3. The Final Farewell to King Charles

The funeral preparations for King Charles the Third. William must balance grief with duty as he oversees his father's state funeral while managing his own family's shock and the nation's mourning.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Disclaimer. King William is a work of speculative fiction. It
dramatizes public figures and public events using imagined dialogue and scenes.
It is not reporting and does not assert factual claims
about private conduct, motives, or future events. References to real titles, places,

(00:20):
and procedures are for context. Where needed, details have been
altered for dramatic purposes. Nothing here is intended to harm
anyone's reputation. Listeners should treat all non historical scenes as
fictionalized calarogu shark media.

Speaker 2 (00:55):
The planning had begun within hours of the King's death,
but the scale of what lay head was unprecedented, even
by royal standards. In the Lord Chamberlain's Office at Buckingham Palace,
teams of officials worked around the clock coordinating what would
be the largest state funeral in British history. The ceremony
would need to honor King Charles the Third's legacy while

(01:18):
accommodating the grief of a nation and the diplomatic requirements
of a global event. Earl Marshall, the Duke of Norfolk,
arrived at the palace before dawn, carrying with him the
detailed plans that had been refined and updated throughout Charles's reign.
Every monarch's funeral planning begins the moment they take the throne,

(01:40):
but the suddenness of Charles's death meant that theoretical arrangements
now had to become immediate reality. The logistics are extraordinary,
the Earl Marshall explained to the assembled officials. We're expecting
heads of state from over one hundred countries. The security
operation will be the largest London has ever seen, and

(02:01):
we have ten days to coordinate every detail while the
nation mourns. Ten days the traditional period between a monarch's
death and burial, established by centuries of precedent, but feeling
impossibly brief given the magnitude of what needed to be accomplished.
Westminster Abbey would need to be prepared for a congregation

(02:22):
of two thousand while accommodating the technological requirements of a
ceremony broadcast to billions worldwide. William studied the preliminary arrangements
from his private office at Buckingham Palace, still adjusting to
the reality that every decision now required his approval as king.
The funeral would be his father's final public moment, but

(02:45):
it would also be the world's first extended look at
him as sovereign. Every choice, from the music to the
military formations to the guest list would be scrutinized for
insight into what kind of king he intended to be.
Be Welcome to King William Episode three, The Final Farewell.

(03:11):
His Late Majesty was very specific about certain elements, the
Private Secretary explained, spreading the papers across the mahogany desk.
He wanted the ceremony to reflect his environmental commitments. The
flowers are to be seasonal and locally sourced where possible.
The program will be printed on recycled paper, and he

(03:31):
specifically requested that the reading be from the Book of
Ecclesiastes to everything there is a season. Catherine entered the
office carrying two cups of tea, a small gesture of
normalcy amid the overwhelming formality of their new circumstances. She
had spent the morning reviewing the protocol requirements for her

(03:52):
role as queen during the funeral, learning the complex choreography
that would govern every moment of the public ceremony. The
children are asking when they can see Grandpapa, she said, quietly,
settling into the chair beside William's desk. I've tried to explain,
but they don't understand why the coffin has to be closed,

(04:13):
why they can't just say good bye. This was perhaps
the most difficult aspect of royal death, the way private
grief had to be channeled through public ceremony. Charles's body
lay in the bow room at Buckingham Palace, but even
his own grandchildren could not have the simple private farewell
that most families took for granted. Every moment of mourning

(04:36):
had to serve the larger constitutional purpose of maintaining the
dignity and continuity of the crown. We'll arrange something, William said,
though he knew the constraints they faced. Perhaps after the
lying in state begins, a private moment before the public comes.

(04:59):
The lying in state would begin in three days, when
Charles's coffin would be moved to Westminster Hall for five
days of public viewing. The medieval hall, the oldest part
of the Palace of Westminster, had served this purpose for
every monarch since Edward the seventh. Citizens would queue for hours,
possibly days, to file past the catafalque and pay their

(05:21):
respects to the king who had reigned for just over
two years, but had waited seven decades for the crown.
The BBC estimates that up to four hundred thousand people
may come to Westminster Hall. The Private Secretary continued the
queue could stretch for miles along the South Bank, where
coordinating with Transport for London and the Metropolitan Police to

(05:43):
manage the crowds. Four hundred thousand mourners. The number was staggering,
representing a cross section of the nation Charles had served
and the Commonwealth he had led. They would come from
every corner of the United Kings, Kingdom and beyond. Elderly
citizens who remembered his mother's long reign, young people who

(06:05):
had followed his environmental advocacy, families who simply felt connected
to the institution of monarchy. But the public mourning was
only part of the story. In royal households across Europe,
plans were being made for travel to London. The funeral
would bring together the largest gathering of royalty in modern history,

