THE coffin of the last member of the royal family to be born in Scotland was carried at her Windsor funeral service yesterday by eight burly Glaswegians.
Soldiers from Princess Margaret's own regiment lifted her coffin on to their shoulders and carried it down the aisle of St George's Chapel, to begin its journey to Slough crematorium.
The princess was colonel-in-chief of the Glasgow and Ayrshire Regiment, the 1st Battalion Royal Highland Fusiliers.
Eight sergeants, all from Glasgow, were her pallbearers. They were Sergeants Gary Stewart, Craig Temple, Ian Cameron, Tam McBride and Christopher Collins, along with Colour Sergeants Brian Conway, Les Foreman and Matt Melrose. The same soldiers earlier had borne the coffin from the nave of the chapel where it had rested overnight.
They placed the coffin in the catafalque in the quire of the chapel before the 450-strong congregation took their places for the service.
Along with the bearers were Sergeants Alan Middlemiss and John Tollan, who acted as steadiers while Sergeants Tommy Torrance and Rab Hunter were hat orderlies.
After the service, as the coffin was carried to the waiting hearse, a RHF Pipe Major Sergeant Neil Hall played a lament, The Desperate Struggle of the Bird, which had been chosen by Princess Margaret's daughter, Lady Sarah Chatto.
Afterwards, an army spokes-woman said: ''Princess Margaret's death has deeply saddened the whole regiment. All those involved today regarded it as a great honour to be allowed to participate at the funeral.''
The RHF was formed in 1959 by an amalgamation of the Highland Light Infantry and the Royal Scots Fusiliers.
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