'They deserve a medal': Calls for Guardsmen who carried the Queen's coffin to get MBEs
There have been calls on social media for the Guardsmen who carried Queen Elizabeth II's coffin at her state funeral to be awarded MBEs.
People have flooded platforms like Twitter and Facebook with posts describing the young men who carried the Queen's coffin upon their shoulders as "impeccable", "flawless" and "role models", to name just a few.
An MBE, or Member of the Order of the British Empire, is a medal awarded by a member of the Royal Family for outstanding achievement or service to the community.
The men who carried Sir Winston Churchill's coffin in 1965 were honoured with BEMs for their service.
The Daily Mail reported that among those backing the call are former Head of the British Army Lord Dannatt, politician and veteran Tobias Ellwood MP and SAS Who Dares Wins' former Chief Instructor Ant Middleton.
Of the entire Armed Forces' performance on the day, Mr Ellwood said on Twitter: "As we say our final farewell to Her Majesty, let’s also give thanks to our magnificent military that made this day such a memorable occasion.
"The scale and splendour of their performance did the Queen and indeed the nation proud."
The guardsmen from the Queen's Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, carried the Her Late Majesty's coffin in both London and Windsor as millions of people around the world watched the ceremony.
The average audience for the Queen's funeral service at Westminster Abbey was 26.2 million people, according to the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board.
Meanwhile, the Nielsen ratings agency says 11.4 million people in the United States were watching.
Watch: Military says final goodbye to Commander-in-Chief with leading role in Queen Elizabeth's funeral
1st Battalion Grenadier Guards had a close connection with the Queen – as the serving monarch she held the position of company commander and made a personal review of the company every decade.
Dickie Arbiter, former press secretary to Queen Elizabeth II, added his support for awarding the Guardsmen with MBEs on Uncensored on Talk TV.
He said: "Honours have been given to people for lesser things.
"This was a great moment in their lives, it was a great moment in our lives and it was a great moment for the Royal Family."
People took to Facebook to share their admiration for the young men and express their opinion that the Guardsmen deserve to be honoured with a medal.
Sue Seddon went as far as to say that in addition to receiving a medal, they should be given a pay rise.
She said: "The whole of the military have done an amazing job today and no praise is high enough. They all deserve a medal. And a pay rise."
Bob Howlett wanted to share his appreciation for the pallbearers on the coffin's whole journey from the RAF Regiment and the Royal Regiment of Scotland and the Grenadier Guards.
He said: "I think the coffin bearers from both Scotland and England deserve a medal, job well done lads."
Vicky Lane-Davies praised the impeccable performance of every member of the Armed Forces at the state funeral.
She said: "The whole lot was amazing. It was perfection all of it. They all and every one of them deserve a medal. So very proud of our inheritance. Even the crowds were amazing."
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