Westminster’s 23-year-old Lord Mayor describes ‘surreal’ experience at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral

By Jacob Phillips, Local Democracy Reporter

The youngest ever Lord Mayor of Westminster has described the experience of sitting near all the living British Prime Ministers at the Queen’s funeral.

Hamza Taouzzale, 23, was attending a funeral for the first time when he took his seat at Westminster Abbey on Monday.

The councillor became Westminster’s first Muslim Lord Mayor when he was elected in May and shortly afterwards he found himself sitting behind Prince George and Princess Charlotte at the late Queen Elizabeth’s diamond jubilee.

But just a short time later the Lord Mayor found himself surrounded by royalty, presidents, prime ministers and ambassadors as the world gathered to remember the Queen.

When he looked to his side he could see John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Boris Johnson and Theresa May all quietly watching on. At that moment he realised that they were just as overwhelmed by the situation as he was.

He said: “They were taking it in just as much as I was. We all had different roles but we were all there together. It put us all on a level playing field. None of it was about any of us. It was about the Royal Family.

“I started off my time as mayor with a big celebration. I was at the jubilee. It was surreal. It was a moment of history and a celebration of a 70-year reign.

“Then three months later I was attending the Queen’s funeral. It was an honour to be a part of it. It is not something that is going to be repeated in any of our lifetimes. We probably will never see a Queen again.

“Just being a part of that experience was a privilege. It wasn’t something I expected when I took office.”

He added: “In the abbey, seeing the coffin go through and seeing it leave, it brought up so many emotions as it makes you look at the world differently.”

As part of his role, the Lord Mayor is also the Deputy High Steward of Westminster Abbey and his special role means he has a seat designated to him inside the abbey.

His role also made him one of the last to arrive at the funeral. Only the Prime Minister and the Royal Family arrived after Hamza and his mother.

Arriving by car at precisely 10.12am, Hamza greeted the Archbishop of Canterbury and then had one of the most nerve-racking walks of his life as he passed through rows of world leaders to his seat behind the choir – and next to the former British prime ministers.

Hamza said: “To take my mum with me as my sovereign was one of the experiences of my life. My mum handled it really well. She was as honoured as I was to be able to attend.

“I was a bit nervous before because you don’t want to make a mistake. You don’t want to mess up. You are there for a reason. You are there to do a job.

“As soon as I walked in I realised this wasn’t about me. This was about someone’s mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who has done so much for our country.”

Pictured top: Hamza Taouzzale, the Lord Mayor of Westminster (Picture: Westminster City council)