Rachel DeSantis is a writer/reporter covering music at PEOPLE. She has held various roles since joining the brand in 2019, and was previously a member of the human interest team. As a music writer, Rachel interviews everyone from rock-and-roll legends to up-and-coming stars for magazine feature stories and digital news stories. Rachel is based in New York City, and previously worked as an entertainment reporter at the New York Daily News after getting her start as an Entertainment Weekly intern. She has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Maryland.
When Queen Elizabeth II is laid to rest in London next week, there will be a familiar face keeping watch over the crowded streets: model and TV personality Penny Lancaster, the wife of rocker Rod Stewart.
Lancaster, 51, is a special constable with the City of London Police, and confirmed to Good Morning Britain that she’ll be on duty for the Monday state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, who died “peacefully” at Balmoral Castle on Sept. 8 at age 96.
“It was a great privilege to work at the Queen’s memorial service at St. Paul’s Cathedral on Friday,” she reportedly told the morning show. “I signed the oath of Office of Constable to Her Majesty the Queen just over a year ago, April last year, and just as the seamless tie between Her Majesty and King Charles III, my oath will now be with the King.”
The star added that she's "very proud to be able to serve" during such a "historic moment" for the country.
"It's always an honor and a pleasure and they're just a family like all other families, but they have this huge responsibility to be the head of state and to do the work that they do for the country of the commonwealth," Lancaster said. "I'm just in absolute admiration of them."
In photos published by the Daily Mail on Tuesday, Lancaster was spotted in uniform patrolling the streets as the Queen’s coffin was driven to Buckingham Palace.
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The TV personality married Stewart, 77, in 2007, and the two share sons Alastair, 16, and Aiden, 11.
The “Maggie May” singer opened up to PEOPLE in October about his wife’s surprising gig, and said she spent eight months working toward her goal of becoming a cop.
"She's a part-timer, she works one day a week and patrols the Tower Bridge around London," he explained. "She makes arrests, and she'll go out in front… She's tough. She's 6' 2". [You] can't argue with a big blonde."
Stewart said that Lancaster's decision to take on the role was inspired by her appearance in the TV series Famous and Fighting Crime, during which she and other celebrities went out on the beat with real officers.
"She got absolutely absorbed by it and loved it," he said. "She said, 'I'm going to do this. I'm going to do all the training, all the exams.' The nicest quote she said [is], 'I want to give something back, fine, but I want to look after the city that I love, which is London.'"
During her appearance on Good Morning Britain, Lancaster—who, along with Stewart, is an ambassador of King Charles III's charity, The Prince's Trust—reflected on her many meetings with the royal family, including a memorable encounter in 2008.
“It was [Charles’s] 60th birthday and he’d asked Rod to perform, and it was an intimate evening,” she recalled. “Then he asked if I would be the first on the dance floor, cause you imagine people being nervous and not knowing the protocol—who should get up first? And so he asked in the drinks reception if I would do the first dance to get everybody up. And while Rod was performing, I was on the dance floor with Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, William and Harry, and it was an incredible family event.”
Lancaster — who confirmed that the song she used to start the party was Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" — reportedly said that meeting the Queen made her feel "extremely nervous," but that she had a "warm smile" and a "twinkle in her eye" that helped her "connect with everyone she met."
RELATED VIDEO: Royal Family Follow Queen as She Leaves Buckingham Palace
Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral will take place on Monday at Westminster Abbey in Central London. It’ll be the first time a monarch’s funeral has been held at Westminster since the 18th century.
The funeral will be followed by a committal at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor— where the Queen’s parents, sister Princess Margaret and beloved husband Prince Philip are laid to rest.
After making its way from Edinburgh to St. Giles's Cathedral, the Queen's coffin was flown to London on Tuesday night. On Wednesday afternoon, it was moved from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall for lying-in-state, which will end on the morning of the state funeral.
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