare honour in his native New Zealand of a State funeral, where the Queen will be represented by the Governor-General of New Zealand.
The service will be held in Auckland next Tuesday and the Queen and the Duke will send a personal wreath to be laid at the lying-in-state before the funeral.
I think the Queen’s response is very kind and very appropriate. I was just reading in the Daily Mail about the outrage in New Zealand. Apparently some feel that a senior member of the Royal Family (Charles name is mentioned) should fly to New Zealand to represent the Queen at the funeral, the rationale being that Sir Edmund Hillary was a Knight of the Garter. I think that a personal message from the Queen and Prince Philip and a wreath sent from her to be laid at the lying-in-state is homage enough. If a member of the Royal Family flew to New Zealand for the funeral, there would be an outcry about the carbon footprint! Further, she made the very gracious offer of a special memorial service at Windsor Castle, a conspicuous honor.
By Gigi on January 18th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Also, Gigi, despite his epic achievement, he doesn’t hold any eminent position warranting a member of the Royal Family going.
Plus, it’s just the usual bunch of republican activists who are making a noise, which is why I didn’t mention it in the report.
By John on January 18th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Knowing that our merry group who post at RA also read other British news online, John, I thought it might be appropriate for me to offer some rebuttal to the stories in the news from New Zealand.
By Gigi on January 18th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Absolutely right, Gigi.
By John on January 18th, 2008 at 7:29 pm