Queen Elizabeth II: 'Great honour' for my son to be pallbearer

A man whose son carried the Queen's coffin has described it as a "great honour" for his family.

Senior Aircraftman Toby Stafford flew with the coffin on the flight from Edinburgh to RAF Northolt and will be part of the Queen's funeral on Monday.

His father Peter Stafford said: ""He not only helped to carry the coffin on the aircraft, but then spent the hour during that flight with the Queen."

It was "incredible" to watch his son in the high-profile role, he added.

Mr Stafford, himself a Royal Navy veteran from Shepton Mallet in Somerset, said it "hadn't sunk in yet," for his son.

"It's a lot of hard work in the preparation for what appears on TV for a couple of minutes. They have been practising for days.

"The weight of the coffin, how to lower it solemnly and slowly, it's muscle memory," he added.

Mr Stafford said the role was a required duty for members of the Queen's squadron.

"They have a team always on rotation ready and he happened to be one of the ones that was on duty for that occasion.

"It's just a great honour I think.

"It really was incredible to see the occasion. It was so moving.

"I'm incredibly proud as a father and as a veteran.

"We've been getting messages from the whole family and people recognising him," he added.

Mr Stafford said seeing his son take part in Monday's funeral would be another proud moment.

"He's a guard of honour representing the RAF and will be following the hearse as it makes its final journey," he added.

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