Why King Charles sat behind an empty seat during Queen Elizabeth II’s committal service

Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral concluded last evening at Westminster Abbey, in the presence of 200 attendees, followed her committal service at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in England. At the sombre event, an emotional King Charles III watched the proceedings from a seat in the second row beside his wife Queen Consort Camilla.
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As billions across the world saw the funeral, people were quick to notice an empty seat in front of King Charles. Reportedly, the seat in the front is left empty due to a royal protocol so that the monarch can have a clear view of the proceedings if he/she is not sitting in the first row. “The seat in front of the Queen is always left empty,” Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams had previously told The Independent.
Members of the royal family, including King Charles III (left), during the Committal Service for Queen Elizabeth II held at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, Berkshire (Source: Reuters)
This seat, where Britain’s reigning monarch sat, was particularly significant to the Queen who occupied it during previous royal weddings such as the weddings of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank. But, most memorably, this is the same seat where Queen Elizabeth sat for Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, which were in place during the death of the Duke of Edinburgh, she sat alone in that row and the Queen’s moving picture became a symbol of her love and devotion to her late husband.
The Queen was seen sitting alone in the pews of St George’s Chapel, quietly mourning her partner of 73 years and setting an example. (Source: AP)
Fitzwilliams added that this was Queen Elizabeth’s “favourite seat in St George’s Chapel”.

According to Sky News, this is the same seat on which King Henry VIII worshipped 500 years ago, and where every monarch since has sat. It is believed that following the Queen’s death, King Charles will sit in the same place every time he visits St George’s Chapel.
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