(06:28):
with reigning monarchs, former kings and Queens, and crown princes
converging on Westminster Abbey. Each delegation would require specific protocol considerations,
security arrangements and diplomatic attention. The King of Spain has
confirmed his attendants. The Foreign Office Liaison reported as have

(06:50):
the Emperor and Empress of Japan. The President of France
will attend representing the French Republic, were still awaiting confirmation
from several Commonwealth realm heads of god government. The guest
list itself represented a diplomatic challenge of extraordinary complexity. Who
would be invited, where would they sit? How would centuries

(07:12):
old precedence rules apply to a modern gathering of world leaders.
Each decision carried potential for offense, for diplomatic incident, for
the kind of protocol mistakes that could have lasting consequences
for Britain's international relationships. William found himself grateful for his
father's careful preparation. Charles had been meticulous about funeral planning,

(07:36):
understanding that the ceremony would be both his farewell and
his final gift to the monarchy. The detailed instructions he
had left covered everything from the musical selections to the
specific military units that would participate in the procession. His
Majesty requested that the Welsh Guards lead the procession. The

(07:57):
military aid explained they were his regiment when he was
Prince of Wales. He also specifically asked that the band
of the Royal Marines played during the service they performed
at his wedding to her Late Majesty, Princess Diana. Every
detail carried emotional weight, connecting Charles's final ceremony to the

(08:21):
key moments of his life. The choice to include the
Welsh Guards honoured his decades as Prince of Wales. The
Marine band would evoke memories of his first marriage, acknowledging
Diana's continued place in the family's history. Even in death,
Charles was carefully managing the narrative of his reign and
his family's legacy. In Windsor, the practical preparations were equally intense.

(08:46):
Saint George's Chapel, where Charles would be interred beside his parents,
was being prepared for the private burial that would follow
the public funeral. Unlike the grand ceremony at Westminster Abbey,
the Windsor service would be limited to family and close friends,
a moment of genuine intimacy after the constitutional requirements of

(09:07):
state mourning. The Queen Dowager had taken residence at Adelaide Cottage,
the Wales family's former home, finding comfort in the smaller
scale and relative privacy it offered. The apartments she had
shared with Charles at Clarence House held too many recent memories,
too much immediate pain. At Adelaide Cottage, surrounded by the

(09:31):
gardens Charles had loved, she could begin to process her
grief away from the constant demands of public attention. Camilla
sat in the cottage's sitting room reviewing the guest list
for the Windsor burial. The names told the story of
Charles's life in a way the grand State funeral could not.
Childhood friends from Gordonstown, fellow officers from his naval service,

(09:55):
artists and writers he had championed, conservationists who had w
worked alongside him for decades. He would have wanted them
all there, she murmured to Lady Sarah Kezick, her lady
in waiting, who had become a trusted confidante during the
difficult days since Charles's death. Not just the grand names,

(10:16):
but the people who actually mattered to him. This distinction
between public duty and private affection had defined much of
Charles's life and would continue to shape his death. The
Westminster Abbey funeral would accommodate the constitutional requirements of monarchical transition.
The Windsor burial would honor the man who had loved

(10:37):
organic gardening, classical music, and long conversations about architecture and faith.
Princess Anne arrived at Adelaide Cottage as the afternoon light faded,

(10:58):
carrying with her the quiet strain that had sustained the
Royal family through decades of public and private challenges. As
Charles's sister and the family member with perhaps the strongest
sense of royal duty, her presence provided both comfort and
practical guidance to Camilla. William Is handling this well, Anne observed,

(11:18):
settling into the chair opposite Camilla. He understands the balance.
Charles always tried to maintain, honoring tradition while adapting it
for modern times. The funeral will reflect that Anne's assessment
carried particular weight. She had worked closely with her brother
throughout his reign, supporting his environmental initiatives while maintaining the

(11:41):
Royal family's traditional commitments. Her perspective on William's early performance
as king would influence how other family members and the
broader establishment viewed the transition. Charles worried about him, Camilla
admitted not about William's capability, but about the burden. He
remembered how unprepared he felt when his mother died, how

(12:04):
overwhelming those first months as king had been. He hoped
William would have more time to ease into the role.
The conversation touched on the central tragedy of Charles's death,
not just the personal loss, but the way it had
accelerated William's assumption of responsibilities he had expected to approach
more gradually at Charles's age. When he became king, William

(12:27):
had inherited not just the crown but the full weight
of constitutional monarchy. At a moment when he was also
grieving his father, a soft knock at the cottage door
interrupted their reflection. Lady Sarah returned with news that would
add another layer of complexity to the funeral arrangements. Harry
had finally arrived from California, his transatlantic journey complete, just

