Princess Adeline of Wales

Chapter Twenty-Three: Elizabeth, The Queen Mother

9th of April 2002 - Westminster Abbey, London

"First Great Aunt Maggie, now Great Grandmama," Adeline murmured shaking her head, it was hard to believe that they were already attending another funeral; it had only been seven weeks since they had attended Princess Margaret's funeral. 

The double blow to the family had come as a shock and none of them had been prepared for the losses of the two former senior royals that had served their Queen and Country so well. 

Taking a deep breath, Adeline could not help but be reminded of her mother's funeral that had taken place in this very Abbey; the feelings felt terribly similar but this time there was a slight difference. 

Her Great Grandmother had been 101 years old when she had passed, she had lived a long life and Adeline knew that she would be at peace now especially considering how unwell she had been as of late. 

Surely it was everyone's dream to go as she had, passing in her sleep with her daughter by her side; it was a better death than most got in this world. 

"Hopefully, the last funeral we'll attend for a while," William mumbled looking ahead at the coffin, he did not want to think that the next family funeral that they could be attending was going to be either of their grandparents. 

If all went well then, their grandparents would be around for quite a long time, the three of them knew what would happen when the day came and they passed. 

William had only started university in the September and with everything done to ensure that his schooling was undisturbed; he knew that when he graduated that he was expected to follow the same path as his father and uncles. 

After completing his studies at Eton, William took a gap year, during which he took part in British Army training exercises in Belize, worked on English dairy farms, visited Africa, and for ten weeks taught children in southern Chile. 

It had been an interesting learning experience and one that he would cherish, it was nice to have dose of realty when everything around him was so set in stone that there were times that he did not know what he was doing.

Harry nearly jumped when he felt Adeline take his hand and give it a squeeze, he spared a glance in her direction though her eyes remained ahead almost like she knew what was going on in his mind right now. 

The very fact that they were attending another funeral and in such fast succession from the last was unnerving and being stood in the Abbey where they had said goodbye to their mother in public made him uneasy. 

Letting out an uneasy breath, he was happy to say that he was at least doing better now that he had some help; talking to someone that was not family had done him some good at least. 

After everything that had happened, Harry had thought that he would never feel secure in his emotions and his siblings would never understand him; he was even starting to think what he wanted to do in the future. 

He was seventeen and that meant that with little more than a year of his school life left, it was his turn to think about what he was going to do and what path he desired to take. 

Harry had decided to spend his gap year abroad like William had, though he was aiming for Australia and Lesotho if he had his say and he was pleased to see his father actually listening to him. 

They all knew that University would not be the place for him, his grades despite tutoring where poor and he was looking for something to do that he could call his own. 

Though he knew in part that he would be expected to join the armed forces like his brother would one day do and follow in the footsteps of their father and uncles by serving in some way.