Lady Sarah Chatto, daughter of the late Princess Margaret, appeared understandably upset at the Queen’s procession in Westminster Hall yesterday.
The only niece of the Queen and a family favorite, Lady Sarah attended the services with her 23-year-old son, Arthur Chatto. Arthur is also the son of Sarah’s husband, former actor Daniel Chatto, and is training to become part of the Royal Marines.
According to a royal insider for the Daily Mail, Sarah was known among the royal family as having a “sense of loyalty, fun, duty and the ridiculous” with the Queen.
“The Queen adores Sarah and seeks out her company as often as possible. She is her absolute favourite younger royal,’ the same insider said. ‘They are hugely at ease in each other’s company. Much giggling can be heard when they are together. They share a sense of loyalty, fun, duty and the ridiculous.”
Sarah joined many of her relatives wearing all black for the monarch’s funeral service on Wednesday, September 14. The Queen’s procession began at Buckingham Palace and ended in her final resting place, Westminster Hall.
King Charles, his three siblings, his sons Prince William and Prince Harry, and his wife Camilla were present as well. Also, there were the Princess of Wales, Duchess of Sussex, Zara Tindall, Mike Tindall, and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
Her Majesty’s children, King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward followed alongside the casket as it traveled from Buckingham to the hall.
Lady Sarah’s brother, the Earl of Snowdon followed behind with the Queen’s grandson Peter Phillips, Princess Anne‘s husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence and the Queen’s cousin the Duke of Gloucester.
Lady Sarah Chatto’s 1964 birth, according to the Daily Mail, was the final time a royal baby was born at the palace and not at a hospital. Her cousins—Prince Edward, Lady Helen Windsor, and James Ogilvy—were born within weeks of her.
The Queen grew close with all of the siblings, but she demonstrated a particular closeness to Lady Sarah, who is rumored to remind those around her of the Queen’s late sister and Sarah’s mother.
Sarah continues to maintain a reportedly close relationship with the King. While averse to the public eye, she does remain close with much of the Royal Family. She is godmother to Prince Harry and was a bridesmaid at King Charles III’s wedding to Princess Diana.
She is additionally a godmother to Prince Edward’s daughter, Louise, and the Duke of Gloucester’s daughter, Rose.
Lady Sarah was raised in Kensington palace. Her older brother David resided there as well, while her parents divorced when she was at the age of 13. In her teenage years, she attended Bedale school in Hampshire.
Later, she met her now-husband, Daniel Chatto on a set while she worked as a wardrobe assistant. They were married in July of 1994 in a small ceremony at St. Stephen’s Walbrook church. Sarah and Daniel live in Kensington with their two sons, Samuel (25) and Arthur (23).
As her children grew, Sarah began to frequently reside with the Queen. She was often photographed with the Queen on their way to church in Balmoral.
Sarah’s mother, Margaret, was younger sister to the Queen and has been desperately missed by her ever since, likely a contributing factor to the close relationship between the Monarch and Margaret’s daughter Sarah.
The Queen’s coffin, now residing in Westminster Hall, is expected to be a crowded area as more than a million people are expected to line up and pay their respects in the coming day. With only 35 hours to do so, many will have to leave without visiting the late monarch.