(12:52):
as the most intense period of funeral planning was beginning.
He's asking to see William immediately. Sis reported quietly, he's
staying at Frogmore Cottage and wants to discuss his role
in the funeral proceedings. Anne and Camilla exchanged glances. Both
women understood the delicate dynamics at play. Harry's presence would

(13:16):
be emotionally significant for the family, but it would also
create media speculation that could overshadow the solemn purpose of
Charles's funeral. What did William say, Camilla asked, His Majesty
hasn't responded yet. He's still in meetings about the service arrangements.
The truth was more complicated. William had received Harry's message

(13:38):
an hour earlier and had been staring at it ever since.
Part of him desperately wanted to see his brother, the
person who had shared his grief when their mother died,
who understood the unique pressures of royal life, who had
been his closest confidant for decades. But another part of
him questioned whether he could handle the emotional complexity of

(13:59):
a reunion while managing the enormous responsibilities of his first
crisis as king. Camilla said, simply, whatever else has happened,
he loved Charles, and Charles loved him. This isn't the
time for old grievances. Anne nodded, though her expression suggested reservations.

(14:22):
The question is whether William is ready for that conversation.
He's carrying an enormous burden. Right now, the last thing
he needs is family drama. In the middle of funeral
planning at Buckingham Palace, William set down Harry's text message
and turned back to the seating charts spread across his desk.
Every placement in Westminster Abbey carried diplomatic significance, but none

(14:46):
more so than where to seat his own brother. Harry
had left the Royal family, stepped back from official duties,
written a tell all memoir, and participated in a Netflix
documentary that had aired the family's private griev to the world,
but he was still the son of the king they
were burying. The wounds from Spare were still fresh. William

(15:09):
could recall specific passages that had stung, private conversations shared
with millions of readers, family moments dissected for public consumption,
accusations that painted him as cold and calculating. The Netflix
series had been equally painful watching his brother and sister
in law discuss their frustrations with the royal family to

(15:32):
a global audience. While he remained bound by the institutional
requirement to never complain, never explain, Sir, his private secretary
ventured Prince Harry is requesting guidance on his role in
the funeral procession. Does his Majesty wish to include him
with the working members of the royal family or the

(15:54):
question hung in the air. Protocol demanded recognition of Harry's
status as Charles's son. But how could William stand beside
the brother who had publicly accused him of attacking him,
of being trapped by the system of prioritizing the institution
over family. Every position in the formal procession would be
scrutinized by billions of viewers, and whatever choice William made

(16:17):
would generate endless analysis. I need to speak with him first,
William said, finally, before any decisions about protocol. But even
as he said it, William's mind raced through the potential
consequences any private meeting would inevitably leak. Harry's circle had
proven willing to share intimate family moments with journalists and

(16:40):
documentary makers. How could William have an honest conversation about
their father's death, knowing that his words might appear in
the next book or interview. Catherine entered the office as
he was composing his response to Harry's message. She could
see the tension in her husband's shoulders, the way he
kept starting an and deleting text after text. You have

(17:03):
to see him, she said quietly. Whatever's been said publicly,
whatever hurt feelings remain, is still your brother, and right
now you're both grieving your father. William's frustration was finally showing.
Every time we've tried to have a private conversation these

(17:23):
past few years, it's ended up in a memoir or documentary.
How do I mourn with someone I can't trust to
keep our grief private? Catherine understood his concern. The royal
family's survival depended on maintaining certain boundaries between public and
private life. Harry's willingness to share intimate family details had

(17:45):
violated those boundaries in ways that went beyond personal hurt.
It had challenged the very foundations of how the monarchy operated. Then,
don't say anything you wouldn't want the world to hear,
Catherine suggested. But you can't avoid him entirely. The optics
of that would be worse than anything he might leak.

(18:07):
She was right, and William knew it. A king who
couldn't face his own brother during their father's funeral would
appear weak, petty, unable to rise above personal grievances for
the sake of duty. The institution he now led required
him to be bigger than his private hurt. The timing

(18:27):
is impossible, William admitted. Every minute is scheduled between now
and the funeral. But if I don't see him soon,
the press will create their own narrative about a family
at war while we're trying to bury Papa. William picked
up his phone and typed a careful message, Garden Entrance
six p m. Just us. Then he added, after a

(18:52):
moment's hesitation, this day's private Harry. Harry's response came within minutes,
of course, thank you, two words that would either mark
the beginning of healing or set up William for another betrayal.
As king, he had to hope for the former while
preparing for the latter. The meeting would happen, but William

(19:14):
would go into it with his guard up, knowing that
his grief might become public property if he revealed too
much to the brother who had already shared so many
family secrets with the world. At Westminster Abbey, the physical

