Mystery solved as Queen’s undertaker William Purves breaks silence over hearse backlash

THE Queen’s funeral directors have broken their silence after coming under fire for displaying an advert on Her Majesty’s hearse.

A large sticker bearing the name of the firm William Purves was visible as the procession left Balmoral at 10am yesterday morning.

AP

Undertakers left an ad for their firm on the Queen’s hearse[/caption]

AP

William Purves said the branding was removed at the ‘earliest opportunity’[/caption]

The ad saw the company’s website crash as TV viewers who were watching the procession tried to log on.

Royal fans took to social media to vent their frustration over the advert on the window and branded it “tasteless”.

One wrote: “What an appalling example of ‘accidental’ free advertising.”

And another added: “Sad days when the funeral director makes sure he gets free advertising all the way to Edinburgh.”

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It comes as…

• The King pledged to follow his mother’s selfless duty in an emotional address at Westminster Hall
• Charles and Camilla jet off to Edinburgh for an emotional procession following the Queen’s coffin
• It’s revealed Prince Andrew ‘will have central role’ at the Queen’s funeral – despite stepping back from royal duties
• But the Duke of York is banned from wearing military uniform at the service
• Prince Harry thanks his beloved ‘granny’ the Queen in heartfelt tribute before referencing his ‘darling wife’ Meghan
• Brits will hold a minute’s silence on Sunday night to honour the late Queen Elizabeth

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But after the cortège stopped in Brechin, where it’s understood they refuelled, the window branding had vanished when the hearse continued its journey.

A spokesperson for the company confirmed the signage was removed “at the earliest opportunity” due to social media backlash.

They said: “When the procession left Balmoral, we became aware of the negative attention our company was receiving in relation to the branding and removed the logo at the earliest opportunity.

“We took action as soon as possible and pride ourselves on being discreet for all our clients.

“We changed the colour of our hearse from silver to black and the branding is a common feature on our cars.”

“This procession was meticulously planned and rehearsed every month for a number of years.

“We noticed there was a deflection of attention during the procession which was playing out on social media.

“We acted at the earliest opportunity.

“It’s been a privilege and an honour to serve the Queen and we’ve received the most amazing support locally and globally for yesterdays procession.”

It comes after The Queen’s children Prince Andrew, Princess Anne and Prince Edward watched on in solemn silence as their mother’s coffin was carried into Holyrood.

Grieving Brits are set to queue overnight in a bid to shuffle past the Queen’s coffin at St Giles’ Cathedral.

Her Majesty’s coffin will be transported to Edinburgh Airport tomorrow, as she makes her way back to London.

With the airspace temporarily closed and some Scots flights cancelled.

The Queen will be laid to rest in a sombre state funeral on Monday September 19 at Westminster Abbey.