‘Frazzled’ Herald forgot to shout God Save the King

READING out the proclamations in the final stages of the Queen’s Committal was a career-defining moment for the Garter King of Arms – yet all did not go as smoothly as hoped.

The most senior Herald, David Vines White, forgot to say the crucial words ‘God Save the King’ at the end of the ceremony at St George’s Chapel in Windsor last week.

And in an unfortunate twist, the words were written out on the order of service, which was distributed throughout the chapel and published online.

Thankfully King Charles, though always keen on details, did not make a fuss. A source in the Royal Household said: ‘Right at the end he was meant to shout “God Save the King”, and all those in the congregation would have done it too. It’s not particularly hard to read from a script. They’re very annoyed at him.’

But historian Hugo Vickers leapt to his defence, saying: ‘I imagine the poor man was frazzled. It’s a bit like the poor King with his pen. Cut him a bit of slack, I think.’