(19:38):
preparations continued around the clock. The great Gothic church that
had witnessed nearly every major royal ceremony for almost a
thousand years, was being transformed to accommodate the largest funeral
in its history. Scaffolding supported television cameras positioned to capture
every angle of the service. Sound system were tested and

(20:00):
re tested to ensure that the music and prayers would
reach both the congregation inside and the millions watching worldwide.
The Dean of Westminster walked through the abbey as workers
installed the specially designed catafalque that would support Charles's coffin
during the service. The platform, covered in purple velvet and

(20:21):
positioned precisely in the center of the nave, would allow
the congregation to see the coffin while maintaining the dignity
appropriate for a sovereign's funeral. The sight lines are crucial,
the Dean explained to the television directors who were coordinating
the broadcast. Everyone in the abbey must be able to
see the service, but we cannot let the technical requirements

(20:43):
compromise the spiritual significance of the ceremony. This balance between
accessibility and reverence had defined royal ceremonials for decades. The
monarchy's survival in the modern age depended partly on its
ability to share its most significant moment with the public
while maintaining the mystique and dignity that set royal occasions

(21:04):
apart from ordinary events. The music would be central to
achieving this balance. Charles had specifically requested pieces that reflected
both his personal faith and his love of classical music.
The service would open with the hymn the Day Thou
Gavest Lord is Ended, acknowledging the global nature of the

(21:25):
Commonwealth he had led. The choir of Westminster Abbey would
perform Parry's I Was Glad, the same piece that had
marked his coronation just over two years earlier, but it
was the choice of Allegri's Miserre mee Deus that would
provide the most emotionally powerful moment. The Renaissance masterpiece, performed

(21:46):
by the choir without instrumental accompaniment, had been a favorite
of Charles's since his school days. Its haunting beauty would
fill the ancient abbey with a sense of transcendence appropriate
for a king's final earthly ceremony. His Late Majesty understood
that the funeral would be watched by people of many
faiths and none. The Archbishop of Canterbury explained during the

(22:08):
final rehearsal, The music and readings he chose speak to
universal themes of mortality, hope, and renewal. They honor his
Christian faith while acknowledging the diversity of the nation he served.
The Archbishop would deliver the funeral sermon, a responsibility that
carried enormous weight given the global audience and the historic

(22:30):
significance of the moment. His words would need to honor
Charles's memory while offering comfort to a grieving nation and
providing insight into the continuity of the monarchy under William's leadership.
As the final preparations continued, London itself was transforming. The
processional route from Westminster Abbey to Wellington arch was being

(22:53):
prepared for a ceremonial journey that would take Charles's coffin
through the heart of the capital he had served as
Prince of Wales and cat King. Every lamp post along
the route would be draped in black barriers would hold
back crowds expected to number in the hundreds of thousands.
The military formations alone represented months of planning. Representatives from

(23:14):
every branch of the armed forces would participate, reflecting Charles's
role as commander in chief and his personal military service.
The household cavalry would lead the procession, their ceremonial uniforms
and perfectly trained horses, providing the visual grandeur that had
marked royal funerals for centuries. But perhaps the most moving

(23:35):
element would be the simplest, the gun carriage bearing Charles's coffin,
drawn by naval ratings, just as his mother's had been.
The naval ratings pulling the gun carriage trace to Victoria's funeral,
a custom kept for monarch state funerals, symbolizing the military's
personal devotion to the sovereign. Sailors volunteering to pull their

(23:57):
commander's coffin because horses were deemed and insufficiently reliable for
such a solemn duty. As night fell over London, the
final details were being confirmed. In ten days, the world
would watch as Britain said farewell to King Charles the
Third and witnessed the full ceremonial authority of his son's
new reign. The funeral would be both an ending and

(24:20):
a beginning, the conclusion of one chapter in the monarchy's
story and the opening of another. Under King William the Fifth,
The stage was set for a ceremony that would be
remembered for generations, marking not just the death of a king,
but the moment when the crown passed definitively to a
new generation. In the ancient rhythms of royal funeral ritual,

(24:43):
the nation would find both closure and continuity, grief and hope,
the end of one reign and the promise of another
next time. On King William, Westminster Hall opens its doors
as thousand's cue to pay their respects to the late King.

(25:03):
William faces the emotional challenge of the lying in state
while coordinating with world leaders. Arriving for the funeral. Harry's
reunion with his family creates new tensions and unexpected moments
of reconciliation. The Royal household manages the complex logistics of
hosting the largest gathering of international dignitaries in British history,

(25:25):
and as the funeral approaches, William must balance his private
grief with his public role as the new sovereign