Queen Elizabeth II: Royal guard from York says vigil was 'very emotional'

Mark Sullivan joined the Yeomen of the Guard 10 years ago

A member of the Queen's bodyguard has said keeping vigil beside her coffin as it lay in state was "very, very emotional".

Mark Sullivan, from York, was one of the Yeomen of the Guard who were on duty as crowds filed through Westminster Hall to pay their respects.

Mr Sullivan also took part in the state funeral, accompanying the gun carriage as it made its way through London.

He described the atmosphere during the procession as "absolutely unreal".

"Very, very quiet," he said.

"The odd cheer, the odd clap, some people crying but mostly just the silence as you were going through.

"All you could hear was the band playing and the crowd, just so many of them. The numbers were immense, really impressive."

Mr Sullivan spent more than 20 years in the armed forces before becoming a yeoman 10 years ago.

He said he joined the bodyguard because he wanted "to be part of serving the Queen", adding that he carried out his duties during the lying in state "with a sense of pride".

"Partly because she's our boss and we were making sure we looked after her," he said.

"But also because of the crowds going past, the emotion from them - you could feed off it and you could feel it for a lot of them as they were coming through."