She is the first woman to hold the office in its 623-year history
An Essex MP will lead the Queen's funeral processions today (September 19). Rebecca Harris, the Conservative MP for Castle Point, will lead the processions through her role as an officer of the Royal Household.
Ms Harris, 54, was appointed 'Comptroller of her Majesty’s Household' by then Prime Minister Boris Johnson. It is a role which she was reappointed to by the new Conservative Party leader, Liz Truss, just days before the Queen's death.
The MP for Castle Point, who is also a Government chief whip, will walk in front of the 142 sailors drawing the Queen's coffin on the State Gun Carriage.
FOLLOW LIVE: Updates as the nation mourns the long-serving monarch
It means the Essex MP will be right at the front of the procession of the Queen's coffin from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey for the funeral service. She will again lead the procession from the Abbey to Wellington Arch at Hyde Park corner and again in Windsor to the Queen's final resting place in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.
Ms Harris, who was born in Windsor, previously said in a tribute to the Queen: "Her Majesty was the one bright and shining constant in all of our lives and hearts. Her life was an example to everyone. From the day she ascended to the throne, her selflessness, her dedication to duty and her compassion for all, never faltered. I do not believe anyone the world over, was more respected, more admired, and more loved than our Queen.
"Her passing is felt by every one of us. Although we as her subjects and millions across the Commonwealth and elsewhere will be united in grief, we also give thanks for her life, for her long service and that she passed away surrounded by her loving family and with the adoration of a grateful nation."
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