Queen Elizabeth's 4 Children Stand Solemn Vigil at Their Mother's Coffin in Historic Moment

Queen Elizabeth's four children are standing a symbolic watch.

On Friday evening, King Charles III, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward came together at their mother's coffin for an emotional Vigil of the Princes at Westminster Hall. Just after 7:30 p.m. local time, the siblings joined the King's Body Guards to ceremoniously protect the Queen's coffin as it laid in state, draped in the Royal Standard and topped with the Imperial Crown.

After taking their positions — King Charles at one end, Prince Andrew on the other with Princess Anne and Prince Edward on either side — they bowed their heads.

Mourners who stood in line for hours to see the Queen's coffin continued to file past during the vigil.

After about 15 minutes, the siblings somberly stepped away.

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YUI MOK/POOL/AFP via Getty King Charles

Several of their family members viewed the vigil. Princess Anne's daughter Zara came with her husband, Mike, and their daughters Mia and Lena, while Anne's son Peter brought along his two daughters, Savannah and Isla.

Dominic Lipinski/AP/Shutterstock Royal family members gather for a vigil at Queen Elizabeth's coffin in Westminster Hall

Prince Andrew's daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, were also there with their husbands.

Queen Camilla also viewed the emotional vigil, along with Prince Edward's wife Sophie and their two children, Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn.

DANIEL LEAL/POOL/AFP via Getty

Although it was announced earlier this week that only working members of the royal family would wear military uniforms for the Queen's funerary events, a special exception was made for Prince Andrew to wear his military uniform for Friday's vigil. The Duke of York was allowed to don regalia for the final vigil as a sign of respect for the late monarch, who "peacefully" died at age 96 on September 8.

While Charles, Anne, Edward, and other working members of the royal family who hold military rank (like Prince William) have worn uniforms for this week's events, Andrew has worn a dark suit as he is no longer a senior working royal.

Hannah McKay/AP/Shutterstock Prince Andrew

The Duke of York was stripped of his military titles and royal patronages in January 2022 after he was accused of sexual assault by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, a victim of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's former ring.

Andrew spent 22 years in the Royal Navy, serving as a helicopter pilot in the Falklands War in 1982.

HANNAH MCKAY/POOL/AFP via Getty King Charles

The rite marked the second time they performed the Vigil of the Princes at the Queen's coffin, having first carried out the tradition Monday evening at St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland.

There, Princess Anne, 72, made history as the first female royal to participate in the rare ritual, standing with her three brothers for the solemn guard.

JANE BARLOW/POOL/AFP/Getty King Charles

The Vigil of the Princes had only been hosted twice before in family history. It was first recorded during the funerary processions for the Queen's grandfather, King George V, in 1936, and again performed when the Queen Mother died in 2002, according to The Independent.

There, Charles, 73, Andrew, 62 and Edward, 58, briefly guarded their grandmother's coffin the day before her funeral.

Pool Photo/Getty Images Vigil for The Queen Mother in 2002

Like Andrew, Prince Harry has worn a suit for the Queen's funerary events. The Duke of Sussex, 38, served in the British Army for a decade, and lost his three honorary military titles (Captain General of the Royal Marines, Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Honington and Commodore-in-Chief, Small Ships and Diving, Royal Naval Command) after he and wife Meghan Markle stepped back from their senior royal roles in March 2020.

A spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex confirmed to PEOPLE earlier this week that he "will wear a morning suit throughout events honoring his grandmother."

"His decade of military service is not determined by the uniform he wears, and we respectfully ask that focus remain on the life and legacy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II," the spokesperson said.

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Kate Green/Getty

However, it was revealed Friday that Prince Harry will wear his military uniform for a similar vigil on Saturday with all eight of Queen Elizabeth's grandchildren.

The update comes "at the King's request," according to a palace source, and the decision was made without Prince Harry requesting a change, PEOPLE has learned. The Duke of Sussex was prepared to wear whatever was asked, PEOPLE understands, and his focus is on honoring his grandmother.

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The Queen's coffin will continue to lie in state at Westminster Hall through the weekend, where thousands have visited to pay their respects.

On Monday morning, the coffin will be moved from the medieval building to nearby Westminster Abbey, where the state funeral will begin.